Whenever I am with a coaching client and become conscious that a thought that is unrelated to our conversation pops into my head, I usually find myself adjusting my position in the chair and refocusing entirely on them. I can do this fairly instantly. I recognise the signs. When I get tired, I’m usually less… Continue Reading
When a manager has taken time to listen, explore and challenge the thinking and behaviours of those in their team through the use of a coaching style, there are many advantages to be had, including: Greater empowerment for the individual concerned who has just been helped to generate their own solutions to challenges they face. … Continue Reading
Newton’s Third Law suggests that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Whilst this may apply specifically to the physical world we can see it too in a similar way within coaching conversations and it is something that you need to be aware of. Push and Pull When a coach is helping… Continue Reading
In the previous post we looked at how using humour and seeing the funny side of things can be helpful in a coaching conversation. To illustrate how tricky a challenge it can be, this post will highlight some of the impacts of humour that you will need to be aware of and will definitely want… Continue Reading
Q: How many coaches does it take to change a lightbulb? A: Interesting question. How many coaches do you think it takes to change a lightbulb? Sorry … It was the best I could come up with and that was after spending lots of time thinking about it!! Coaching and humour The question I wanted… Continue Reading
I have a few really important questions I’d like you to ask yourself. I hope that doing so will bring you a realisation that may well save you hours every week, improve the quality of output from your team and motivate those not fully engaged previously, in trying to achieve this year’s targets. Happy to play along?… Continue Reading
One of the elements that distinguishes certain styles of coaching from others is the fact that that the person receiving coaching (the client) will have created some action steps to take away to work on between sessions. Unhelpfully, in my view, this is often referred to as “homework”. I think it is an unhelpful label… Continue Reading
Can I assume you are familiar with the phrase “Don’t put off until tomorrow, what you can do today”? And yet typically, when does a new diet start, or a new phase of trying to get fit at the gym begin? Or in a work context, when will you start “seriously” completing 1:1 meetings with… Continue Reading
As a coach, I can spend two hours with a client and feel that for a high percentage of the time I am able to be fully ‘present’. I’m able to be fully with with them and also be aware of my own state. I’ve practised this mental endurance over the last twelve years to… Continue Reading
Dan Pink is a writer who gets a lot of press and unlike many ‘popular’ writers his ideas do seem to be grounded in some research-based evidence. Here he shares his idea that we are all either in sales or ‘non-sales sales’ i.e. the art of influencing others. He deduced from the evidence three key… Continue Reading