Welcome to Strategic Direction

Business and Executive Coaching

DO I NEED A COACH?

Coaching answers the fundamental question: ‘How can I be better? Even if you’re at the top of your chosen field, you can still ask yourself: ‘How can I improve what I am doing?’ We all can improve what we do. Why else do the world’s elitest athletes work with coaches?

• Coaching encourages you to know your true values and live them in achieving your goals.
• Coaching focuses on what you want – your goals and how to achieve them
• Coaching will challenge limiting beliefs and reinforce positive ones by giving you tasks that provide you with feedback.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF COACHING?

A sense of purpose

We all have dreams, aspirations and hopes for our life. Our goals bring them into reality – they shape our life. If we don’t have goals, we drift aimlessly. A coach helps us to identify and achieve our goals

Change facilitation

Through exploring an issue with the client, the coach will:

• Show the client what the client is doing
• Help the client discover how to change
• Support that change.

‘Bespoke’ personal development '

For many people, group personal development trainings are only useful to a point. Often, they achieve little more than scratching the surface.

Coaching is tailored to an individual’s needs. It addresses what the individual wants and needs.

Value

The more people develop themselves, the more an organisation develops its business, and the more value its people are to the organisation.

Happy people perform well. If your people perform better, your profits will increase. In the end, coaching is a very cost effective and focussed way of developing people.

WHY AN EXTERNAL COACH?

Traditionally people have looked for mentors or coaches within their own organisations. Not everyone can or does find someone suitable. Having an external coach can provide such a sounding board.

WHY CAN’T A MANAGER OR SUPERVISOR BE A COACH?

Good question. A manager/supervisor can coach informally or help develop certain skill sets. However, an external coach can provide assistance where a manager cannot:

1. Objectivity – An external coach does not see the client daily and so can remain objective.
   
2. Time –An external coach is not trying to juggle the running of a busy department or business with coaching a staff member as an additional task in a busy day. An external coach is there 100% for the client.
   
3. Confidentiality – An external coach can (and must) keep the client’s confidences. On the other hand, a manager/supervisor is answerable to the organisation and not the client.
   
4. Impartiality – An external coach is not responsible for managing and appraising the client’s work. So, the client is not faced with the tension of keeping up appearances. The client can relax and be honest about his/her feelings, doubts and fears. Without that honesty and frankness, coaching will be ineffectual.

HOW MANY COACHING SESSIONS WILL I NEED?

There’s no right number of sessions.

Much will depend on what your objective for the coaching is.

Unless, you have just one specific small issue that you wish to address, expect to have at least 3 or 4 sessions.

What does coaching involve?

I work with my clients in person or by telephone, in one of the following ways:

• 1:1 private coaching
• By e-mail, for updates
• In groups of 10 or more (telephone only)

When working with me, come with an open mind and a willingness to explore and learn - about yourself and how you relate to others, about your goals and aspirations – whatever you want to look at.

If you’d like to find out more, please contact Yvonne to discuss your specific needs.