Practising coaches building their practice
Since I first got ensnared by the world of coaching and mentoring, part of my learning has been to focus less on what is assumed and taken for granted and more on the question “What do we have evidence for and how valid is that evidence?” In the 1990s, I began to explore critically the (more…)
Read More Eight coaching / mentoring myths and misconceptions
The five P model, created by Patti Stevens, provides a simple but effective framework for contracting between a coach and a supervisor – both at the start of a relationship and as an occasional check-in. The 5 Ps are: Purpose: Agreement on the nature and intent of coaching supervision in general and for this relationship...
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Textbooks on developmental coaching or mentoring tend to talk about the need to take a non-directive approach to helping clients. But being non-directive is a very general term for a range of influencing styles, from which the coach or mentor can choose. Recognising which style is most appropriate in different circumstances is an important skill....
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The value that coachees and mentees take from coaching and mentoring conversations depends to a significant extent on the quantity and quality of reflection they undertake. Yet many people lack the skills to reflect well. Whether busy executives or young people, who have a limited understanding of themselves and their world, the habit of reflection...
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If a coaching or mentoring relationship is going to work well, both parties must trust each other enough to be able to speak openly. The coachee/mentee needs to feel that it is safe for them to share their internal thoughts and feelings, and also that the coach/mentor is there to support and encourage them as (more…)
Read More What makes a good coaching or mentoring relationship
While a coach or mentor may be familiar with terms such as depression, bi-polar disease, personality disorder, psychopathy, burnout and so on, only those with specialized training are able to diagnose mental health issues and, if appropriate, help the client manage them. To play “amateur psychologist” is unethical and dangerous. This entry addresses two key...
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Coaching isn’t always a comfortable experience. When it achieves most, it often involves an uncomfortable journey into ourselves and our motivations. According to research by Dr Paul Stokes at Sheffield Hallam University, coachees can be skilled at engaging with the coaching conversation – or at avoiding difficult issues. Engaging processes include scenario planning, remaining open (more…)
In challenging working environments, resilience is increasingly an essential competence. People, who are resilient, are better able to cope with unexpected change, with setbacks and disappointments, with high stress environments and with periods of excessive workload. The signs of low resilience are generally easy to spot. They include inability to make decisions, frequent minor physical...
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Most formal mentoring takes place between people within the same organisation, but this isn’t the only possibility. It is hard, for example, to create effective mentoring relationships within small national branch offices – people are often too close and the choice of mentor is too limited. While distance mentoring, using mentors from the same company...
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One of the main reasons people don’t make the changes they aim for in coaching or mentoring is that the learning conversation only addresses part of the system, of which they are a part. Ken Wilbur’s integral theory proposes a practical but simple way of looking at the individual in a much more holistic way,...
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