What are the business benefits of coaching?

There are two massive business benefits of coaching:

• The first benefit is difficult to measure but is potentially the most important.
  Effective coaching raises an individual's awareness of themselves and their environment and this increases their learning. If we believe that our job performance is enhanced via learning then the benefit will appear many times.
  
  As Timothy Gallwey states:
  "The building of a bridge is a wonderful achievement but gaining the competence to build a bridge could lead to the construction of many bridges"
  (The Inner Game of Work - Timothy Gallwey)
  
  
• Coaching is most effective when it is established as a mind set. It should be seen as part of an ongoing process that will help people to improve on their current performance. This usually manifests itself through better relationships with others and more effective decision making.

How often will I have a coaching session and how long do they last?

At Feerick and Associates we understand that flexibility is the key.

We will ask you a few basic questions about your lifestyle, learning styles and budget and make recommendations to you.

Some choices made by others:

• A one hour face to face session once a month with a short (20 minutes) phone call per month;
  
• 2 telephone sessions per month each lasting 45 minutes;
  
• 1 hour long telephone session with Email support if needed.

Remember, if you want to change the coaching arrangement, you can.

How will I know if you are the right coach for me?

The key to a successful coaching relationship is the relationship between the coach and client.

This can partly be attributable to chemistry but we also believe that clarifying concerns is critical too. Before committing to a coaching program we will arrange a one to one session with you and your coach.

This session will look at:

• Confidentiality issues;
  
• What coaching is;
  
• Areas of coaching to be covered;
  
• How to get the best out of your coach;
  
• How does your coach get the best out of you?;
  
• Logistics - when/where/how;
  
• Costs.

At the end of this session you decide if you want to go ahead and you will not have incurred any costs.

How do we identify the issues for the team?

It's simple really - we ask them!

We will have a one to one discussion with each team member which will be confidential. We will ask permission to highlight all the issues from those that have raised them but we will not necessarily attribute issues to individuals.

At the start of an event we will spend some time agreeing some ground rules so that everyone knows what is expected of them. Most of the day will be spent on resolving issues

Experience tells us that the answers usually lie within the team themselves.

How do you make sure that the agreed actions are followed up?

We encourage a team to take responsibility for following up actions.

On the day itself we will check out how committed you really are to an action. We also to follow up a team event a few months later by either running a further workshop or attending one of your regular team meetings.

What if the 'issue' is the boss?

This can be tough to deal with!

We encourage managers to be with their teams for the event. We will also spend time with the manager making sure that they are willing to make some changes if that is necessary.

We rely on attendees being honest and professional on the day - and that includes the boss. The role of the facilitator is to make sure that nothing is left unsaid and that the team move forward.

How long do Leadership courses last?

This varies depending on what you want to cover.

We usually run modules that last from two to four days and there can be up to 8 modules. Each course is designed specifically for a customer, so we will fit around what has already been covered in previous courses and how far you want your leaders to develop.

What level of Leader do you cater for?

We have run a number of Leadership programs depending on the level of the leader.

We can run some one-off first line supervisor courses through to senior leader courses.

How many people do you have on a course?

Again, this depends on the content.

We will look at making the courses relevant but are also mindful of giving value for money.

In the past the numbers attending a course have ranged from ten to twenty four.