Coaching

Today it is clearly recognised that "It's key performers who can grow most with a coach!" This turns the old coaching myth "its only poor performers that need a coach!" right on its head. Good Business coaching is a vital success ingredient in today's business world.

We believe that, today, any key Manager can benefit from coaching

• To help them progress from one level to the next in an organisation.

• To help them ease into a new considerably more challenging role.

• When there is significant change in the organisation.

• To under pin a leadership development programme

• To address specific performance issues - when some of the "rough edges" - (Yes! We all have them!!) begin to outweigh the significant strengths that a leader is displaying.

What is coaching?

Coaching is unlocking a persons potential to optimise their performance. It is helping them to learn, rather than teaching them. It may also be helping them to “unlearn” before they can relearn new skills or behaviours.

Why is important today?

It is our belief is that everyone, including business leaders and senior managers come to work to do the very best work that they can do. Unfortunately in the ever increasingly pressurised world that is business today it is sometimes difficult to try out and maintain new behaviours or do things differently.

Why is that?

Because in today's business world, time is of the essence, speed is all important and often those time pressures mean that Business managers, and especially executives at the top of organisations, can tend to get stuck, using old or past experiences to deal with ever increasingly complex situations.

What benefits does Coaching bring?

The coaching process provides the executive with a small “oasis” where he/she can think through some of the key dilemma's facing them, work through options and help them make the right decision. Work through how they will need to be and act in delivering this particular option.

It's a safe arena where a new behaviour can be identified and even rehearsed before trying it out in the real world

We underpin our coaching work with the Learning cycle, we recognise that adults learn in different ways and we work with our clients to understand and then use their own learning preference.

What's in it for the Organisation?

Whilst we note just some of the benefits that can accrue to the individual receiving the coaching, it is important to recognise that it is the organisation that reaps the ultimate benefit of a coaching assignment. Benefits may be more effective behaviours resulting in improved relationships, more productive environment, staff with clearer understanding of their roles and what is expected of them, less disruptive conflict, less rework etc . More often than not , especially at senior level, the benefits of coaching can be easily identified and actually traced right down to the bottom line p&l.

The Coaching Process

The start of any coaching assignment is getting the right coach with the coachee - there needs to be an element of “fit” and rapport between the coach and his /her client

Each Coaching “Contract “will be different, every assignment is bespoke to the individual. With the help of the coach the individual decides what it is important for him/ her to work on. Goals will be identified and quantified ( if appropriate)

Coach and coachee agree on the process that they will adopt and the guidelines that they wish to work to. This “contracting session” takes place in the early stages of the relationship and is referred to throughout the process to ensure that things are progressing to the client's satisfaction.

Each coaching “contract” will be time bound - usually lasting somewhere between 3- 6 month in duration.

Diagnostic Tools

Part of the coaching process revolves around raising the coachee's awareness. The objective here is to help the coachee be more aware or and reflect upon their own behaviours and their impact on others. Awareness around what is happening, what is working, or not as the case may be. We often find that the well placed use of one of a number of well known diagnostic tools can be very effective in helping a coachee be more aware of his/her behaviour and/or effectiveness.

Transition Partners are licensed to use a whole raft of diagnostic tools and psychometric instruments, if these are appropriate to the coaching situation or if the organisation does not have their own bespoke tools.

However, it is important to remember that these are just tools and the real skill that the coach brings is selecting the right tool to use at the right time and being able to use that tool in a highly effective manner and get the best results from it. We use any of our tools in support of and to supplement the learning process.

Coaching is not a quick fix solution and the relationships need time to become really effective and for real changes to happen.

Coaching can take place face to face or, after the initial sessions, on the telephone.

Often coaching relationships will continue well over the initial period as many executives just find the whole process so liberating and useful.

Coaching can also be extended to teams or groups - See Action Learning

Accreditation of Coached

All Transition Partners coaches are accredited coaches; Accredited by the Academy of Executive Coaching or other recognised coaching body.

It can be very lonely at the head of an organisation or even a department, all eyes are on you and there is often no-one there for you when you need it most -
Your Transition Partners coach will be!

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Copyright © Transition Partners 2004

What is Coaching?
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Why is it important today?
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What benefits does Coaching bring?
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The Coaching Process
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Diagnostic Tools
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Accreditation of Coaches