Executive Coaching, Executive Mentoring
Executive coaching: buying for yourself? Read Leadership Connections' free, expert advice on executive coaching and how executive coaching can make a big difference to your performance and satisfaction at work.
One to one Coaching -
buying for yourself?
Buying coaching for yourself is an important decision which can make a big difference to your performance and satisfaction at work.
Scroll down or click here to read more about what you should and should not do to maximise the chances of success.
Click here to read the general introduction to one to one coaching.
If you feel we could help you in any way, please Contact Us.
Coaching guide - contents
Click on the contents headings below to see more on each topic:
One to one coaching - how does it work?
One to one coaching - buying for yourself
Supporting leaders to overcome their obstacles and develop themselves - through coaching and mentoring
Increasing the effectiveness of management teams through leadership team development
Identifying and improving leadership across the organisation through talent management and leadership development
Mobilising large groups for change through creating inspiring conferences and motivational speaking
Increasing the effectiveness of the Human Resources function through HR strategy and skills development
Coaching Guide - How to choose and use coaching
One to one coaching – Buying for yourself?
Before reading this click here to read - One to one coaching - how does it work
Dos and don’ts
- Do - involve your line manager in agreeing the goals of the coaching and update them as you go along. Ideally you want the coaching to be short term while growing support from your line manager so that the coach eventually becomes redundant.
- Do – involve HR from an early stage. They will be able to help you clarify your goals, they may know some good coaches and they may also want to integrate your coaching with other development initiatives.
- Don’t – proceed with a coach if it doesn’t feel right. Trust your instincts and raise your concerns explicitly with your coach so that you can try to work through them together. At worst you will clarify that you don’t want to continue and, at best, it can greatly accelerate your learning.
How to begin
The single most important factor in coaching is the relationship between the coach and coachee. Experience, qualifications and accreditations are all important but none matter if you don’t feel you can work with the person coaching you.
The first step, therefore, is to meet with at least one coach. People seeking coaching are often not completely clear about the outcomes they are seeking. A good coach will use an introductory session to help you (and them) get clear about what the coaching is trying to achieve and why. This conversation will also allow you to get a feel for the coach, their approach and whether you feel that you can work with them. You’ll know when you’ve got the right coach when you can answer these questions:
- Do we have a shared understanding of my issue/s and what we’re trying to achieve?
- Do I feel comfortable of working with him/her? Am
- I confident that we can make progress and effect changes?
If you don’t feel comfortable having met them then you should try another coach – and keep doing so until you find someone who you feel comfortable with and confident in.
Let's Talk
The easiest way to understand how we can help, and whether you feel that you could work with us, is to begin with a conversation.
We don't believe in a "hard sell" and often find that people get value out of the exploratory discussion - whether or not we go on to work together.
Please Contact Us – we would love to hear from you.