“Crazy”, “stupid”, “dangerous” are some of the words that Singaporean teenagers thought of when asked about mental illness, showing there is much to do with stigma and mental health. In the same report, 46.2% of respondents, who were aged between 14 and 18, also said they would be “very embarrassed” if they were diagnosed with…
Executive and leadership coaching is a big business with an estimated value of $2billion globally and it is continuing to grow rapidly. Research from the International Coach Federation (ICF) suggests that the number of worldwide coaches has grown from 47,500 in 2012 to 53,300 in 2016 with the addition of approximately 1,500 coaches per year for the last four…
A friend of mine was recently negotiating flexible working hours in a new senior leadership position. While we were sharing our mutual assumptions about what “working from home” really meant, we seemed to agree that what you wanted from your team, and yourself, if you were working from home, was instant responses to work emails…
Arguably, this is the most controversial coaching blog that I have yet written… The potential controversy lies in the fundamental question of: what is coaching for? Beyond skills development, or behaviour change, or adapting more skilfully to the systems our coaching clients operate in. Is the role of the coach to drive development towards any…
How do we, as coaches, approach diversity? I’m sure that many of us hold a firm belief that this is the one profession which really makes us acknowledge difference of race, gender, ability, age, skill, motivation… and work with our clients, wherever they are. Yet, how true is this really? Do we only accept diversity…
Virtually all coach training emphasises – with good reason – the importance of listening skills. Paying attention to what’s being said, asking about what’s not expressed, interrupting a well-rehearsed story… these are all competencies that most practising coaches have. What about the other senses though? How do you “listen” with your eyes, with your sense…
Recently, I’ve read a 20-year-old book with the catchy title: We’ve had a Hundred Years of Psychotherapy, and the World’s Getting Worse! It was written in 1993 by the American humanistic therapist James Hillman and the writer Michael Ventura. In a series of conversations, both in person and by letter, they explore – and sometimes strongly…
Much is written about these days (and not a moment too soon!) about empathy and compassion, and their place in the skills and abilities of a modern leader. What is not talked about as often is the need – and ability – to step in and out of an empathic stance, and know when to…
The most transformational coaching workshop I’ve ever attended started with the facilitator (Sir John Whitmore) writing these words on the flipchart: This is not the truth! Right there and then, I knew I was in the right place, and in the right presence. At the time of the workshop, about 10 years ago, Sir John had…
“Write a blog on the Postgraduate Certificate in Coaching?” was the request. “I’ve just written about 12,000 words for my postgraduate certificate and now you want me to write more?”, I thought regressing into Kevin the teenager. I had thought I would have a bit of a break from writing after completing my qualification. Not…
Coaching has become increasingly used within organisations to provide a learning experience for leaders and managers where complexity and change is ever increasing. Having to hold situations where no clear solution is immediately evident is often stressful for managers who historically deal with the certainty of process and outcome. Coaching can offer a broadening of…
Boundaries. One of the first words you hear in coach training, usually accompanied with an overlapping Venn diagram consisting of the practices of counselling, coaching and mentoring. Where does one stop and the other starts; how to avoid getting drawn into the client’s history (that’s counselling), or how never to give advice even if you…
