Why coach young leaders?

“Why Glaxo put its money on a leader rather than a chemist.”

This was the headline of an article I found in the Business Section of the Sunday Times (25.9.2016) about the newly appointed chief of the pharmaceutical giant Glaxo.  It resonated with me on a couple of levels.

Firstly, I felt very encouraged to read that the appointee, Emma Walmsley, is a woman, always a heartening statistic in the context of the corporate world!  However, what struck me as even more important was the fact that Ms. Walmsley had been chosen because of her business background and her “outstanding” leadership skills based on a “strong track record of delivering growth and driving performance,” rather than on the basis of formal scientific qualifications.  Indeed, Ms. Walmsley’s background and experience had been in running Glaxo’s consumer goods empire which, “peddles toothpaste and branded paracetamol.”  This appears to support the growing practice of appointing chief executives who have little or no direct industry experience.  In fact, there have been instances when too much experience could be seen as having a negative impact, as in the case of Christopher Bailey at Burberry (whose unsuccessful attempts to combine the roles of chief executive and chief creative officer caused a threatened investor rebellion resulting in his removal after two years).  So, what does all this have to do with coaching, and specifically with coaching our Young Leaders?

From my observation of the British School of Coaching’s pilot Young Leaders course held in July of this year, it is clear to me that the issues of leadership and teamwork are inextricably linked.  Any leader has to be able to manage a team effectively, leaders and teams do not exist in mutual exclusivity and, in today’s business world of competition and uncertainty, and it seems to me that collaboration is vital for organisations to make the most of their employees, which means that strong, effective leadership is key.

Watching the young people negotiating the practicalities and intricacies of team building, taking on different roles within the team, including that of being a leader, made me realise how beneficial these skills are, and how deceptively difficult they are to master.  Since one can only be the leader one’s character allows one to be, then coaching, as a facilitating and reflective process, would seem to be the ideal tool in which to explore this complex issue.  What does leadership actually look like?  Does it involve knowing all about the task at hand or does it rather demand the capacity to get the best out of others to achieve that task?  How does one guide and motivate others?  What happens to a team when there is no clear leader?  What implications does this have for collaboration?  Can we collaborate effectively if there is nobody “in charge?”  It seems to me that these are the questions which need to be addressed.

More than ever, young people coming into the workplace today need to be adaptable and flexible, as well as being innovative and creative.  What I think the BSC Young Leaders course highlights is how important it is to have the former skills to enable to contribute the latter in a meaningful and constructive way.  Not every idea can simply be thrown into the mix in the hope that the best ones will somehow float to the surface, there needs to be structure and discipline and a true commitment to listening, learning and reflection.  I would argue in fact, that perhaps by not knowing the answers.  A leader can be more effective as they will have to seek to understand, unencumbered by preconceived ideas or limiting beliefs, resulting in a more creative environment in which the team can operate, with a leader who knows when to step back and when to take charge.  No amount of “operational experience” or “technical knowledge” of the business will guarantee good leadership skills.  In sport, this is called “specificity of training” (a weight lifter does not train by running marathons!) and, as in sport, so it should be in training for leadership.  This is what our young people need today to help equip them for the increasingly complex demand of today’s workplace, in the knowledge that leadership skills are potentially more relevant even than industry experience.  A well constructed coaching programme provides just such an opportunity.

Blog by Virginia Raymond

Preparing for Winter: COACH

This is the third in the series of new blogs that the British School of Coaching has started that focus on different aspects of wellbeing for both coaches and their clients. BSC already hosts an endorsed Wellbeing Coaching qualification. This course provides an opportunity to understanding wellbeing rather than being seen simply as physical health. In addition there is a one day course to increase the understanding of mindfulness as well an opportunity to try out mindfulness techniques.

This wellness blog has been developed in response to extending the dialogue with coaches, as a way to support coaches to consider their own wellness as well as that of their clients. It isn’t prescriptive, but a mechanism to keep a live debate going as well as caring for the coaching community. Please join in this dialogue through Twitter (@bsc4coaching) using the hashtag- #BSCWellbeing

Available on the British School of Coaching website, the blog is based on five tips for maintaining wellbeing, for all coaches to contribute to.  Using COACH acronym as our framework the blog will be structured in the following headings of:
1. Care
2. Opportunities
3. Action and awareness raising
4. Conversations and feedback
5. Health

Appreciating the environment around us

October is the International Walk to School Month for Primary Schools as well as International School Library Month. Over 40 countries are taking part. For further information please see here.
Perhaps you could have a competition to what you see on the way to school. Below is a flower I particularly liked and took a photo of on a recent walk. Hope you like it too!

Please tweet us your photographs and use the hashtag- #BSCWellbeing so we can re-tweet them.

1.    Care
This section will cover suggested tips for coaches to share with each other how they care for themselves and clients.

The autumn harvests provide a wealth of different vegetables that can be stored and eaten through the winter months.

For this blog the tip is about the benefits of a vegetarian diet to mark World Vegetarian Day that is celebrated annually on 1st October. World Vegetarian Day was founded in 1977 by the North American Vegetarian Society. Its purpose is to draw global attention to the health and environmental benefits of vegetarianism and on the ethics of following a vegetarian lifestyle.

A study published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine looked at data from seven clinical studies and 32 other studies published between 1900 and 2013 where participants kept a vegetarian diet and found that vegetarians have lower blood pressure compared to people who eat meat. Other studies suggest a lower incidence of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.

It is also important to note that the main documented disadvantage of a vegetarian diet relate to not eating a balanced diet.

As always health and lifestyle choices are personal. This blog provides ‘food for thought’.

2.    Opportunities
Training to be a coach is a journey of increases self -awareness. For wellbeing coaches it also about increasing self-awareness about wellness and prevention. Amongst the national campaigns this month there is a focus on Breast Cancer with national campaign running a fund raising event on 14th October 2016.

3.    Action and awareness raising
October is National Home Security Month which serves as a reminder to coaches about ensuring their coaching environment is secure particularly for those of us who coach in the evenings.
National statistics show there is a 20% increase in home burglaries happening during the darker months of the year.

Don’t Forget  – The clocks Go Back in the UK on Sunday 30th October 2016.
For further information please see the national Locksmiths and business security. Stay Safe in the darker months!

4.    Conversations and feedback
This section is for coaches to provide their hints and tips for maintaining wellness as well as share experiences that may also be used in coaching network supervision session. If you have any models or thoughts you would like to share in this blog please email them to: amy@britishschoolofcoaching.com

5. Health
Spotlight on Mindfulness

World Mental Health Day (10th October) has once again highlighted the importance of building a better understanding of our mental health and wellbeing.

Mindfulness can be defined as moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, characterised mainly by “acceptance” – attention to thoughts and feelings without judging whether they are right or wrong.

The benefits of mindfulness have again been questioned in the media in recent weeks. An academic paper written by Dr Jonathan Passmore called ‘The role of mindfulness in coaching’ explores the concept of mindfulness as a tool for helping both coaches and coachees.  In this article he argues that coaching practice of the coach can be enhanced through using mindfulness as a preparation tool. He also highlights research evidence on mindfulness impact in managing stress and contributing towards improved performance, concluding with a discussion about the benefits for coachees too. Please see the full article here.

Sally Bell, Business and Wellbeing Coach

Autumn Harvest: COACH

The British School of Coaching (BSC) is launching a series of new blogs that focus on different aspects of wellbeing for both coaches and their clients. BSC already hosts an endorsed Wellbeing Coaching qualification. This course provides an opportunity to understanding wellbeing rather than being seen simply as physical health. In addition there is a one day course to increase the understanding of mindfulness as well an opportunity to try out mindfulness techniques.

This wellness blog has been developed in response to extending the dialogue with coaches, as a way to support coaches to consider their own wellness as well as that of their clients. It isn’t prescriptive, but a mechanism to keep a live debate going as well as caring for the coaching community.
Wellbeing at its simplest level is about personal happiness – feeling good and living safely and healthily. This means not allowing work to undermine our basic purposes and needs in our lives, and by extension those of our families and loved ones. In this respect, wellbeing is a hugely significant aspect of our work and careers.

A new blog will available on the BSC website every two weeks throughout the next six months. It will be based on five tips for maintaining wellbeing for all coaches to contribute to. Using COACH acronym as our framework the blog will be structured in the following headings of:
1. Care
2. Opportunities
3. Action and awareness raising
4. Conversations and feedback
5. Health

As autumn began at the start of the farmers are now well on the way with harvesting, fruit on the trees is ready for picking and the hedgerows are full of berries.  So is it time to find those recipes of what to do with your hedgerow harvest?

Back in 1943 the Ministry of Food published a leaflet to get the country doing more making and mending and thus more saving of essential resources for the war effort.  For further information see here

For coaches, autumn is the beginning of a time of year to reflect on what resources are available to them on their hedgerows, whether urban or rural around and quantify essential preparations to sustain them through winter.

1. Care

This section will cover suggested tips on how they care for themselves and clients, for coaches to share with each other.

For this blog the tip is about eye sight

It is recommended that most people should get their eyes tested every two years unless you have other underlying health conditions when the length of time between tests is shorter.

 A sight test can detect early signs of conditions like glaucoma, which can be treated if found soon enough as well as other health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure.

Question:
Did you know that you could test your own eye health? Please click here so you can test yourself.

2. Opportunities

As the days shorten and temperatures begin to drop it is tempting to stop exercising and become more sedentary. The opportunity is to consider what am I going to do to keep myself on the move?

Question:
Have you considered taking up yoga or going to a dance class?
It’s important to find an enjoyable way to gently move your body

Question:
Did you know that most mobile phones now have the ability to monitor how many steps you walk a day for free!
http://www.howtogeek.com/238904/how-to-track-your-steps-with-just-an-iphone-or-android-phone/

3. Action and awareness raising

Have you thought about DIY to prepare your home for winter?

Have you checked to see when your boiler is next due for a service and it is working properly? If you have radiators it’s also a good idea to check and bleed them too.

What about your roof and gutters? Have you recently checked your gutters to ensure there are no blockages ensuring they are kept free from leaves, nests and any other debris?

Have you checked all your indoor lights are working and you have a supply of bulbs?
http://www.careandrepair-manchester.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/MCR-Service-Leaflet-WEB14.pdf

4. Conversations and feedback

This section is for coaches to provide their hints and tips for maintaining wellness as well as share experiences that may also be used in coaching network supervision session. If you have any models or thoughts you would like to share in this blog please email them to: amy@britishschoolofcoaching.com

Coaching reflection – A personal example
 The inspiration for my reflection is about what autumn means to me from when coaching myself. It’s about contracting with myself to be the best I can be. I have found Jackee Holder’s ‘Top Ten Tips for Self-Coaching a helpful way of checking in with myself. I hope you do too.

5. Health

 The health benefit of berries!

Did you know blackberries are rich in bioflavonoids and Vitamin C, but other nutritional benefits include a very low sodium count and having only 62 calories to a cup. The dark blue colour ensures blackberries have one of the highest antioxidant levels of all fruits.

Ten additional facts about blackberries that may encourage you to go out for a weekend walk. Enjoy!

Sally Bell, Business and Wellbeing Coach

How to choose the best coach for your organisation

Experts from the British School of Coaching give their advice for getting the most out of training and development

Coaching is a recognised technique in the development of individuals’ performance as skills and knowledge are deepened and goals are set. Choosing the right coach to help achieve those goals is crucial, says Judith Barton and Martin Hill from the British School of Coaching. They told People Management about their five C’s of coaching.

1 Clarity
Before you embark upon the process of selecting a coach, you need to ensure you are clear about what outcome you wish to achieve. This is frequently the main cause of disappointment, or at worst, failure. If you are not clear what the ultimate aim of the coaching is, it will be almost impossible to set any meaningful matrices to measure the success of the intervention. What is it that you are seeking to achieve? What needs to change? What aspect do you need the support of the coach for? Does the coach need to have wider skills or knowledge to draw upon to support that aim?

2 Credibility
At present, coaching is an unregulated industry and anyone can describe themselves as a coach. Recent surveys of HR professionals and other coaching buyers have highlighted that consumers are becoming even more diligent in their enquiries of prospective coaches.

There are a number of questions you could ask when hiring a coach: What is their coaching qualification? How many coaching hours have they undertaken? What are their supervision arrangements for their practice? Are they a member of a recognised professional coaching body? If a coach specialises in a particular area, how have they developed their knowledge and skills? Do they have an understanding of your industry, sector, and profession?

3 Contract
Coaching should be a relationship based on equality. The coach is not there to act as an expert or to advise – they are there to act in an objective, non-judgmental manner and to provide a challenge to the client’s thoughts and ideas and help them achieve their desired outcome.

Good coaches will include the client in the design of the contract that will regulate their contractual relationship; setting the boundaries; specifying the roles of both parties; describing the methodology to be used.

Confidentiality is a crucial aspect and all parties should be clear, prior to commencement of any coaching assignment, about what information is to be shared, with whom and for what purpose?

4 Concise
While we would argue it is impossible to predict at the outset the number of sessions necessary to make progress, there are so many variables to a successful session. From our experience, significant progress can be made in three coaching sessions. To make this progress, coaches must have the skills and experience, there must be a ‘fit’ with the client and the definition of a successful session must be identified. Refining a client’s initial desired outcome is more often than not the focus of the first session.

5 Conditions
Other variables we believe make a positive contribution to the session are environment: where will the session take place? If it’s within an organisation, is it separate to the client’s area of work? One organisation we work with in the UAE decided to convert a small building in the grounds that is separate to the main building to be their coaching suite. Clients said “the five minute walk created space to think” and “the separate facility signalled coaching, that it’s time for me.”

Originally published by CIPD, 21 September 2016

Continuing competence for solicitors: how coaching can help

What is continuing competence?
As from 1 November 2016, all solicitors will be subject to the Solicitors Regulation Authority’s new approach to continuing competence, replacing continuing professional development (CPD). Details can be found at the SRA’s website.

The statement of solicitor competence adopts the following definition:
“the ability to perform the roles and tasks required by one’s job to the expected standard” (Eraut & du Boulay, 2001).

What this means for the individual solicitor depends upon the nature of their job, the stage they are at in their career, and the task in front of them. It is not limited to acquiring or updating legal knowledge, but encompasses a range of skills and knowledge:

• Ethics, professionalism and judgment
• Technical legal practice
• Working with other people
• Managing themselves and their own work

The competences are linked to a threshold standard required at the point of qualification, with a range of indicative standards showing expectations at different career stages, both pre- and post-qualification.

The SRA provides a continuing competence toolkit to help solicitors meet the requirements of the new approach. This highlights the key tasks as:

• Reflection
• Planning
• Addressing learning and development needs
• Recording and evaluating learning and development activity

How can coaching help?
Coaching can support and enhance continuing competence for solicitors.

“This is not a soft option to learning and development: you will need to think seriously about whether the quality of your practice meets your obligation to provide a proper standard of service. To do this successfully requires you to think about your strengths, weaknesses, what you can do better, and what you need to do to keep your skills and knowledge up to date” (SRA website)

“It is important to devote an appropriate time for reflection” (SRA website)

Thinking seriously might sound easy, but even giving yourself the time and the discipline for this type of thinking can be difficult in the midst of a very busy working life. It is something that easily slips down the “to do” list, overtaken by other priorities.

An appointment for a coaching session is a lot less easy to cancel than an hour or two blocked out in the diary. But coaching brings much greater value than just a devoted time.

Coaching can help with every part of the continuing competence approach.

Reflection: Thinking about your own performance, strengths and weaknesses, and development needs, is more effective with a coach to guide and structure the conversation, offer challenge, and make you think just that little bit deeper.

Planning: Quality of planning is key. It needs to be focussed and relevant, and it will be most successful if the actions come from the individual, rather than being imposed upon them. This is a real strength of a coaching approach.

Addressing L&D needs: Coaching is identified by the SRA as a development activity in its own right. It can also help to identify a broader range of options, and address how learning can be maximised across teams and organisations.

Recording and evaluating: Coaching after an activity is the perfect opportunity to evaluate how the activity met the identified learning and development needs, cement the learning, and identify how the learning will be consolidated into practice. This will improve the quality of recording and evidence of development arising from the activity.

Development for non-qualified staff
The continuing competence toolkit can help aspiring lawyers and non-qualified staff to understand the requirements of knowledge and skills to progress towards qualifying as a solicitor.

Coaching is equally valuable in supporting and enhancing the ongoing development of those aiming for qualification, and indeed those in paralegal or non-legal roles.

Trish Hannen, ILM Level 7 qualified Leadership and Development Coach

Back to School: COACH

The British School of Coaching (BSC) is launching a series of new blogs that focus on different aspects of wellbeing for both coaches and their clients. BSC already hosts an endorsed Wellbeing Coaching qualification. This course provides an opportunity to understanding wellbeing rather than being seen simply as physical health. In addition there is a one day course to increase the understanding of mindfulness as well an opportunity to try out mindfulness techniques.

This wellness blog has been developed in response to extending the dialogue with coaches, as a way to support coaches to consider their own wellness as well as that of their clients. It isn’t prescriptive, but a mechanism to keep a live debate going as well as caring for the coaching community.
Wellbeing at its simplest level is about personal happiness – feeling good and living safely and healthily. This means not allowing work to undermine our basic purposes and needs in our lives, and by extension those of our families and loved ones. In this respect, wellbeing is a hugely significant aspect of our work and careers.

A new blog will available on the BSC website every two weeks throughout the next six months. It will be based on five tips for maintaining wellbeing for all coaches to contribute to.  Using COACH acronym as our framework the blog will be structured in the following headings of:
1.    Care
2.    Opportunities
3.    Action and awareness raising
4.    Conversations and feedback
5.    Health

As autumn begins it marks an important time of the year to both harvest fruits and vegetables as well as prepare and celebrate new beginnings. For families it’s back to school with a new routine, new classes and subjects to study whilst for others it’s the beginning of a new experience of going to college, starting an apprenticeship or new year at university.

As this photograph depicting the autumn season shows, there are always a number of different paths to follow. Coaches are no exception. The autumn brings new opportunities as well as a time to take stock in advance of the winter period.

With this in mind, the wellbeing blogs have been written to consider the wellness of coaches and their clients.

1. Care
This section will cover suggested tips for coaches to share with each other how they care for themselves and clients.

For this blog the tip is about posture.

Poor posture at work is a major cause of back pain, workplace stress and repetitive strain injury, that we all know can result in lost time, reduced productivity, poor health, and low morale.

Questions to myself? Am I able to give my best coaching experience in my current coaching environment? Are there any improvements I could make that will benefit both me, and my clients?

2. Opportunities
Autumn parts the beginning of new courses.

Questions to myself? Is there anything I’ve always wanted to study/ become involved in but haven’t had the time to do? Are there any local courses available to me? Club or enrolment evenings or is it getting involved in the local pantomime I want to do?

Learning more about local produce and harvest – this could be through the British Food Fortnight 17th – 2nd October 2016. This is the biggest annual, national celebration of British food and drink.
www.britishfoodfestival.co.uk/

3.    Action and awareness raising
Vitamin D – Making the most of a walk in the autumn sunshine.

In the UK, sunlight does not contain enough UVB radiation in winter for our skin to be able to make vitamin D. During the winter months, we need to consider how we continue to get our vitamin D from food sources (including fortified foods) and supplements. For colleagues in the Middle East it is equally important to consider I am getting enough Vitamin D. Wherever you live there are a wide variety of sun lotions, sprays and creams.  Is it protection factor 50 I need in the summer and protection factor 30 in the cooler months? Whatever your skin type, check out the labels or talk to the pharmacist if you’re not sure which is the best for you.

The last few weeks there has been a lot of media coverage on vitamin D to include the impact it can have for people who suffer with asthma.

For further information please see the NHS Choice website.

4.    Conversations and feedback
Coaching reflection – A personal example

The inspiration for my reflection is from the Olympics. Watching the athletes, whether able bodied or those competing in the Paralympics, is very inspiring – especially their self-belief that by practicing every day you will improve.  This can be directly translated into the wellness-coaching environment. Marginal gains theory is a model I have recently been read about and applying. If you have not tried it it’s worth a look. I have found it to be a very powerful tool that can be used to support clients especially if they are feeling ‘stuck’.

For further information please see: ‘This Coach Improved Every Tiny Thing by 1 Percent and Here’s What Happened’

This section is for coaches to provide their hints and tips for maintaining wellness.  If you have any models or thoughts you would like to share in this blog please email them to: amy@britishschoolofcoaching.com

The next Coaching Network event will be held on Saturday 19th November 2016 from 9.30am – 1pm.  This will be an opportunity for coaches to shape this section of the blog as well as use in coaching network supervision sessions. For more information on the network event please email amy@britishschoolofcoaching.com

5. Health
Packed Lunches – they don’t have to be boring!

A healthy, varied diet should provide all the nutrients needed.

Going back to school often means adjusting into a new routine. This may include preparing pack ups, not just for the children but all the family. There are lots of foods that can be used to make a packed lunch varied and tasty. The supermarket websites are a great source of the wide variety and choices available to us.

For further information please visit: www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts

The next wellbeing blog will be published in a few weeks time. Its focus will be: Autumn Harvest
Author: Sally Bell, September 2016

Sally Bell, Business and Wellbeing Coach

Life Long Learning

British School of Coaching launches first professional Young Leaders Award to give young people the edge.

Lancashire-based coaching and mentoring specialists, British School of Coaching (BSC), has launched the first professional qualification for young people aged 14-24 following a successful pilot test in Lancashire this year.

The ILM Level 2 Award for Young Leaders, which takes three months to complete and includes two-day workshops, aims to develop key lifelong self-development skills, and behaviours for building confidence. Participation creates a valuable launch pad for young people entering work, further education or higher education to differentiate themselves from other applicants. Delegates participate in lively and highly interactive workshops and they are supported by professional coaches from BSC.

Speaking on the first day of the new programme, BSC Director of Studies, Judith Barton said: “We’re delighted to have teamed with the ILM to produce a fantastic and long-needed programme of study for young people preparing for exams, college and the workplace. Young people face increasing demands in schools and colleges. In a rapidly changing world, students have to be self-starters. They need the tools to proactively manage their time and make judgments about which skills they must improve upon. Lifelong learning is becoming the norm.”

Barton speaks in the wake of much media commentary nationally regarding young people being prepared for the rigour of university and work. She continues: “Gaining an internationally recognised qualification accredited by the ILM is a great addition to any CV.”

Participants in the inaugural programme said they ‘learned skills for the future’ and ‘learned new skills on self-leadership and how to set goals’.

BSC Programme Co-Ordinator, Amy Southern, who is in her early 20s, helped get the course ready for the launch. She commented: “We tested the programme in June and now we have six participants on the launch programme. The turnaround from test-phase to this launch date has been a result of great teamwork, with superbly documented feedback and a determination by everyone to deliver. What makes it such a great course is that the participants do all the work during the four-day programme of workshops and complete workbooks that are then assessed – no work has to be done outside of the course days. Successful completion will provide a minimum of four credits towards further study via the international qualifications framework. I’m very pleased to be involved and to be working so closely with learners gives me added incentive.”

Judith Barton concluded: “The qualification demonstrates a can-do approach. Our programme develops skills in self-leadership, resilience, decision-making and problem solving, as well as communication and planning. All skills essential are differentiators and builders of self-esteem.”

Article published in Independent Education Today on July 28, 2016

Ramadan/Summer Reading Series: 1

Ramadan and summer time provides an excellent opportunity for reflection and self-development. Following the tradition established last year, I will hopefully provide some suggestions to tempt your learning.

When we are in the midst of studying for a coaching or mentoring qualification, we spend a lot of time reading numerous source materials – but what happens after the qualification is gained?  I bet that they are left to gather dust on a shelf or left in some dark, unwelcoming corner as a mini-table or portable storage area as I prefer to describe it.

When was the last time that you revisited the materials? It can be really interesting to revisit an old favourite and reflect on whether the contents still “sing out” to you now. Reflect on whether your viewpoint as to the contents has changed – is that due to your experience that you have subsequently gained? What causes the “grating” or discomfort?

The books may also serve to refresh your skills and knowledge and correct some of the “bad habits” that you may have unconsciously developed.

Why not set yourself a challenge of revisiting one book and reflecting on what this means for you and your coaching practice.

These recommendations relate to the “hot topics” of mindfulness and wellbeing. They appear in no order of preference:
Well I hope that this has provoked some thinking and provided some insights for purchases. Remember that as a member of ISQC we have secured discounts from some of the publishers – email ISQC@britishschoolofcoaching.com for more details.

Next time I will recommend some general coaching books. Let me know if there are any topics or areas that you would like me to focus on and feel free to make your own suggestions and recommendations.

Happy Reading!!*

Martin Hill LL.B (Hons), FInstLM, FISQC, MAC, EMCC Member, Coach & Coach Supervisor
Faculty Member
Programme Director for ILM 7 Coaching & Mentoring Courses

*to receive our weekly blog by email please subscribe to our mailing list

Focus and Energy in Coaching

“The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.” Anthony Robbins
I am sure that you will all have experienced sessions that went fabulously, when everything just seemed to flow and it was almost effortless. Similarly, there will have been sessions which leave you with a sense of frustration, where things just did not seem to click, despite all your tried and tested approaches. What makes the difference? In my experience it will be attributable to the focus and energy in the session on the part of the coach or coachee or both.

One of my favourite techniques to assist my reflective learning when reviewing my coaching sessions or supervision sessions is to review the energy levels within the session – for the coach and the coachee. A great tool is Peter Hill’s FOE tool (“Concepts of Coaching- A Guide for Managers”- Peter Hill (2004) ILM). This requires you to assess the following:
•    FOCUS – The attention the coach brings to the moment.
•    OPENNESESS – The receptivity of heart and mind the coach brings to the moment.
•    ENERGY -The physical and emotional vigour the coach brings to the moment.

Although Hill focuses on the coach, I have found it useful to adapt the tool to analyse the FOE levels for the coachee as well. One of the great lessons that was imparted to me – if you really are committed to continuous improvement and striving for excellence, then you should always find at least one thing you can improve upon. Bear in mind however, that this comes with a health warning – only assess the coachee after assessing yourself as the coach.

Although reflective practice is great for honing your skills, what can you do as a coach to ensure that you optimise your energy and focus for coaching sessions? Here are some things to consider:
•    Contracting for self as “coach”– It is amazing how much time and energy we give to drafting contracts for the coachees and sponsors, but one way of ensuring that you are not overstretched or overcommitted is by treating yourself as “coach” as an additional stakeholder or party to the agreement. Choose which are the key aspects that you need to cater for (for example time between multiple sessions; start and end times etc.) and then ensure that these are specifically addressed when working out the contract.
•    Preparation & “Refresh” Time – this is particularly important when you are dealing with multiple sessions in a day. To ensure that you bring the same focus and energy to the final session as you did for the first session. Allowing time to “wind up” and “wind down” enables you to manage your energy and focus.
•    Hydration – make sure you have water to hand, keeping hydrated ensures that you maintain focus and attention.
•    Sustenance – if it’s going to be a long day, make sure that you have healthy snacks or foods available – a banana or yoghurt can be a life saver to maintain energy levels.
•    Stretch – a great way to re-energise is by getting up and stretching your legs for a short while. Why not combine the two and do a “walking” coaching session with the coachee – it can be amazing what a change of venue brings!

Those are my starters for ten- what are your hints and tips?

Martin Hill LL.B (Hons), FCMI, FInstLM, FISQC, MAC, EMCC Member, Coach & Coach Supervisor
Director for ILM 7 Coaching & Mentoring Courses

Events Calendar: September - December 2016

Thursday 15th & Friday 16th September
Wellbeing Coaching Programme, Wigan, UK
This 2 day ILM Endorsed programme will help you to empower clients with the knowledge, skills and confidence needed to make necessary lifestyle and behavioural changes to improve their health and quality of life.

Saturday 17th September
Coaching Network, The Mount, Orrell, UK
In these informal sessions we lead a seminar on a crucial area of coaching, followed by a chance to mix with like-minded professional coaches and share your learning. The seminar will be on Action Learning and Group Coaching.

Monday 19th, Tuesday 20th & Wednesday 21st September (plus 3 days at a later date)
Level 7 Executive Coaching and Mentoring Programme, DW Stadium, Wigan, UK
This programme will develop your capability to act as a coach/mentor at the highest level. It takes around a year to complete. The extensive practical and theory-based work will enable you to work with any client to develop their leadership skills and support their career development.

Monday 19th, Tuesday 20th & Wednesday 21st September (plus 2 days at a later date)
Level 7 Coaching Supervision Programme, DW Stadium, Wigan, UK
This programme is for highly experienced coaches who are looking to become a competent coach supervisor. Ideal for those who lead coaching in an organisation.

Wednesday 5th, Thursday 6th & Friday 7th October (plus 2 days at a later date)
Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring Programme, DW Stadium, Wigan, UK
This is an undergraduate level qualification, designed for mid-level managers and organisational coaches to develop the knowledge and ability to coach effectively at organisational level.

Wednesday 5th, Thursday 6th & Friday 7th October (plus 1 day at a later date)
Level 3 Coaching Programme, DW Stadium, Wigan, UK
This programme is ideal for those who are new to coaching, it will develop your capability to act as a coach and develop those around you. It takes 6-9 months to complete this qualification.

Wednesday 12th & Thursday 13th October
Career Coaching Programme, Dubai, UAE
This is a 2 day ILM Endorsed programme that aims to enhance executive coaching skills in the context of careers issues. The programme is for coaches and will build on their existing coaching skills and techniques to provide effective career coaching and counselling.

Saturday 15th October
Coaching Network, Dubai, UAE
In these informal sessions we lead a seminar on a crucial area of coaching, followed by a chance to mix with like-minded professional coaches and share your learning. The seminar will be on Team and Group Coaching Techniques.

Sunday 16th, Monday 17th & Tuesday 18th October (plus 6 days at a later date)
Level 7 Executive Coaching and Mentoring Programme, Dubai, UAE
This programme will develop your capability to act as a coach/mentor at the highest level. It takes around a year to complete. The extensive practical and theory-based work will enable you to work with any client to develop their leadership skills and support their career development.

Monday 17th, Tuesday 18th & Wednesday 19th October (plus 2 days at a later date)
Level 7 Coaching Supervision Programme, Dubai, UAE
This programme is for highly experienced coaches who are looking to become a competent coach supervisor. Ideal for those who lead coaching in an organisation.

Thursday 3rd & Friday 4th November
Career Coaching Programme, London, UK
This is a 2 day ILM Endorsed programme that aims to enhance executive coaching skills in the context of careers issues. The programme is for coaches and will build on their existing coaching skills and techniques to provide effective career coaching and counselling.

Saturday 19th November
Coaching Network, The Mount, Orrell, UK
In these informal sessions we lead a seminar on a crucial area of coaching, followed by a chance to mix with like-minded professional coaches and share your learning.

Thursday 24th & Friday 25th November
Career Coaching Programme, Wigan, UK
This is a 2 day ILM Endorsed programme that aims to enhance executive coaching skills in the context of careers issues. The programme is for coaches and will build on their existing coaching skills and techniques to provide effective career coaching and counselling.

Tuesday 13th December
Planning & Pricing Your Coaching Services, Wigan, UK
1 day masterclass with Judith Barton that will give you the knowledge, tools and motivation to work on your business plan and pricing strategy.

The Courage to be Vulnerable - for Client and Coach

Judith Barton, Director of Coaching

If you are in the United States and switch on breakfast TV the majority of the stations have a bright breezy air with short popular segments. One programme that bucks this trend is “Morning Joe” on MSNBC. Morning Joe is co-hosted by Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski. Joe was a former lawyer and Republican member of the US House of Representatives from Florida’s First District from 1995 to 2001, Mika is a journalist who often shares the fact she is a Democrat – so a lively debate ensues.

What makes me keep watching is the depth of discussion a cross between BBC Breakfast and Newsnight, with humour, sarcasm and discussion on British sport. Sometimes Katty Kay BBC America journalist is a guest which makes me feel more connected when I hear her voice and smile at the quality of her arguments. Anyway, on such a morning, Joe introduced a guest he described, (Brené Brown, author of ‘Rising Strong’, published by Vermilion in 2015), a research professor who was making a difference to how individuals run their organisation and manage their people in the US. Brené’s work focuses on courage to take the step, the bravery needed to be vulnerable, to say it is OK to fall down, and the strength to get up and move forward.

In her earlier publication ‘Daring Greatly: How the Courage to be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead’ she quotes Theadore Roosevelt powerful quote from his 1910 ‘Man in the Arena’ speech: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how strong the man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly;… who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”

One of the things that makes Brené’s work interesting to me is her background research and what has led her to her writing. She describes how she has fought against the qualitative research, the introduction to ‘Rising Strong’ describes her time as a doctoral student, trained by research professors to choose evidence over experience and data over story. Whilst non-research professors were reminding her she should be a live to false dichotomies she quotes “either you’re this or you’re that”. She goes on to say how she learned when faced with either or dilemmas to ask “who benefits by forcing people to choose?” This rang a loud bell in my head, in situations like this I ponder “who’s asking the question?” and this often leads to the next question “for what purpose?” Brené gives an example of benefits; traditional quantitative researchers benefited if the social work profession decided their quantitative work was the only path to truth.

There was very little training in qualitative research methods and the only dissertation option for Brené was quantitative. As a career professor and researcher she describes how the way to get on was through “if you can’t measure it, it doesn’t exist”. Brené Brown cites her light bulb moment in the 1990s when Paul Raffoul a professor gave her a copy of the editorial by Ann Hartman ‘Many Ways of Knowing’. “In the editorial Hartman wrote: This editor takes the position that there are many truths and there are many ways of knowing. Each discovery contributes to our knowledge, and each way of knowing deepens our understanding and adds another dimension to our view of the world… Both the scientific and the artistic methods provide us with ways of knowing.”

As coaches it seems to me we work with stories all the time. Our clients often open a session with a story, which requires deep listening and probing to begin untangling the story. Imagine a very tangled necklace, it may need more that one pair of hands. Just in the same way a client may find using a coach key to untangling their story and their thinking. For a client to achieve their goals they are often taking risks dealing with their self esteem and pride. Ultimately to achieve their goal they must be in the arena. Returning to the Roosevelt quote “the credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena”, in British parlance “you’ve got to be in it to win it”.

The arena could be any environment where we might show up and risk being seen, the classroom, the office, the interview, the teambuilding exercise, chairing the meeting. This is your arena, your moment of courage to be vulnerable, this is the difference from those who sit on the sidelines.
What is clear to me as a coach, every client will have a unique story. I never cease to be amazed by the capability of clients. What I personally advocate is we all need ‘stretch’ in our lives to do more or things different than we thought we could. For me this is healthy, it keeps us mentally fresh and sharp.

For this we need to be in our arena. Being in our arena means we will be vulnerable. Vulnerability is courage – “vulnerability is not winning or losing, it’s having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome”. Think of that job interview – you put yourself forward with little or no control over the outcome. The personal risk, the vulnerability, the courage to apply. Other people, the sideline people, those who observe from the cheap seats are often quick to comment and dare I say criticise but not brave enough to put themselves in the arena. I am sure many of us have experienced the comments from the cheap seats, I have – and it is an important life rule to choose not to listen and don’t become a cheap seat commentator.

Brené Brown argues there are some basic principles, she calls them “basic terms of emotional physics – the rules of engagement for rising strong:
1. If we are brave enough often enough, we will fall at some point – getting up and learning from this is the key.

2. Once we fall in the service of being brave, we can never go back – when we are courageous and we try something new in our arena we are learning and therefore have built knowledge. For a coach this is the continuous development we should seek through reflection, supervision and application to practice.

3. This journey belongs to no one but you, however, no one successfully goes it alone – this is your clients journey and your journey as a coach a successful coaching/mentoring relationships knows when you are better together and when it is best to separate. Both client and coach should access their own CPD, peer support and networks – it is your journey.

4. We’re wired for story – neuroeconomist Paul Zak says hearing a story with a beginning, middle and end causes our brains to release cortisol and oxytocin chemicals trigger the ability to connect, empathise and draw out meaning.

5. Creativity embeds knowledge so that it can become practice. We move what we’re learning from our heads to our hearts through our hands – think of using rehearsal in coaching or working with a client who uses creativity to develop their ideas in a session.

6. Rising strong is the same process whether you’re navigating personal or professional struggles – our worlds overlap, there is no separation between business and personal. Clients often ask am I ok to talk about this? We are whole people, one part of our life affects the other.

7. Comparative suffering is a function of fear and scarcity – remember to respond with empathy and compassion.

8. You can’t engineer an emotional, vulnerable, and courageous process into an easy, one-size-fits-all formula – everyone of us is unique and a positive outcome will require effort and an element of risk. As coaches we must continually refine our skills to support clients and have access to supervision to support ourselves.

9. Courage is contagious – others will benefit from your courage.

10. Rising strong is a spiritual practice – Remember “grace will take you places hustling can’t” from Liz Gilbert’s Instagram.

Coaching with Silence

Martin Hill, Senior Tutor BSC

“As we must account for every idle word, so must we account for every idle silence.” Benjamin Franklin

In a couple of recent supervision sessions two coaches discussed sessions where they had asked few, if any, questions and yet at the end of the sessions it was evident that progress had been made and the client had thanked them for their assistance.


Both coaches were a little despondent and frustrated, saying that they had “done nothing” and were questioning what added value they had contributed. In fact, both had made a positive contribution, conscious (or even unconscious!) use of silence. That also fails to acknowledge the other significant contribution made by the coaches – laying strong and resilient foundations for the coaching relationship through careful, bespoke contracting, which built rapport and trust with each client which was evidenced by the client feeling confident enough, and comfortable with the use of silence by the coach, to disclose information and innermost thoughts.

This led me to reflect on the use of silence in relation to coaching sessions and the following points occurred to me:

• The Silence of the Client – even more frightening for a coach than the Silence of the Lambs!! Here I am assuming that the client is in a “healthy” state, as Julie Starr in The Coaching Manual, describes i.e. they are able to actively and fully participate in a session. The critical factors here for me are the timing of the silence and also the context of the silence.

– Timing – when the silence occurs is interesting to reflect upon. If the silence occurs near to the start of the session (or the relationship), this could be an indication of the client “testing the water” to see if it is safe to engage. My own coaching practice is that in advance of the initial session I forward copies of my coaching agreement, my profile, code of ethics and also a “What is coaching” document. In the session I then check for understanding, and specifically always explain what confidentiality means. I also ask the client if they wish to add anything into the coaching agreement. I have found that this approach assists in quickly developing trust and rapport with the clients, as opposed to simply addressing this verbally in the first session.
If the silence persists, or if it appears later in the coaching relationship, as a coach I begin to evaluate whether the client is ready to be coached (or still engaged with the coaching intervention) and, also, whether I am the right coach for that client.
Mick Cope in The Secrets of Success in Coaching, [2010] Pearson Education Limited, states “As a coach you are there to help the client deliver value through sustainable change- not to do it for them. But this leads to the question: do they want to change, or like so many people who try to change, do they just want to want to? In essence, you need to identify those who can and want to change, as opposed to those who won’t or can’t.”
Cope then outlines what I refer to as The 5 P tool, which describes five category of client, in a descending scale: Players, Participants, Passengers, Prisoners and Protestors. If dealing with a Prisoner or Protestor do not forget to consider your own interests as the coach- do you really want to coach the person? What is the risk that this could pose to your reputation or your practice? What countermeasures can you take to minimise the risk?
– Context – reflect on when the silence occurs – what preceded it? Is the silence evidence of the client reflecting? There may be clues from the position of the client’s eyes or from other body language. Alternatively, is the silence evidence of disengagement or avoidance. Watch out for mounting that white charger and going into rescuer mode! Some clients can use silence to avoid addressing the issue. One of the skills that you will quickly develop as your coaching experience grows is knowing when to break that silence.
Reflect on what your practice is when faced with a silent client? Is this an area for improvement – is it part of your coach continuous development plan? Is it one of the elements you focus upon in as part of your reflective practice.

• Boundary Management – once again the focus here is the silent client. Silence could be an early indicator for you as the coach that the client may need a different type of intervention other than coaching – for example counselling or therapy. Is there still a genuine, mutually engaged and active, coaching relationship? Once again the timing and context are critical factors, as will be the client’s behaviour, actions and emotional state. Consider your own coaching practice – have you planned for this arising? How will you deal with this? Have you identified referral points of contact?

• Contracting – How do you prepare your clients for the use of silence? One of the things I have realised on reflecting on my own coaching practice is that I ensure that each coaching agreement is bespoke to each client by specifically asking them about any particular preferences – for example, learning styles, and highlight that silence will be one of the tools that I will be using and seeking their permission/consent to this. This means that they do not start to be distracted by the silence, wondering what is going on etc. My experience has been that this has led to faster engagement and has reinforced trust and rapport.

• Self-Management – as a coach, your ability to use and manage silence is a good indicator as to your ability to manage your “self” as a coach. Resist the urge to jump in or interrupt – that could distract your client’s thought process, or, it could reduce the impact of a powerful question that you asked – the one that would have provoked a “aha” or lightbulb moment! By breaking the silence, you let the client off the hook of having to answer that question. Reflect on your own coaching practice – are you more aligned to a Trappist monk approach (honouring the silence) or a Ski- Jumper (leaping in)?

• Questioning – to quote Ronan Keating (I NEVER envisaged the day when I would use that phrase!!) “You say it best, when you say nothing at all”. OK, stop singing now, I apologize for creating that Earworm! Silence can be a powerful form of questioning – but beware that you make sure that it does not enter the realm of confrontation or oppression. Silence is a good response when the client responds to your question by asking “What do you think?” If the client is silent – that is often a prompt for questions to explore what was going on and what they were thinking of.

• Challenge – similar to questioning, the use of silence can be a form of challenge to the client – prompting the client to reflect or evaluate what they have said or thought. Again, be careful as to how silence is used and avoid it becoming oppressive or confrontational.

• Duration – the reason why silence is so powerful is that we have a natural human instinct to interact with others and it can feel very uncomfortable breaking those societal norms by using silence. There is no golden rule as to how long an “appropriate” silence should last – each client and each situation is different. One of the key skills that I have always seen develop as coaches gain more experience, is that they become more comfortable in handling silence and the duration of those silences increases as their experience increases. Reflect on your practice – do you allow the silence to be used to maximum effect? Is this something that could be improved upon? Have you tried timing a minute’s silence – how did it feel? Longer or shorter than you imagined? Comfortable or uncomfortable?

• Evidence of ethical and professional coaching – my approach when asked if I am coaching a particular individual (or team) or when asked to disclose additional information beyond that contracted with the client (and sponsor) can be best depicted by the following image.

Silence is not simply desirable in these situations, it is critical. The wartime slogan was “Loose Lips Cost Lives”, as a coach our slogan should perhaps be: “Loose Lips Costs Clients and Your Reputation”.

• Critical Review/Reflection – Finally, as a coach, critical review/reflection is an essential skill that you will need to develop to ensure your own continuous professional development. The use of a short period of silence after a coaching session is a useful practice to develop as this enables you to capture key highlights from the session and also serves to “ground” yourself as preparation for the next client.

Finally, how could I deal with the topic of silence without quoting from Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence”. Silence in coaching is “People talking without speaking”.

What is meant by critical analysis?

At the British School of Coaching (BSC) we are proud of the quality of all our programmes, including ILM Level 7 programmes such as Level 7 Certificate and Diploma in Executive Coaching and Mentoring, Level 7 Certificate and Diploma in Coaching Supervision. Level 7 qualifications are designed to be consistent with Master’s level qualifications of higher education (MA, MSc, MPhil). 

BSC learners benefit from studying in small groups with 1 to 1 personal tutor support, one area of discussion is; “what is meant by critical analysis”?

The requirement to be ‘critical’ is a key component of level 7 qualifications, for example to critically analyse or review. Ofqual (which regulates general and vocational qualifications in the England) provides Level 7 descriptors, as follows:

For knowledge and understanding, the descriptor includes requirement that the learner: “Critically analyses, interprets and evaluates complex information, concepts and theories to produce modified conceptions.” (Ofqual, 2015, Qualification and Component Levels Requirements and Guidance for All Awarding Organisations and All Qualification, p 8)

In relation to skills, the descriptor includes the requirement that the learner is able to: “Critically evaluate actions, methods and results and their short- and long-term implications.” (Ofqual, 2015, Qualification and Component Levels Requirements and Guidance for All Awarding Organisations and All Qualification, p 8)

Over the years we have learnt that sometimes learners struggle with the requirements of Level 7 assignments and assessment.  For example, we may find the following written exchange on the mark sheet for a Level 7 assignment:

Assessment Criterion – ‘Critically assess the contribution of coaching to improve both individual and organisational performance.’

Feedback – ‘You have provided a detailed description of the contribution of coaching to improve both individual and organisational performance, but there is limited critical assessment.’

In a recent debate hosted by the organisation Intelligence Squared in Sydney Australia, and aired on the BBC, a member of the panel, Professor John Haldane, Professor of Philosophy, University of St. Andrews, opens the debate by suggesting “the capacity for critical engagement and reflection is diminishing. He went on to say “we used to say I disagree and this is why…. We now say I feel and I am offended”. Professor Haldane went on to share his observations, which he described as a trend that if you disagree with the prevailing view there is less likely to be a space to present your thinking, your critical review and arguments. This made me think of examples when the popular view becomes the ‘right’ one. I wonder is this because individuals follow the feelings rather than listening analysing the evidence and reflecting?

I also wonder whether the space to listen and reflect has reduced through the need for an answer.  If we are not seen to have an instant view on something we are thought less off.  I have experience of clients who shared examples of feeling under pressure to provide an immediate answer without being allowed an opportunity to consider the reasons for and against.  One client described this as “it isn’t fashionable to think”. I wonder whether immediate decision making is considered efficient and therefore productive? That if the majority have a certain opinion it must be the “right”, almost out sourcing our critical thinking to a third party. This reminds me of times, when I have said, “this idea must have been thought through” – I can’t be the only person who’s said this?  Whilst I recognise the good stuff of information sharing on social media I also think the instant nature of it creates emotional followers rather than informed followers or informed thinkers.

So thinking critically requires deeper thinking, we need time to think. But first what does ‘critical’ mean, in this academic context?  And how does it differ from description?

First, to dispel some common misconceptions – being critical is not being negative, condemnatory or simply pointing out what is wrong with something such as an idea, a theory, or evidence.

Thinking positively, here are some definitions of what being critical is:

•    “Being thoughtful, asking questions, not taking things you read or hear at face value. It means finding information and understanding different approaches and using them in your writing” (www.ed.ac.uk/institute-academic-development/postgraduate/taught/learning-resources/critical).
•    “Critical thinking is the process of applying reasoned and disciplined thinking to a subject….. You will need to develop reasoned arguments based on a logical interpretation of reliable sources of information” (http://www2.open.ac.uk/students/skillsforstudy/critically-processing-what-you-read.php).
•    “… a form of intelligent criticism which helps people to reach independent and justifiable conclusions ..” (Moran AP (1997 Managing Your Own Learning at University, University College, Dublin, quoted in University of Bradford Academic Skills Advice Critical Analysis – So what does that REALLY mean”)

These definitions (from the University of Edinburgh, the Open University and Bradford University) are complementary and to me the key points are:
•    understanding information
•    reasoned and disciplined thinking
•    questioning and challenging
•    evaluating information
•    developing your argument
•    drawing conclusions

Let’s look at these in turn.

•    Understanding.  Before you can be critical of anything you have to be really sure you understand it – whether it is a theory, a model, an idea, an aspect of coaching practice, research evidence.  Usually, when writing critically you will need to describe (say what it is in some detail) the ideas, models, theories, evidence that you are going to be critical of.

•    Reasoned and disciplined thinking. This is a development from understanding – now you really understand the ideas think about them logically and carefully.

•    Questioning and challenging.  Don’t take what you read or hear at face value – question if the information is valid and reliable, is there bias in the information, are conclusions supported by the evidence provided, was the methodology used to collect the evidence appropriate, could there have been a conflict of interest between the author and funding body? Show why the information you have used is relevant and appropriate – is it up-to-date? If not, will this undermine its value? Is the information from a reliable source – e.g. a peer-reviewed journal or an established academic authority?

•    Evaluating. Come to a judgement on the strengths and weaknesses of the information (whether your or other’s research findings, theories and models from the literature, your own ideas) you have described; this can also involve weighing up one piece of information against another.

•    Developing your argument.  This builds on the reasoning, questioning and challenging – develop your argument using logical interpretation of information.

•    Drawing conclusions.  What are the implications of your analysis and interpretation of the information? To go back to the initial example, can you conclude that coaching makes a positive contribution to personal and organisational performance? Is coaching generally effective but with limitations? Or has your analysis of the information led you to conclude that coaching is no more effective than standard performance management?

Conclusion
 
The key differences between a ‘descriptive’ piece of work and ‘critical’ writing is that the former simply demonstrates what you know. The latter demonstrates that you have thought about what you know sufficiently to be able to make a judgement about the information and draw conclusions from it.

Further reading:
Series of guides and tips from University of Bradford Academic Skills Advice
Series of guides from University of Edinburgh Institute for Academic Development
Guide on critical writing and a guide on critical reading from University of Leicester
Intelligence Squared

The content of a coaching session: the art of elephant spotting

Martin Hill, Senior Tutor BSC

My previous blogs explored the topics of “Beginning A Coaching Relationship” and “Endings In A Coaching Relationship”. In this blog I will be exploring the content of the coaching session and, in particular, how the coach needs to ensure that the true topic/issue has been issued – the art of spotting the elephant in the room.

Sounds easy doesn’t it? A lot of the coaching models that you will be familiar with also give that impression – for example GROW – the first item on the agenda is to identify and agree the goal. Unfortunately, the first declared goal may not be the real goal – in other words the elephant has not yet been spotted. This may be for a variety of reasons – the coachee may feel nervous; feel a sense of shame or a fear of failure – it may even be the case that the coachee is unsure or uncertain.

Here are some of my tools and tips that I have gleaned from my own coaching and supervisory practice and which help ensure that the elephant is spotted and appropriately dealt with:
•    Preparations – the pre-session contact and information that you forward to the coachee can play a critical role in scene setting, managing expectations and providing the foundations for building trust and rapport. How do you “contract”? Including the coachee in the process and exploring their preferences/ expectations pays dividends in this regard – for example establishing their learning style preference (which enables the coach to plan for that) or establishing their understanding of, and tolerance for, challenge.

•    Confidentiality – you know that you have established trust and rapport when the coachee feels confident to disclose personal, often their innermost, thoughts and feelings. The greater the attention you pay to explaining confidentiality, and agreeing the boundaries thereof together, the more likely it is that the elephant will come out into the open. Remember though that elephants do not like shocks or surprises – beware of promising “total confidentiality” as there are things that may arise that require disclosure and if you have not fully explained this or checked for mutual understanding – the elephant may well stampede and retreat into the distance.

•    Patience – relax and be prepared to play the long game. Each coachee is unique and will have their own bespoke coaching experience. Bear in mind as well the nature of the coaching engagement as this may be a contributory factor in making the coachee feel safe and relaxed – for example internal coaches may notice that it takes longer to establish total trust and rapport with internal coachees, compared to external coachees.

•    Check-In To Check-Out – even if the goal/topic has been identified and the session is focused on this, take the opportunity from time to time throughout the session to “check in” with the coachee and “check out” that this remains the most pressing or relevant goal or topic that the coachee needs to discuss.

•    Questioning – Use of clear and focused questioning can help unearth the true issues. In “Enabling Genius” (2016), LID Publishing Ltd Myles Downey outlines that one of “the means of managing one’s thinking …is called the ‘floodlight and spotlight’. Floodlight comes first. Floodlighting shines light on the whole territory and into every nook and cranny. It includes what one notices, what one thinks about, what one intuits, imagines, feels and desires. Floodlight is followed by spotlight and the best question to focus the spotlight is: what stands out? Or what is most interesting? Cliff Kimber…asks this question frequently: ‘What do you need to think clearly about?’” Think of this in relation to your coaching practice – does your questioning generate floodlight and spotlight thinking?

•    Use the AWE question – “The Coaching Habit” – Michael Bungay Stanier (2016) Box of Crayons Press uses this tool – the AWE question is (drum roll please)… “And What Else?” This can even be used at the goal/topic discussion stage – do not just accept the first declared goal, follow it up with AWE!

•    Intuition – as your confidence as a coach grows, you will notice that you are becoming more adept at sensing or feeling (a “gut reaction”) the non-declared topics/issues. This intuition is something to pay attention to, but always needs to be carefully managed. Always seek permission to check out if the intuitive sense is accurate, and/or is something that the coachee is content to explore.

•    Observation – the elephant in the room may be spotted by your observations – not just visual but also active listening. For example you may notice discordance in body language or expressed emotions by the coachee when they are talking. Another concept to be aware of comes from Hawkins & Shohet’s Seven Eyed Supervision model – “parallel process”. This could include the situation where the coaching session with the coachee mirrors how the coachee acts/behaves normally –sometimes contradicting what they are telling you in the session. It may be useful to explore this with the client by asking them to describe how they approach a task etc. The coach would then highlight what they have observed and the discordance. For example one coachee was describing her frustration with her second in command and spent some time explaining what the coachee was doing to address that and expressing confusion and frustration at the fact that it was not working. The session was interrupted by a knock on the door and I had a ring side seat and was able to hear the interaction between the two. When the session resumed, I played back what the coachee had initially described about her own behaviours and actions and contrasted that with the interaction I had just overheard which evidenced the complete opposite! A powerful tool which worked wonders.

•    Use of knowledge – as the coach you may come into possession of knowledge or information that is unknown to the coachee. This is where Johari’s Window can be a really powerful tool to use and help the coachee explore their own “blind spot” and the “unknown” arena as well.

•    Materials- Have you got everything that you need – pen, paper? Sometimes using a different learning style or using creativity in the session can expose the elephant. For example a coachee struggled to talk about an emotional issue; until I suggested that we tried a visual representation of the subject – hey presto!  Make sure you keep your “coaching kitbag” stocked and also make sure that you keep it current and topical to suit your practice.

•    Challenge – be ready to challenge the elephant in the room – especially if it has not been “noticed”, or acknowledged by the coachee.

•    How do you eat an elephant?

Make sure you deal with the elephant by setting small “baby” steps for action – make sure that they are SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound) and get the coachee to visualise and describe what the successful completion of the action will look and feel like , what will others notice; what will people be saying etc.

•    Suspend Judgement – maintain neutrality no matter what is disclosed. Simply acknowledge, accept and explore.

I hope that this has provided a catalyst for your own thoughts and reflections and I would be interested to hear from you with your own comments or observations (email Martin@britishschoolofcoaching.com).

Endings in a Coaching Relationship

Martin Hill, Senior Tutor BSC

“Endings are not always a bad thing; it just means that something new can begin” PictureQuotes.com

In this blog I thought it may be useful to draw on the lessons I have learned from my own coaching and supervisory practice relating to endings in a coaching relationship.

Ironically, before I explore the topic of endings, I need to look at beginnings. Stephen Covey (“Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”) highlighted that Habit Two is “Begin with the End in Mind”. What does that mean? www.businessballs.com (accessed 25/03/16) states “Covey calls this the habit of personal leadership – leading oneself that is, towards what you consider your aims. By developing the habit of concentrating on relevant activities you will build a platform to avoid distractions and become more productive and successful.” Ok – so what does that mean for you as a coach? For me, it means ensuring that your coaching preparations lay the foundations for the whole of the relationship, including planning the ending phase-but more on that later.

Enough of the beginnings, already – let’s get to endings. The title of the blog is not a typographical error – as a coach you may encounter a variety of endings in the course of a coaching relationship. In the course of a recent group supervision discussion I facilitated at a British School of Coaching UK Coaching Network, asking the group of coaches what they understood “endings” to mean, generated the following insights:
•    The end of a topic/goal discussion within a session, so that the discussion moved to the next topic/goal

•    When, and how, to draw a session to an end (linking in to time management of the session)

•    The ending of the coaching relationship itself – this prompts me to pose the following questions for you, dear reader, to reflect on for your own coaching practice:
– Was the ending planned or unplanned?
– What was the catalyst for the ending?
– Who ended the relationship –coach or coachee?
– How was it ended?

•    How does one know when a goal/objective has been achieved and thus can be ended? How are outcomes reviewed? Who is involved in that review-coach alone? Coachee alone? Coach and coachee? Coach, coachee and organisational sponsor?

The other nervousness highlighted when discussing endings with my coach supervisees, is how to actually deal with the topic of ending with the coachee. One approach is what I describe as the “It’s not you, it’s me” style conversation. Even writing that phrase, I could feel the aftershock-like tremors of memories being jogged by the earthquake shock of painful reminiscences of long ago relationships!! Remember having those conversations, or being on the receiving end of one? How did that feel? How long before you stopped dissecting the ins and outs?

One of the risks of the “It’s not you, it’s me” style in a coaching relationship is that it masks the real reasons for the ending. If you are operating a professional and ethical coaching practice, I am sure that the values of honesty, openness and transparency are of fundamental importance to you. The ending will be easier for you and the coachee to deal with if it is discussed in an open, objective and evidenced fashion. For example – “Our discussions about topic x, are outside my field of experience and I think that a different coach with that knowledge may be more useful for you. I may be able to help you with finding that coach if you would like.”

What about another approach? Remember my promise to return to the planning phase? When I am agreeing my coaching contract/agreement with the coachee and organisation I ensure that my planning includes anticipating potential endings. This means that we agree who, how and when can terminate the coaching relationship. Notice anything missing from that list? My contract does not specify grounds/examples for the coaching relationship to be terminated. This is because I identified that this could be a barrier to the issue being raised, especially for the coachee potentially, and this in turn would mean that the effectiveness of the coaching relationship would be diminished.  However, it’s YOUR contract and YOUR choice what goes in to it.

The other feature in my coaching contract/agreement with the coachee and organisation, and which I draft together with them, are what I describe as my “expectations” section. I outline what the coachee/organisation can expect from myself as the coach (and sometimes specify what it does not include, e.g. I am not here to provide advice to you) and also what I expect from them as coachee/organisation – e.g. punctuality; to turn up with pen and paper; to take ownership for the agreed actions.

The beauty of the coaching contract/agreement approach is that this provides a depersonalised mechanism to review the effectiveness of the relationship and discuss and decide if ending is appropriate. The contract/agreement can focus on behaviours that were agreed, but which have not been honoured etc. As a coach, I find that this gives me a mechanism to challenge the coachee and this usually serves as a prompt to bring them back on track.

Here are some of the factors that I have noticed that help build an effective and successful framework for dealing with endings within the coaching relationship:
•    Contracting – Take time to identify all the players involved as there may be a multiplicity of parties- for example, coach, coachee, sponsor (HR), line manager, department head, organisation etc. etc. This also influences what documentation may be needed – for example the “formal” legal contract (dealing with fees, deliverables, termination, confidentiality etc.) needs to be agreed with the “sponsor”, but I also ensure that the coachee in these situations completes a coaching agreement which outlines what they can expect from myself as the coach, what is expected of them, confidentiality and termination and cancellation). Think what may be needed for your own practice. Review your coaching agreement/contract. Does it cover what they can expect from you as the coach and what is expected from them as the coachee? Does it cover termination? If not – what are you going to do?

•    Values/beliefs – Let me paraphrase a quotation “To coach others, you must first know yourself”. Not only do you need to ensure that you know your own values and beliefs, you must make sure that your practice and behaviours are consistent with them- this can often avoid unexpected endings from arising in the first place.

•    Know when to say “No”-  If there is no beginning, there can be no end – so be clear who  you decide to coach and/or be clear about what actions you are prepared to undertake as coach (e.g. notes; chase ups; out of session contact etc. etc.).Reflect on those choices and challenge and review them regularly.

•    “Permissions”- If in doubt, ask – seek permission from the coachee to check things out. Really useful, for example, when dealing with the outcomes review. I would recommend that as a minimum this should be done by the coach and coachee together; but why not also consider inviting the line manager/organisational representative to part of the review session, with the coachee’s permission. (See my blog on permissions here)

•    Regular Reviews – earlier in the blog I mentioned planned and unplanned endings. A planned ending could arise where you have agreed to undertake, for example, five sessions. A good practice to develop is to introduce regular reviews, mine, for instance is after every 3rd session. This is simply a quick “coaching MOT” check – are you content with the relationship; does anything need changing; are actions being generated? Is value being added? If the answers to any of these are negative then this is a prompt to recontract and agree, or, to agree to end the relationship. Unplanned endings can, as the name implies, arise at any time. The same approach of discussing and recontracting or agreeing to end the relationship.

•    Boundary Management – make sure that you know the boundaries for your own competence- and do not overstretch. Also make sure you do not stray into counselling or advising mode. I would also suggest reflecting on the hypothetical situations when you would decide that you would have to end the coaching relationship. Review those situations – are they covered in your coaching contract/agreement? If not – time to review and revise.

•    “I’m OK, You’re OK”- endings can be emotional – make sure that you check that the coachee is ok and can get back ok. Similarly, give yourself time to review, recollect yourself, reflect and reboot.

•    Location – This links in to the topic above- if you anticipate that the relationship may be coming to an end in the next session, especially if you anticipate emotional or difficult responses, plan where and when to hold that session – the primacy concern being that of safety for yourself and the coachee.

•    Supervision/Support – Endings can generate emotional responses- both conscious and sub-consciously. Reflect on the support networks you have to draw upon (supervision, peers etc.) – is anything else needed or are these sufficient? What did you do to recalibrate?  Could that be used again? Could that be improved?

•    Adopt a 3R Evaluation Approach – Review, Reflect & Revise – following each coaching session that you conduct, seek feedback from the coachee, but also take time to review the session, reflect on what you did and what the effect was; also consider what worked well, what could have been improved on or what could have been done differently. Finally, if the reflection leads you to conclude that something needs to change, and then revise your approach before the next session. Does the ending generate the need to review and revise your coaching contract/agreement or coaching approach?

I hope that this has provided a catalyst for your own thoughts and reflections and I would be interested to hear from you with your own comments or observations.

In my next blog, I will look at the content of coaching relationships and the art of elephant spotting!!

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