Coaching

What is coaching and do I need it?

Coaching is about change, so if you are looking to make changes to your career or within your work then coaching may be for you! There are many different types of coaching and within this website the purpose is not to define every type, however basically coaching may be thought of as a process whereby a coach helps someone (often referred to as a coachee or client) to work through a particular issue or challenge in order to reach a resolution that works best for them. The coaches role is to facilitate understanding by helping the individual consider the situation in different ways and in order to do this, the coach may use various techniques or ‘tools’. A coach need not have worked in the particular area that the client has worked and in this respect they do not need to be a subject matter expert in the area that an individual is looking to develop. A frequently used definition which neatly captures this is that by Sir John Whitmore,

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”

Finally, it is worth noting that coaching is different to counselling or psychotherapy, which focus on psychological issues and are more based on exploring an individual’s past. A coach may focus on well-being issues such as work related stress, however there is much more emphasis on what is happening at present and on taking steps to develop going forward.

Different types of coaching

In the workplace you may very generally think of coaching as falling into two main categories, that which focuses on increasing performance (known as performance coaching, business coaching, or executive coaching) and that which helps people with career choices and decisions (known as career coaching). As with all things in life, in reality the definitions are not always so easy to make as individuals frequently find themselves in positions where they are trying to make a number of decisions which may include what to do within their jobs to be more affective, as well as develop their careers. The role of a good coach will be help an individual sift through these things, find out what is most important, help an individual put a plan together and support them on their journey.

Coaching may typically involve meeting either virtually or face-to-face and depending on the requirements it may involve a small number of sessions or take place over a longer time period (e.g. a few months).

Experience of coaching at DMB

Derren has coached individuals since 2008 in many different roles and organisations. This has ranged from helping those at the start of their careers to gain confidence and learn how to navigate the challenges of being new to a role, to helping those in senior roles meet performance challenges and engage with stakeholders.

Coaching has also involved helping individuals part way through their careers to make changes and reflect upon their next steps. This has come as a result of a change in external circumstances, such as threat of redundancy, or a change in commitments (e.g., children leaving home, or paying off a mortgage) as well as a change in internal circumstances, such as re-evaluating the importance of things or experiencing a change in motivation.

Your next steps…

If you feel that you or others may benefit from coaching and you would like to know more, please get in touch.