Coaching, Mentoring, Empowerment, Informal coaching
I officially first came across coaching when I was studying my CIPD HR qualification seven years ago at South Devon College. I found it really interesting and useful, and I decided this is something I want to do later on. I went on and done a CMI coaching qualification and I am now doing my ILM Level 5 in the same place, with the same tutor who is excellent.
So why this blog entry? It is because coaching and mentoring can really change lives! I encourage others to invest time in developing individuals and managers to use a coaching leadership style to bring better results and better engagement in their teams. Parents, sometimes, if you use a coaching style, you can avoid some arguments... well, not always. Kids will always be kids! :)
Why coaching?
I love coaching because I can be a part of someone's journey and give the tools to open up the absolute possibilities to individuals. Coaching can make individuals see what they can achieve, empower them, and champion them to realise what they can achieve and of course, see them grow. I coach and mentor individuals since 2018; I am fortunate to work with individuals from many different backgrounds and goals. What is also increasingly important, the learning I am going through at the same time when I am coaching. I find it incredibly useful when I am coaching young individuals, I have learned so much from them and how they see the world, which drives them to achieve their goals.
What is coaching?
Coaching is a relationship that is built on trust, where the coach can unlock the potential of someone. Coaching is a conversation where the coach is asking the right questions from the individuals to realise their potential, get their answers, and solutions to problems. Coaching is generally a short-term relationship. The coach doesn't need to have direct experience in the topic the client is bringing, the coach is not giving direct advice to the client, and specific issues are being addressed.
My coaching experience
If I look back on my personal and professional life, especially in the last 12 years, I can see many occasions when I was coached. Some of these occasions were informal coaching, but nevertheless, they all made significant differences in my life. I recall a conversation I had with someone from an Employment Law firm about 2-3 years ago; we had a quick lunchtime chat in a local pub. This experience is sticking in my head because he was interested in me as a person; he saw the potential in me; I felt I mattered as a person. I got some interesting open questions that I took away to see how I can develop ideas about a project I was working on at the time.
The other exciting experience with coaching and mentoring was from CMI and CIPD. If you are a member of either of these organisations, you can participate in professional coaching and mentoring using their database. As a member of both institutes, this is something available as part of my membership, I am a CIPD Step Ahead Mentor, supporting others to grow, get into university, get their first jobs, and of course, learn along the way from these incredible young individuals. I enjoy coaching managers as well, the learning from these sessions are very different, but equally just as rewarding.
I also participated in some CMI mentoring sessions as a mentee a couple of years ago, and the learning I gained from it was amazing. My mentor helped me understand things, helped me rebuild my confidence; we worked on my strengths and opportunities as part of the sessions. I worked through different self-awareness tools, got to know myself a lot better, and the reactions I have in certain situations. My mentor's support made me a lot stronger as a person; I dug deep and realised the possibilities, what I can achieve. I am really grateful for his support as since those sessions, I see situations in a completely different light.
I had a fantastic teacher once, my first coach and we are still friends to this day. She is like Mother Earth; it is difficult to put into words how grateful I am for her support throughout the years, the listening ears on her sofa and only asking just a couple of questions, but those questions were so spot on. The kind of questions you need to dig deep and reflect and have the 'AHA' moment.
My parents also applied the coaching style in my bringing up as well, especially my mum was a great listener and so much experience she had when it came to human interactions. Often, people in her work were going to her for advice or just for a friend who listened to you no matter what you had to say and you could trust in.
I was also fortunate to have a great line manager once, well more than once, but this particular line manager saw the possibilities in me and encouraged me to progress my career into the next step. I saw the position coming up a few times; I didn't go for it... I had all the qualifications for the post, I had the experience, ticked almost everything on the job description, but I had lots of self-limiting beliefs, I didn't think I was good enough to go for THE job, the role I am in now. For me, coaching, even if it is just informal, is about seeing the greatness in people, encouraging them to achieve their potential, championing them because often you as a coach or mentor can see something extraordinary they can't see themselves yet.
These experiences with coaching and mentoring are making me want to support others to enable them to grow. I believe that everybody can achieve their goals, if it is a big goal, perhaps you won't achieve it right now, but by breaking the big goal down into smaller steps, everything is possible. The power is in your hand as well to make a difference in someone's life.
There are many outstanding coaches out there; some are in my network who I am sure would be happy to support individuals interested in participating. I would love to hear about your coaching or mentoring experience, good or bad; get in touch if you are happy to share.
I leave you with a couple of things to reflect on;
Who are the people in my life who saw the potential in me and helped me grow?
Could I coach and mentor individuals around me?
Is coaching or mentoring something I could benefit from?
Things to look at:
Photos in order of appearance:
Photos by Chevanon Photography, Shirin and Killian Eon from Pexels
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