ABOUT COACHING PROGRAMMES
it is often said that an effective coach provides an independent pair of ears with whom a senior individual can talk about the issues they may be unable to discuss with others iinside the organisation. Because of the nature of this unique relationship, confidentiality and trust are key.
Some ground rules and a coaching agreement need to exist between all parties involved: the person from within the organisation who initiated the coaching programme, known as the sponsor ( usually the client's employer, line-manager, or HR manager), the coach and the individual being coached (referred to here as the client). Occasionally, if there is no sponsor, for example for self-employed individuals, the agreement is simply between the coach and the coaching client.
The coach’s role is to support, without judgement, and challenge the individual to perform at a higher level and believes:
No matter how people currently perform, we all have the ability to perform even better in aspects of our working lives
People are their own best resource
People are not defined by their current behaviour. Coaching focusses on behaviours (which can be changed) not personalities.
How do the coaching sessions work?
A typical ¨basic¨ programme consists of 6 x 1 hour coaching discussions over a period of 90 – 100 working days. Because of the bespoke nature of CIEC coaching, alternative options are always available, for example, beginning the programme with a feedback exercise to raise self-awareness, or a LAB profile to elicit the client's motivation patterns in work. (For more information on LAB profiling visit
www.WordsThatChangeMinds.com )
Each individual needs to come to coaching with some identified areas to work on, in order to affect behavioural changes. Ideally, these will have been discussed and agreed with the sponsor / line manager (see above). During the first coaching discussion these areas are explored, prioritised and turned into clear goals linked to Measurable Objectives (MO's).
At the end of each coaching discussion the client goes away with a self-determined action plan, for completion prior to the next meeting.
In order to keep on track and to assess progress, the coaching client completes a mid-point review half way through the coaching programme and a final review at the end. Together the coach and client review the goals and MO's, along with recommendations for the way forward. Both reviews are shared with the sponsor (typically the line-manager) with prior agreement from the client. It is important to note that the detailed content of the coaching discussions remains confidential between the coach and the individual. However, any trends identified will be presented back to the organisation, if prior agreement is given from the client.
At the mid-point of the programme, the sponsor is also asked for feedback on the client's progress in terms of behavioural changes relating to the MO's set out at the start. This enables the coach, the client and the sponsor to monitor the quality of the coaching and the progress being made, ensuring ROI.