Working as an professional coach can be a deeply fulfilling experience through helping others grow, development and become more successful. Coaching in organizations is an emerging profession that can allow one to make a significant contribution to the success of the organization. Yet, coaching others presents a substantial challenge in terms of ones' skills and ability to help others change. Coaches who work internal to organizations also face numerous challenges, particularly as it relates to creating bottom-line impact from the coaching engagement and navigating the dance of agendas.
Leap Advocates offers one-on-one coaching for new internal or external coaches to help them develop core coaching competencies, achieve professional certification, and establish their coaching practice.
Challenges
In our experience, new coaches often experience a number of challenges as they get started:
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Developing skills at coaching others and getting feedback.
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Gaining confidence in their coaching skills and becoming willing to take risks with clients.
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Attempting to substitute someone elses coaching approach instead of finding their own.
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Lack of credibility among key stakeholders in their organization for coaching and its potential impact.
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Dealing with challenging coaching clients but not having internal advocates or allies you can confidentially gain support from.
Our Approach
Our approach to coaching includes the following
unique components:
Accountability, support and challenge where we hold our clients accountable for their commitments and support them as they navigate the process of creating their coaching practice.
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Competency-based coaching designed to help new coaches improve the competencies identified the International Coach Federation for coaches.
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Emphasis on technical coaching skills combined with awareness of coaching presence.
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Developing a heightened awareness of ones' internal voice while coaching another.
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Exploring ways to coach at a higher level beyond the clients' words.
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Practicing strategies to help clients get unstuck.
Benefits and Outcomes
While the results of each coaching engagement differs, there are some consistencies in the results that our clients achieve. These include:
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Clarity about coaching strengths and development needs.
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Understanding of the coaching competencies on a behavioral and conceptual level.
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Enhanced skills at coaching clients.
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Clarity about "perfect" clients that are good match for your skills, style and "brand".
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Greater courage to challenge and bottom-line coaching clients.
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More positive feedback from clients as a result of helping them gain greater insight.
Illustrative Client Vignette*
Background
Beth was an internal coach and manager for a mid-sized company based on the Northeast. Her organization was interested in implementing management coaching and supported her in getting her coaching credentials. She was also interested in completing her certification through the Coaches Training Institute and the Associated Certified Coach (ACC) certificate from the ICF.
Approach
We began our relationship by having Beth self-assess her current level of ability against the ICF coaching competencies as a means for identifying her strengths and stretch areas. I had her develop a vision for her internal coaching practice as well as the kind of coach she wanted to become. In several instances, I had her coach me with an issue as a way to practice coaching competencies. Beth also shared a recording of a coaching session and allowed me to critique it.
Results
Beth passed the CTI certification and has developed a thriving internal coaching practice at her organization. She has also developed greater courage and skill at coaching challenging clients and integrating a coaching approach into her leadership style.
* The facts of this case have been generalized from several clients in order to maintain confidentiality.
Relevant Qualifications
Our coaches bring a variety of educational and
organizational coaching experience that make us
well suited to coach new coaches. In particular, Kevin
Nourse brings the following qualifications
to his work as a coach:
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Experienced as a human resource director and internal coach at PricewaterhouseCoopers
Consulting.
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Designed and launched a career management center, simultaneously gaining leadership support, designing training programs, and coaching individual clients.
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MA degree in Human Resource Development; MA degree in Human and Organization Systems.
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Currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program
at the Fielding Graduate Institute in Human
and Organization Development.
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Certification by the International Coach Federation as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC).
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Training with the Coaches Training Institute
and Coach University.
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Experience working with new internal and external coaches through one-on-one coaching and coaching clinics.
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