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Peter Welch Coaching now offers Thomas International assessments and profiles

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

I've teamed up with Thomas International and am accredited to provide individual profile assessments for coachees, and for people participating in a learning programme. Thomas International provide over 1m assessments a year for organisations worldwide, in over 56 languages, so the profiles produced are benchmarked for consistency and comparability.

The two profiles I am able to offer currently are:

Personal Profile Analysis - (also known as DISC) this identifies behaviour preferences at work, an individual's strengths and limitations, job compatibility, plus their motivation and communication preferences. Uses: recruitment/job profiling, internal promotion decisions, retention/career planning, personal development plans, and style of management needed to bring out their best. Can also be used with teams to create a Team Audit.
GIA: General Intelligence Assessment - measures mental agility and is a reliable predictor of a person's development potential - how quickly they can learn and retain new skills and procedures, how well they will respond to training, and identifies what strategies they may need to cope and be successful. Uses: assessing potential for a new job role, promotion decisions, creating development plans.

Clearly, these profiles add great insight for both organisations making key decisions and for individual's receiving the reports via structured feedback. I believe that these products dovetail excellently with my coaching services and am already using them successfully with teams and individuals. I'm happy to talk through your individual needs in accessing these tools and to provide a quote, so please contact me.

Typically, a Personal Profile Analysis that produces up to 5 sub-reports, will cost £200; a GIA produces one report and will cost £80. We can discuss additional options for feedback to you or the team.

Executive coaching begins for Board member

Mon, 07 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A new 6 month contract to provide executive coaching for a Board member has commenced, for a Horsham-based organisation. Yes, even Board members need support sometimes!

My work with execs often involves enabling them to be more effective in their role, to use influencing strategies effectively, and to show authentic leadership consistently to others.

The coaching can be supprted by an initial assessment tool, such as Thomas International's PPA (see other News story) or an MyersBriggs profile, that can act as a baseline for an individual's development plan.

For more information on how I work with executives, please contact me via the Contacts page.

Peter Welch Coaching wins Team Leader Development programme

Mon, 17 May 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A Team Leader Development Programme was awarded (in conjunction with Roberson Associates) and started in June.

It is a 6 month, self-directed learning programme for team leaders in a careers service in the South East, and will involve a blend of individual assessments against competencies, feedback, project work, 1-1 coaching, facilitated peer learning groups, short skills workshops, external learning resources, all coming together in a final event when projects are presented.

Success in developing the in-house talent will be guaged by further competency assessments/360s, project completion, and performance appraisals.

For more information about how we can support the development of your talented people, please contact me.

Peter Welch Coaching wins Mentoring contract within NHS Trust

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

A 9 month contract to provide a local NHS Trust with a Mentoring Programme is well under way.

This involved both design and delivery of events, workshops, learning resources and in-house support for both mentors and mentees. The Trust wish to develop talent within the ethnic groups and minorities employed so the programme has recruited internal mentors to support them. Peter Welch Coaching has created a best practice programme which was launched with the Chief Executive's personal endorsement. If succesful, the concept may be extended across the Trust and potentially will link with a new Leadership Development Programme.

For more details about this initiative, please contact me. If you would like to create a powerful mentoring programme for your organisation, or become a mentor yourself, do contact me.

Mindfulness and Presence workshop run for London Coaching Group

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Slides from a Mindfulness and Presence workshop given to the London Coaching Group on 25th March, 2010. See the attendee's feedback in Blog, plus opportunity to run this event again.

Download these slides (326 Kb)

Peter joins the Association for Coaching

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 00:00:00 +0100

I've just joined the Association for Coaching as a full member, and intend going for full accreditation as an executive coach mid-summer. Having recently attended ACs 'Going Global' international conference, I was very impressed at their professionalism, organisation and friendliness.

AC is fast becoming the association of choice for many of my peers and people I respect, so I'm delighted to have joined their ranks! I am also entitled to display their logo as a member. ACs website is worth checking out if you would like more information: http://www.associationforcoaching.com/home/index.htm

Encounters with reality - perspectives on coaching supervision

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:00 +0000

So you're a professional coach - maybe a life-coach, or a performance coach, business coach or in one of the many niches and specialisms that have developed in recent years. Do you have supervision? Have you thought of having supervision? Why should you? After all, the research shows that most coaches don't have regular supervision.

Of course, supervision may one day become a mandatory requirement for coach accreditation. But coercion is far from the best reason for having a supervisor.

As a coach, I've gained hugely from supervision. This article explores what supervision is - and isn't - through the experiences of coaches and supervisors working with the Coaching Supervision Academy. Hopefully, you will be encouraged to embark on this fascinating and rewarding journey,

So first of all, what is supervision in a coaching context? There are many views and definitions. Here's the CIPD's definition:

.....a structured formal process for coaches, with the help of a coaching supervisor, to attend to improving the quality of their coaching, grow their coaching capacity and support themselves and their practice. (CIPD: Coaching Supervision - Maximising the Potential of Coaching, 2006)

Miles Downey puts it this way:

"The purpose of supervision is to ensure the best interests of the coach and the client are protected, and to provide an educative and restorative support for the coach" (Miles Downey An Approach to Supervision for Practising Coaches - The School of Coaching 2001)

So those are two of many definitions. They sound harmless enough - but they're also a little formal and didactic - unlikely maybe to attract members of a profession populated by individualists who place a high value on their personal autonomy. This kind of description may go some way to explaining why so few coaches voluntarily take up supervision. So, before looking at some real experiences, it may pay to explore some commonly held beliefs.

Supervision - a few myths

It's a way of policing my practice and making sure I comply with ethical standards and other rules....

Well - to an extent, this is true. Though the word "policing" is a little value laden. It is part of a supervisor's role to ensure the integrity of the coaching offered to a client. But it is truer to say that a supervisor helps the coach monitor their own ethical and professional standards and develop a deeper understanding of their implications.

It's a way of managing me. I start to lose control of my own practice.

In many ways, the word "supervision" is an unfortunate one. Its use in coaching derives from educational/social work/ counselling/psychotherapy worlds. To someone (like me) from the organisational/management field, it's about close management at a junior level. That suggests being instructed, performance managed, evaluated and assessed. None of these are essential to the coaching supervision relationship. Coaching supervision facilitates a learning journey, enabling collaboratively generated insights to support and develop the work of the coach.

I'm a highly experienced coach - I don't need supervision

That may be true. But try this: "I'm a highly experienced human being. I don't need coaching." Your coaching clients probably include many intelligent, competent people. But coaching gives them access to another perspective - and an opportunity to reflect effectively on issues. Supervision does the same - and much more - for the coach. It is often referred to as 'reflective practice', thus highlighting a core feature of Coaching Supervision

I get peer supervision/have my own coach/mentor

As a coach provides something other than friendship, a supervisor provides something different from coaching. Supervisors are trained to work with a wide range of professional and developmental scenarios. Supervision is about your practice as a coach. Coaching is about you.

I don't want to pay for something I don't have to have

Coaching can be an isolated role - working one-to-one with individuals in an envelope of confidentiality. If you are also self-employed, that isolation is increased. The opportunity to reflect and examine your practice, explore issues and other ways of working with a skilled professional is something that you - and your clients - deserve.

So - those are a few myths. What about the realities? The following themes are drawn from case studies of work done by supervisors from the Coaching Supervision Academy. Some details have been changed and stories merged to protect confidentiality.

Developing insight

"I would not miss supervision for the world. It gives me insights that I would not get anywhere else." (a coach)

Most coaches I know are motivated by a desire to help their clients - to the best of their ability. But however conscientious we are about our CPD, we all work within the limits of our repertoire of skills, models and techniques. Above all, we can't see what we can't see. One supervisor reflects "The issue was not only that (the supervisee) could not see these processes at work, but was also unaware of their relevance."

By adopting a "3^rd position", a skilled supervisor can lead a coach to a different level of insight about a client and the client's situation, and about the coach's own themes, habits and limitations. Here are some examples:

Sometimes the most important and empowering gift we have to offer a client is the quality of our presence as coaches. But to trust in that, requires the confidence to put down our "bag of tricks" - this model, that technique etc. We enter into a journey with our clients, where in reality, neither of us has a route map. It's an exploration, where both client and coach can sometimes be creatively lost. If we constantly feel the need to be the "expert", having all the answers, we can become rigid and superficial and miss opportunities for a deeper understanding.

Helping the coach to have the confidence to "let go" is a repeated theme in accounts of supervision. For example, a coach in supervision reports that she "let go of a need to "fix" her clients and became more comfortable with not knowing". This allowed her to respond to her clients in more flexible, innovative ways.

If, as coaches, we see ourselves primarily as helpers, we run a number of risks. One is to be caught up in wanting to be liked, wanting to feel we're helping. And if we challenge the client, they may not like us - and they may stop wanting to pay for coaching!

For some coaches, this leads to a tendency to collusion and a lack of challenge. The client and coach, while they may appear to be satisfied with their sessions, actually never move out of their mutual comfort-zone.

One supervisor working with a coach around these issues reports the following: "When I asked X to describe her coaching style and approach, she described it as "warm and cosy" and that she "liked to be liked". ... In our meetings we identified that some suitable opportunities for X to challenge her client had not been taken."

A breakthrough occurred when the supervisor and coach ".... agreed that the difficulty incurred in trying to please people is that a coach may avoid the risk of upsetting the coachee, and therefore may not challenge their thinking..." From there, the coach went on, with her supervisor's support, to take more risks in skilfully confronting clients and managing her own fear of not being liked. X's clients gained more impact from the coaching, and X herself gained in confidence and satisfaction in her work. It was important in this instance, that the supervisor did not get caught in a parallel process and thus failed to challenge the thinking and attitudes of her supervisee.

These are just two examples. One could also quote instances of coaches who need to develop more structure, or be less challenging! Whatever the issue, supervision can help us find and challenge our limitations, and develop confidence in our resources. It brings depth and power to our coaching and greater insight to our clients.

Ethical dilemmas

"Supervision deepens my thinking about coaching"

Most of us encounter ethical issues in coaching. Well constructed contracting and clear ethical guidelines are often sufficient to help us resolve them. But some issues are more subtle - sometimes so subtle that we are barely aware of their ethical implications.

Here are a couple of examples:

The coach is finding it difficult to get specific feedback from the client. As the supervision explores this issue, it becomes clear to the supervisor and coach that they are not really pursuing the feedback. Their fear is that, if asked to reflect too deeply, the client may conclude that the coaching is not really helping them. They may cancel the coaching - incidentally, leaving the coach with a big revenue gap! The coach in this case is an experienced, competent practitioner. But any of us may sometimes - consciously or unconsciously - allow our own needs to subvert those of our clients.

A coach is contracted by an organisation to work with an individual. It becomes clear during the sessions that it is in he individual's best interests to leave the organisation. This is not the outcome the contracting organisation expects or desires. Not only does the coach face a dilemma of conflicting priorities, but also a risk to their own reputation and further work with the client organisation. In this case, supervision would enable a coach to work competently and intelligently within the system, which might require conversations with several stakeholders in the organisation.

The coach has contracted to work with a client on career and professional issues, but the client appears in frequent distress around an on-going family crisis. Where are the boundaries here? Is it appropriate to take these issues on, or should they refer the client to a counsellor or psychotherapist? And how can this be managed without the client feeling betrayed?

It may be that, as a coach, you would be very clear what you should do in these situations. But ethical issues are situational and not always clear cut. A supervisor will work through clarifying the issues and enabling the coach to develop a strategy with ethical integrity.

What supervision can do for you

Developing skills

"We all need to keep on learning so we can support our clients better..." (a coach)

As coaches, we have a responsibility to our clients to keep developing and refreshing our skills. Most of us attend workshops, conferences etc. But the parallel with our own coaching clients is also useful here. They may be able to develop their skills, understanding and confidence by attending workshops, courses etc. Why have coaching?

Development is a major aspect of supervision. It has, to some extent, a didactic function. Most supervisors can and will offer models, techniques, avenues of investigation to help develop the coach's abilities. The supervision case-studies I have in front of me here show supervisors introducing coaches to:

Transactional Analysis models, like the Karpman Drama Triangle
Psychological mindedness - especially around issues of parallel process and transference
Practical information about contracting
The Internal Supervisor - using cognitive, somatic, intuitive awareness
NLP models like logical levels, third position
Models of coaching and supervision like Hawkins' "Seven Eyed Model"
Techniques in questioning, re-framing, deepening understanding of the GROW Model
CSA's Full Spectrum Model of Coaching Supervision

Supervisors also helped by referring coaches to useful reading, workshops, conferences and courses. There is also a directly "coaching" element in supervision, where the supervisor coaches the coach in developing, practising and applying a new skill set.

In this developmental role, supervisors introduce models for two main purposes:

For the coach to use to empower their coaching sessions with clients
As frameworks the coach and supervisor can use to give different perspectives to the coach's practice and development

One last thought in this area - from a supervisor:

"... if we as supervisors create the right conditions for our supervisees to feel supported and safe, if we hold them with unconditional positive regard, supervision does not just provide a quick fix for whatever is currently happening - it provides an everlasting opportunity for growth and development."

Managing yourself and your practice

Not all aspects of supervision may relate directly to clients. Other areas supervisors may explore include:

How a coach operates in relation to their employing/contracting organisation. Confidentiality can be a particularly tricky issue here.

Taking care of one self. As coaches, we are own greatest resource. We can't develop our clients' resources unless we take care of our own. As well as CPD, supervision may include elements of time management, keeping client records, keeping a work-life balance etc. Here's an example from a supervision:

"With careful probing and encouragement she came to realise that her skills and ability were not in question (this gave her confidence and self-belief,) only her time-management, lack of clear boundaries and organisation."

What are we worth? If you are working on a fee basis, that can be a particularly difficult subject, contaminated by issues of self worth and lack of market knowledge. One supervisor, dealing with this issue brought by a coach, says:

"I asked her to imagine herself as a coach as if she were an advert which had been given the chance alongside other 'coach adverts' to say what she could bring to the 'potential clients'' lives.

The use of this imagery helped her identify '6 selling points', which in turn had the effect of affirmations in helping her recognise her value as a coach."

Where next?

I hope this article has given you some insight into what supervision can do for you. Of course, this is only one view - mine, based on my training and experience with the Coaching Supervision Academy. Other professional bodies may emphasise different aspects of supervision.

And, as I mentioned at the beginning of this article, regular supervision may become essential for registration before too long - and a key differentiator in marketing coaching services.

But I hope you've seen enough to recognise that supervision is an investment in your practice and your ability to support, challenge and develop your clients.

Supervision can be undertaken in face-to-face, one-to-one sessions; in supervision groups; over the phone; by e-mail or on-line "chat" facilities. Find the supervisor and the process that works for you. If you work with a Coaching Supervision Academy "trainee", you may be able to get very competitive rates. And remember - they may be a "trainee" - but if they are training in supervision, they are already an experienced and successful coach.

To end - some words from coaches on supervision:

"Supervision is affirming and inspiring. It helps my clients, as I always come away with intriguing ideas to try out with them. It's an opportunity to share my issues and thinking about coaching"

"I have the privilege of being a part of a unique group of Coaches that meets once a month for supervision. Under the insightful eye of our Supervisor I have the opportunity to air issues, learning from my colleagues and sharing my stuff, all in one evening! This non-judgmental and nurturing environment helps me to feel validated and gives me a very strong positive energy. The calibre of my fellow Coaches is very high not to mention the supervisor's skill and caring (she does ask some brilliant and incisive questions!). This all adds to the value and experience of being in the group."

"Regarding actual supervision, I always feel I can raise challenging issues within the group and that the supervisor and the others will respond supportively and effectively. There is always something positive and developmental to be gained from our sharing sessions."

Ian Mackenzie www.ian-mackenzie.co.uk;

e: ian-mackenzie.co.uk

Staying in or going out?

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

The economic downturn has blurred the distinction between internal and external coaches. Internal coaches are cost-effective and have a good knowledge of the organisation.

However does the internal coach's closeness to the business also act as a barrier?

Internal and external coaches both have their place, however, they serve a different purpose and which to use depends on the situation.

The economic downturn has blurred the distinction between internal and external coaches. So much so, that many organisations are beginning to question why they should pay for an external coach if an internal coach is available.

There are definite advantages to using internal coaches. They are closer to the business, so they should know the industry, the corporate culture and the issues that people are dealing with in the organisation. Plus, they are on the payroll, so there's less of a need to justify the expense.

However, there are also some disadvantages to using internal coaches. A coachee is unlikely to tell an internal coach about a problem with his/her boss if that boss is a drinking buddy of the coach. They're also unlikely to openly admit their weaknesses, if they know the coach is coaching others in the organisation. Some may be unwilling to open up to an internal coach because of concerns that the coach might divulge their secrets to HR and scupper their chances of promotion. Of course, these concerns can be resolved but it takes a considerable level of trust.

The inside job

The effectiveness of the role undertaken by internal coaches is often determined by what type of coach they are.

Firstly, there are 'gifted amateurs'. Typically, these are highly personable individuals with a high level of interpersonal skills. They may have been working in HR for a while or they may be regarded as 'natural coaches'. The organisation may choose to send them on coach training courses to give them a better indication of what's involved in coaching.

Secondly there are those who have fallen into the role of a coach. Sometimes coaching becomes part of the job. A manager or team leader who has particularly strong leadership or communications skills may be 'spotted' after receiving good feedback from their team. They may then be asked to use some of these skills to help other individuals, or other teams, in addition to their main job. Often they're coerced through flattery to take on the role. Again, the organisation may invest by providing them with coach training.

Conflict can, of course, arise if the coaching role starts to impact on the 'day job'. Often the expectation is that the day job comes first and the coaching role should be fitted in around it. But this creates a compromising position for the internal coach, the result being that either the coaching or their performance starts to slide. The reality of doing two jobs is very difficult.

The real problem for both of these types of coaches is that they will often try to solve problems and provide answers, rather than encouraging their coachees to come up with their own solutions. This is, after all, what they have often been rewarded for in the past - and with their experience, they may feel they can sort out the 'issues' very quickly. In other words, they'll provide coaching as a 'good manager', rather than coaching as a 'good coach'.

A third type of internal coach is the individual who has been specifically appointed to the role. This may be someone with past experience as an external coach. Normally, because there are specific competencies required for the role, this person will receive formal training rather than a simple introduction to coaching. An appointed internal coach has the potential to be highly effective but these individuals may still be compromised if they come up against obstacles of confidentiality and perceived lack of impartiality.

All of these types of internal coaches can be very successful in helping people to navigate through the organisational structure or processes and they can also help people to acquire specific skills or knowledge that will enable them to deal with a particular client or win a promotion. This is often closer to a mentoring role and involves drawing on their expertise of 'this is how things work around here'.

Calling in an outsider

Despite the obvious budget implications, there are times when having an external viewpoint is actually a very attractive option. It's often easier for a senior manager to open up to an external coach. That's why the more senior a person is, the more an external coach is likely to be used, as it can be very difficult for an internal coach to work with somebody who is senior to them.

External coaches are often used for behavioural issues (X is good at his job but is difficult to work with) or if the coachee's issue is tied up with the culture of the organisation. Being an outsider, they can be unbiased. For example, if an internal coach is considered to be an excellent manager in the corporate culture, he/she may struggle to coach someone who may be having a problem working in that culture.

So the internal vs. external coaching dilemma should not be a simple 'either/or'. There's a value in having both. It's just a case of choosing the right horse for the right course.

Alan P Ward, Performance Consultants

Peter Welch Coaching website launched

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:00:00 +0000

Peter Welch Coaching launched this new website on 5th January, 2010 to gather comments and feedback from a selected audience.

The design concept features two main 'branches' for users:

'Services' describes what is provided, with options and some fees.

'Who I work with' helps potential users to quickly find what they're looking for. These could be:

Iindividuals seeking coaching for themselves
Organisations searching for useful information about what is offered for teams or individuals
Providers who may need extra resources for their bids, tenders and contracts
Other coaches who may require supervision 1-1 or in groups

Please send any comments you have about the website, especially the 'look and feel', navigation/ease of use, and content to peter@peterwelchcoaching.co.uk Many thanks.

Peter teams up with People Alchemy learning resources

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 00:00:00 +0100

I've linked up with the People Alchemy - the off-line learning resources company - to provide their extensive range of learning resources to my customers and coaching clients. I've long been an admirer and advocate for People Alchemy's style and content, as they use the best writers to provide a synopsis of key learning materials that's practical and 'just in time' for a learner's needs.

With this association, I am already offering their range of resources to a group of team leaders that I'm coaching, to supplement their learning during a coaching series and in support of an extended learning programme. Do check out their website for a free trial: http://www.peoplealchemy.co.uk

Peter accredited by Association of Coaching

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Peter has just had his coaching accredited by peers in AC, so is now designated 'AC Accredited'.

This helps to give clients even more confidence that coaching is a regulated process with high standards, both in practice and ethics. For more information, please contact Peter Welch.