Maximum Coaching

24/08/2022

To nurture a coaching culture in the workplace the following foundations need to be in place. If you you've already established a coaching culture you can use this as a checklist to identify areas that could be strengthened:

1. Make managers accountable for employee development – Yes, individuals have personal responsibility for their own learning too, but when it’s part of the manager’s responsibilities and will be measured as part of their performance, there’s more appetite for options such as coaching.

2. Make coaching routine (i.e. normalise it) – Whether it’s weekly coaching sessions for the team, or allocating a weekly ‘Coaching Day’ to focus on learning and improvement, to become habitual coaching needs to be happening regularly and often in some form.

3. Emphasise a variety of types of coaching – There’s more than one kind of coaching. A coaching-friendly organisation is open to executive coaching, team coaching, ad hoc/just-in-time coaching, and by extension, the similar activity of mentoring.

4. Feedback & question skills – Are you managers equipped to give feedback? Do they know the questions to ask to encourage learning (e.g., “How did you decide on that approach?”, “How could you have done it differently?”, etc.)

5. Train coaches (at all levels) – Deliver training in good coaching practice to embed the skills and encourage the right attitudes (this doesn’t have to be a formal course – why not drop-in remote lunchtime sessions?)

6. Lead by example – Are you or other managers/leaders using coaching as a tool? You can’t really expect other people to jump on the coaching wagon if you won’t. Start at the top.

16/08/2022

From a coaching perspective, the organisational culture should support and encourage learning at an individual level through conversations. Fundamentally, coaching is a conversational approach to learning and development. In a coaching inspired work culture the following activities are not just accepted and used but are the norm.

09/08/2022

More and more, coaching is seen as an essential skillset for managers. Here our four essential skills for having effective coaching conversations:

02/08/2022

We deliver one-to-one coaching, at all levels, across the UK and internationally.

Executive coaching, career coaching, transition coaching, performance coaching – wherever you are, whatever your requirement, there’ll be someone in our team who can support you!

Our coaching sessions can be virtual or face-to-face, in English or in your local language, on a one-to-one basis or team-based or group-based.

Find out more about the coaching services we provide on our website: https://maximumcoaching.co.uk/services/supporting-individuals/

26/07/2022

Why is an executive coach is now a must have for CEOs?

“It was useful to have a professional mirror — not your friend, your partner, or your boss or colleague. The best coaches are not people who tell you what to do.”

An insightful read from the Financial Times: https://www.ft.com/content/5f734f71-5e84-4771-b267-589359b812c7

All forms of coaching are booming, post-pandemic — but expensive leadership ‘whisperers’ have become indispensable

18/07/2022

Develop your coaching skills with our Coaching Skills in a Day workshop!

This very practical, lively, engaging session is designed to introduce the knowledge and skills that will help your managers develop their coaching style – whether that’s to help them with managing their own teams, for communicating with colleagues or internal ‘clients’ and stakeholders, or with a view to moving on and becoming a qualified coach.

Find out more today, call us on 01582 463461 or visit: https://maximumcoaching.co.uk/services/supporting-managers-and-hr-bps/coaching-skills-for-leaders-and-managers/coaching-skills-in-a-day/

13/07/2022

Some people need a mentor, some people need a coach. The key question is: what’s the difference? 🤔

A simplistic response might be that a mentor will tell you what to do, and a coach will help you work it out for yourself. However, there are plenty of mentors who taking a more ‘talk it through’ approach, and there are coaches who get a little direct once in a while. The question is not so much about labels but more about understanding the differences in process and approach, deciding what’s right for your needs and then seeking out someone (whatever they call themselves) who can give you the help that’s right for you.

We've identified 4 key differences:

1. Focus - In terms of what the process is focused on, coaching has more specific outcomes and goals in mind. Often the idea to improve performance on a particular issue or task. Once that’s done, the coach is no longer needed (or if they are, it’s for another specific issue). Mentoring on the other hand, is about personal development, often in an organisational or work context, and is likely to focus on your next job role rather than the current one.

2. Long-term or short-term - Generally, coaching is a shorter relationship than mentoring. Focused on a specific task or objective, you may only need a coach for a few sessions. Even if the process goes on for longer, there’s always a definite end goal in mind. Mentoring tends to be a longer-term arrangement based on trust. Of course, you have to trust a coach too, but given that a mentoring relationship may cover a wider range of issues (including ones not predicted or identified at the beginning of the arrangement) trust tends to be a fundamental requirement – and that can take a while to build.

3. Process - With coaching, the process is more structured. Whether it’s the classic GROW model or something a little more esoteric, there’s a step by step process to be followed by both coach and coachee; as a result, coaching meetings tend to be more regular and follow a template. The ‘looser’ nature of mentoring means that meetings are often less formal and may happen on an ‘as-needed’ basis, whenever you need some outside advice, guidance or support.

4. Experience - A mentor is likely to have experience in your line of work (or the line you’re aiming for), whereas a coach’s experience may vary, it being more important that they are skilled and experienced in the coaching process itself. As the 2013 Ridler Report found:

“…[coachees] rated the coach’s business experience and the coach’s suggestions deriving from their prior career as the least important qualities they look for once a coach is working in their organisation. Senior executives can find mentors if they are looking for advice but the coach’s central role is to help the coachee to come to their own understanding and conclusions.”

In other words, the lines may blur, the nomenclature may change, but what it comes down to is the question of what you want to achieve – that will determine whether you should be seeking out a coach or a mentor.

21/06/2022

Are you a ? Take your coaching to the next level with our tried-and-tested programme!

Our very popular programme prepares you for the International Coaching Federation’s Associate Certified Coach (ACC) credential.

Not only does it meet the ICF’s requirement for 60 hours of coach specific training but it also includes the necessary ten hours of Mentor Coaching. And, uniquely to our programme, it gives you the opportunity to get the ILM Level 7 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring as well, by way of an optional ‘top-up’.

Find out more today, visit our website: https://maximumperformance.co.uk/events/the-maximum-coaching-certified-coach-training-programme/ or call us on: 01582 463460

30/05/2022

If you want to develop a coaching culture within your organisation we're here to help you:

📝Develop your coaching strategy
⭐Engage and develop your leadership
🙋Introduce a coaching approach to people management
⭐Develop your internal & external coaching resource
🙌Evaluate the results

Find out more by visiting our website: https://maximumcoaching.co.uk or call us today on 01582 463 461, we love to talk! 📞

10/05/2022

Our understanding of the brain is constantly evolving. It’s not just a matter of theoretical interest – there are real-world implications, specifically for how you coach.

To learn more about this subject join Maximum Coaching this Friday at our free webinar on 'Coaching with your brain'. This session will stimulate and inspire you to take your coaching to the next level.

Book your place today: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/217479024617

Harness key brain principles in your daily coaching practice

28/03/2022

According to our last survey of UK L&D professionals:

⭐ 66% foresee an increase in line managers’ use of coaching skills over the next year or so
⭐ 51% expect an increase in demand for coaching from their internal team
⭐ 31% expect an increase in demand for external coaches
⭐ 80% say they are ‘working towards’ a coaching culture

And hybrid working has put more pressure on managers to be holding the right conversations, using all their coaching skills.

Maximum Coaching offers a wide range of coaching services:

✅ Coaching consultancy
✅ Coaching training
✅ Coaching qualifications
✅ Coach mentoring and supervision
✅ Coaching delivery

Take a look at our full range: https://maximumcoaching.co.uk/

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24/03/2022

How are your coaching skills?

It's not too late to book your place on tomorrows FREE 'developing key coaching skills' webinar: https://bit.ly/FreeWebinarKeyCoachingSkills

Join Maximum Coaching for some great tips and advice in this area - you won't regret it!

Building on what you already know