Abraham Lincoln

"Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend
​the first four sharpening the axe."

WE HELP PEOPLE CREATE EFFECTIVE WORK RELATIONSHIPS AND PRACTICES THAT BRING OUT THE BEST IN
BOTH THEMSELVES AND OTHERS.

We help you sharpen your axe.

Q: WHO NEEDS A COACH?
A:  EVERYONE.

EVERYONE CAN BENEFIT FROM COACHING...
Even the best athletes in the world have a coach.  Despite reaching the pinnacle of their game, they recognise the value of investing in their individual development.  And the vast majority will have had a coach since they were fledgling athletes.  In fact, it is highly likely they only reached their full potential as a result of having had the appropriate support and coaching when they were still honing their craft.  Why would you or your people be any different?


COACHING CAN GET THINGS BACK ON TRACK...
Most people accept that coaching can help people who are struggling or under-performing.  Certainly, coaching can help bring performance up to standard or bring people back onto the right path.  Coaching, once a problem has occurred or becomes apparent, can be a great solution to get things back on track. 


COACHING CAN AMPLIFY TALENT...
Do you know people who are good but not great?  Or those 'rough diamonds' who just need a bit of polishing to help them shine?  What about people on talent programmes, earmarked for accelerated development?  All these people too will benefit from the very best support, and that's where coaching for them comes in.  It can help them hone their skills and accelerate their careers, even if the need doesn't seem immediately apparent.  Why wait for a problem to occur?

QUALIFIED WITH THE ICF, WE CAN HELP YOU...

- better manage your team

- improve the performance of others

- get better results with your work partnerships

- take the next step in terms of your career.

WHO DO WE COACH?

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We work with staff members, team leaders, front line managers, project managers, line managers, middle managers and senior leaders, helping and supporting them as they work with their direct reports, internal or external customers, colleagues, peers, bosses, stakeholders and senior managers. 

We coach people from all kinds of businesses, such as large corporate organisations, small to medium sized companies and owner operated businesses. 

And we aren't fussy about industry either.  That's because we focus on the people side of things and not on the technical aspects.  We always aim to understand the context within which the people-related activities are unfolding, but our expertise lies in understanding the people themselves and how to create and maintain great working relationships, not just when times are good but also when the going gets tough.

Our coaching is grounded in both the person's day-to-day challenges as well as longer term goals.  We keep an eye on both the road immediately ahead
as well as the twists and turns off in the distance.

HOW DOES THE PROCESS UNFOLD?

First, we set up the coaching programme.  Usually, this involves having a planning meeting or two, during which the coach and the individual seeking the coaching, together, discuss the needs, focus, duration etc.  This can also involve a sponsor if one exists.  Next, we get all the approvals, particularly if the coaching is being sponsored corporately.  If the engagement is being sponsored by the individual themselves, then this is a simple formality of agreeing to proceed.  From there the coaching commences in line with the agreed programme.  This will likely involve some or all of the elements, outlined below.  As the programme unfolds, it is reviewed and refined along the way to make sure it is meeting the needs that were determined at the outset.  And then finally, the programme comes to an end.  This is done ​in such a way as to set up the individual to continue his or her journey independently of the coaching programme and process.

TAILORED APPROACH

Each coaching programme is tailored to the
individual's needs and desired outcomes. 
Together we determine the mix to get the flavour just right!

MAIN ELEMENTS

Face-to-Face Meetings

Primarily, the coaching occurs via face-to-face meetings with your coach ​at your workplace - we come to you to maximise your time.  However, if you would rather work off-site, that can occur too.  Further, technology enables us to also conduct these meetings via telephone, internet-based video conferencing and the like.

Phone Contact

In addition to face-to-face meetings, we find that brief telephone meetings keep the momentum going and ensure that you get the best out of the face-to-face meetings.  Telephone contact also allows for unexpected things that crop up to be discussed in a timely manner with your coach.

Between Meetings

Between the face-to-face and telephone meetings, you apply what you and your coach have discussed and planned.  This could see you try something new with your team, read something supplied by your coach, reflect upon your efforts etc.  You and your coach will then discuss all this at your next meeting.  Your between-meeting efforts are critical to your success.

OUR VALUES

Our coaches approach each programme with these key values in mind.

Partnership

Our coaches take a partnership approach and are guided by clients regarding the areas of focus, the duration of the work, how progress will be reviewed, and what success looks like.  In this way, our clients are active participants in the coaching process and ultimately, in their own success..

Inclusion

If the coaching is being sponsored by a line manager or similar, our coaches can engage this person, together with the recipient of the coaching, if he or she wishes to influence the focus, content, duration etc., and be involved in the review process.

Confidentiality

When setting up the programme, our coaches  talk about confidentiality and explicitly agree the arrangements with all parties.  We pride ourselves on ensuring that everyone involved is 100% clear on this before any coaching commences.

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES

The knowledge, experience and judgement of our coaches, together with their abilities to build effective and trusting relationships with their clients, are the attributes that best place them to help others achieve success.  This includes knowing the best tools and techniques to use with clients and when to use them.  Our coaches have a wide variety of these at their disposal, some of which are listed below.  They will selectively use these depending upon what they believe will best augment clients' learning and development needs at that point in time. 

Assessments

• Psychometric Inventories
• Questionnaires and Quizzes
• 360 Feedback
  
• Third-Party Feedback
• In-situ Observation and/or Recording

Interventions

• Discussion
• Reflective Practices
• Simulations and Practices
• The Interpersonal Process (as embodied in the coaching relationship itself)
  
• 'Assignments'
• Shadowing and Modelling

Resources

• Educational Materials
• Books and Articles
  
• Internet Resources
• Handouts