What is coaching?
Coaching can take a number of different forms but generally coaching is a conversation between two people which aims to support the coachee – the person being coached, to develop their personal awareness, create learning and self development and make progress towards the achievement of articulated goals.
Most people are familiar with the term and role of a ‘coach’ from the world of sport, and there are some similarities. Both types of coach aim to support and develop the knowledge, skills and abilities of the coachee.
Sports coaches often work from a position as ‘expert’ in their particular sport. Whilst they work to encourage development, they also work to impart their knowledge to the sports person ‘instructing’ them in how to play better.
In contrast a business or life coach concentrates less on giving advice and focuses more on helping the coachee to find their own path forward. A coach will help the coachee to identify and then decide on their future direction (goals), and then identify their best way of achieving those goals.
A coach as a supporter and facilitator – a coach is skilled in a whole range of techniques that are all directed towards helping the coachee to create their best future. A future that they define, own and manage! The coach uses skilful listening and questioning to enable people to discover the best way forward.
Coaching is about generating new ideas and options to present challenges and blockages and as such is solution orientated. It is about future thinking and forward action which generates positive change.
My personal pledge – is to support and facilitate my clients as they work towards utilising their full potential to achieve important and meaningful objectives.
Because of my personal experience I have chosen to apply my skills in coaching to the issues faced by people making the transition to a new life abroad. Many studies have sited the lack of ’support’ as being one of the major reasons for people’s failure to build happy and successful lives abroad.
Coaching offers a platform for support, encouragement and inspiration and because I have been through the transition to a life abroad a number of times I can offer that support from a position of understanding and empathy.
What coaching is not!
Therapy, psychoanalysis or psychotherapy.
As a coach I am not trained to revisit or help resolve the impact of past traumatic events that have had a negative psychological impact. Neither am I trained to help people with serious mental health problems or addictions.
Mentoring.
A mentor provides support as a coach does, but also specific advice based on their knowledge and experience in a certain field that is relevant to the person being mentored. Obviously I have relevant experience as an expatriate and there may be times when I could give advice. Generally however I do not give advice as I have found from experience that action that results from my advice is often not owned in the same way as action that originates from the coachees own ideas.
Ownership and responsibility are two elements in my experience that drive people to perform at their best and my role as a coach is to help my coachees discover their own powerful solutions and over time to become confident, self sufficient and successful as a result.
Training.
Structured training relates to a fixed agenda of learning points. Coaching follows a more flexible approach and is led more by the coachee’s objectives. In my coaching services I do offer resources that provide some background explanations to concepts and ideas. The relevance of these to a coachee’s circumstances are something that we investigate together during the coaching sessions.
What you can expect from me as your coach.
Support – in a way that is different from any other that you may currently be receiving. During our conversations my attention will be 100% focused on you and what you say, it is rare to receive this level of attention elsewhere in life.
Someone who listens deeply – my focus is to listen to all that you say and sometimes to what you don’t say to challenge when you are not consistent, when you sound doubtful and to utilise my curiosity to help you to understand yourself better.
Providing feedback - as I listen patterns and thoughts will emerge and at times I will ask your permission to feed those back to you. My detachment in the sense that I am not involved in your day to day life means that I can be objective and provide observations that will help you create real clarity.
Motivating, challenging and inspiring - this is not a talking shop, coaching sessions have one ultimate purpose and that is to motivate you to action, to encourage you to rise to challenges and overcome obstacles resulting in action that creates real progress and learning.
Commitment to your success – when you succeed in achieving your chosen objectives I succeed as a coach.
Confidentiality - our relationship is based on honesty and openness and in order for that to happen we need to trust each other. The information that is shared by you with me is treated in total confidence I will not reveal it to any third party.
What I expect from you.
Commitment to the coaching process – keeping to the session schedule and times that we have agreed and honouring commitments to action made during those sessions.
The effectiveness of the coaching process will depend on your preparedness to be open and honest with me. To tell me what works and what does not and to ask for help when you feel it is needed.
