Walkinshaw Coaching

To determine if you could benefit from coaching, start by summarizing what you would expect to accomplish in coaching. When someone has a fairly clear idea of the desired outcome, a coaching partnership can be a useful tool for developing a strategy for how to achieve that outcome with greater ease.  Since coaching is a partnership, also ask yourself if you find it valuable to collaborate, to have another viewpoint and to be asked to consider new perspectives. Also, ask yourself if you are ready to devote the time and the energy to making real changes in your work or life. If the answer to these questions is yes, then coaching may be a beneficial way for you to grow and develop.

What are some typical reasons someone might work with a coach?  There are many reasons that an individual or team might choose to work with a coach, including but not limited to the following:

·         There is something at stake (a challenge, stretch goal or opportunity), and it is urgent, compelling or exciting or all of the above

·         There is a gap in knowledge, skills, confidence, or resources

·         A big stretch is being asked or required, and it is time sensitive

·         There is a desire to accelerate results

·         There is a need for a course correction in work or life due to a setback

·         An individual has a style of relating that is ineffective or is not supporting the achievement of one’s personally relevant goals

·         There is a lack of clarity, and there are choices to be made

·         The individual is extremely successful, and success has started to become problematic

·         Work and life are out of balance, and this is creating unwanted consequences

·         One has not identified his or her core strengths and how best to leverage them

·         The individual desires work and life to be simpler, less complicated

·         There is a need and a desire to better organized and more self-managing

How is the coaching process delivered?  What does the process look like?

Coaching typically begins with a personal interview (either face-to-face or by teleconference call) to assess the individual’s current opportunities and challenges, define the scope of the relationship, identify priorities for action, and establish specific desired outcomes. Subsequent coaching sessions may be conducted in person or over the telephone, with each session lasting a previously established length of time. Between scheduled coaching sessions, the individual may be asked to complete specific actions that support the achievement of one’s personally prioritized goals. The coach may provide additional resources in the form of relevant articles, checklists, assessments, or models, to support the individual’s thinking and actions. The duration of the coaching relationship varies depending on the individual’s personal needs and preferences.