Coach Development

Whilst we have the expression to describe the “art and science” of something, Michael Grinder (2007) proposes that in fact it is the science that usually comes first when we are learning a new skill. We are often drawn to the pursuit of mastery, actively seeking out the magic of the artistic coaching conversation. However, in reality, our growth and development as coaches usually means that we go through learning and understanding the Science of coaching first and then we begin to develop the Art of Coaching. Grinder’s model of professional development for communication can be easily overlaid onto the ...

In addition to being a new year, we're also beginning a new decade. 2020 begs the question, "What clarity and vision do you have for the year ahead?" Each year I look ahead at what the coming year may bring for both my business and my life as a whole. I like to ask myself the following questions: What adventures would I like to go on? What experiences would I like to have? What will I need? What will be important to me? What will I carry over? How will I know that I have had a fulfilling year? I ...

Listening to audios of coaches, coaching and also teaching and mentoring around the ICF Core Competencies, I’ve noticed how often an assumption is made in terms of what is being said and what is being heard. How often do we hear what someone says and assume what they mean? Have you noticed yourself in a conversation, be it a coaching conversation or just with friends, when you feel you may be talking at cross purposes, or even that you or the other person may have accidentally ‘hi-jacked’ the conversation due to misunderstanding? When that happens, it could mean you or ...

Coaching has seen several changes over time in terms of how, by whom and for whom it is used. There was a time when coaching was for the few, and now it is much more for the many, becoming a widely accepted and utilised tool for the development of employees at all levels. However, coaching has not typically been viewed as requiring a different method or approach based on the social categories of the person being coached (for example: their race, gender, age group, etc.) and scholars have recently suggested that more attention should be paid to the social context ...

Community is defined as, “the condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common.” We all need some of that, don’t we? Coaching can be a very lonely business. Many coaches run their own solo coaching practice. For internal coaches, they cannot readily talk with others in their organization about their work. This leaves coaches feeling isolated and alone, but it doesn’t have to be that way! Community can provide some great benefits for coaches: Connection and companionship A safe space to discuss coaching issues Personal development support For coaches who run their own business, building community can ...

I listened to a radio programme the other day about “professional depression,” this caught my attention and I stayed tuned… The programme’s key message was that peoples’ professional lives are increasingly leading to depression. Several examples were shared where professionals are working in organisations and/or environments that lead to significant emotional and psychological disharmony. This can be described as cognitive dissonance, where a situation involving conflicting attitudes, beliefs or behaviours produces a feeling of mental discomfort leading to an alteration of one’s own attitudes, beliefs or behaviours to reduce the discomfort and restore balance. Alternatively, we might create a form ...

My philosophy of coach supervision can best be explained using the analogy of advanced driver training. Once we’ve obtained our driver’s license (we’ve taken lessons and passed the test), we can go many years without ever having our driving examined. That is, of course, unless we (knowingly or unknowingly) break the law. Advanced training allows drivers to improve, update and check in on how their driving is doing. It also allows them to answer the following questions: Have I become a bit lazy? Am I familiar with the latest highway code? Do I know when I may be breaking the ...

How many times do we hear that coaching is a ‘soft’ skill? Indeed, many personal development training is often categorized as ‘soft’ skills. If you dig deeper into those ‘soft’ skills, many of them are about people. People’s interactions with others and people’s interactions with themselves. Yet ask managers or any leader what is the most challenging part of their role, and the answer is often—dealing with others! When looking at some definitions and distinctions between ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ skills, it seems that ‘hard skills’ are often defined as those which are specific, teachable abilities that can be defined, measured ...