Coaching

What is Professional Coaching?

The International Coach Federation defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential”, which is particularly important in today’s changing and complex work environment.  Coaches honor the client as the expert in his or her life and work and believe every client is creative, resourceful and whole.  Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to:

  • Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve;
  • Encourage client self-discovery;
  • Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies; and
  • Hold the client responsible and accountable.

This process helps clients dramatically improve their outlook on work and life, while strengthening their leadership skills and unlocking their potential.

  • Indra Nooyi
    "Just because you are CEO, don’t think you have landed. You must continually increase your learning, the way you think, and the way you approach the organization."
    Indra Nooyi
    PepsiCo
  • Maya Angelou
    “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
    Maya Angelou
  • Oprah Winfrey
    “Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.”
    Oprah Winfrey
  • J.K. Rowling
    “It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.”
    J.K. Rowling
  • John C Maxwell
    “People buy into the leader before they buy into the vision.”
    John C Maxwell
  • Nelson Mandela
    “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.”
    Nelson Mandela
  • Simon Sinek
    “If you want to be a great leader, remember to treat all people with respect at all times. For one, because you never know when you’ll need their help. And two, because it’s a sign you respect people, which all great leaders do.”
    Simon Sinek
  • John Russell, Managing Director
    “I never cease to be amazed at the power of the coaching process to draw out the skills or talent that was previously hidden within an individual, and which invariably finds a way to solve a problem previously thought unsolvable.”
    John Russell, Managing Director
    Harley Davidson Europe

Why Leadership Coaching?

People come to coaching for several reasons:

  • They could be “stuck” and cannot think of what else to do in order to move the organization forward;
  • They face a pressing, irresistible or exciting challenge;
  • They experience a gap in terms of knowledge, skills or self-confidence;
  • They want to accelerate the achievement of personal and organizational performance;
  • There may not be anyone at their level with whom they can have a confidential conversation;
  • They want to strengthen their leadership capabilities and increase their leadership presence;
  • They are transitioning to another role and want support to facilitate their learning curve;
  • They want to make a change or improve something themselves knowing that not only will they benefit but so will the greater organization; or,
  • They want to begin a process of reflection aimed at a change in their career path.

In today’s demanding environment, leaders have limited opportunity to devote time and energy to their own development.  That’s why coaching has been deemed effective as a development tool.

Coaching develops the leader in “real time” within the context of their current job while allowing them to maintain their day-to-day responsibilities.

Why organizations call on leadership coaches?

Organizations call on leadership coaches to:

  • Work with their high-potential employees to accelerate and support their development and to assist them in bridging the performance gap;
  • Support and guide new members of their teams to better understand the organization’s culture and values;
  • Support their senior managers in leading organizational change or dealing with complex challenges that need to be addressed in a short amount of time;
  • Help develop the leadership skills of their staff in technical positions; and,
  • Help correct behavior problems at the management level.

How does coaching work?

Coaching focuses on the needs of the client and utilizes (a process through) remove one-on-one coaching sessions to enable the client to self-discover, learn and determine their own “answers”.  The process is driven by the client who determines the agenda, sets the goals and commits to achieving them, while allowing the coach to help hold them accountable.

Below is how a typical coaching relationship evolves:

  • Each coaching engagement begins with an introductory session either face-to-face or by telephone. This is a conversation between the potential client and the coach to discuss several items such as:
    • The coaching perspective;
    • The client’s expectations of coaching;
    • What the client would like to accomplish during the coaching engagement;
    • The rules of engagement;
    • The logistics of the coaching sessions; and
    • Whether or not the right fit exists between the client and the coach.
  • Throughout the coaching engagement, the client is expected to take specific and regular actions to ensure that they achieve their coaching goals;
  • The coach may suggest resources such as relevant articles, books or models to stimulate the client’s thinking;
  • When the coaching engagement is coming to an end, a wrap-up session is scheduled to review what’s been learned and achieved during the coaching relationship.
  • Coaching conversations are, at all times, confidential. Clients may speak about their coaching experience but the coach does not.
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