My approach to Coaching

Coaching should be about trust, fun, challenge and giving – both ways. It is about having rich and interesting conversations so that the Coachee is better able to address the concerns that they have. It can be hard work and relies on honesty, openness and a willingness to “give it a go”.

I do not have an “approach”, I am not a “gestalt” coach, or an “existential coach, and NLP has no place in coaching. I do not have any answers, difficult issues do not have easy answers.  I think that good conversations can lead to considering issues differently.

Each coachee/client is different, so we need to explore various methods of exploring the world and finding the best methods for our conversation and issues. It is about what works for the Coachee, not what I want to impose! We, the Coach and the Client co-create the event. I enjoy coaching, especially coaching whilst walking, good conversations and muddy boots, followed by a coffee go together.

I have degrees in Medicine, Psychology, Education, Art History and Public Health. I have held senior positions, so I have resources and experience to draw upon. As will my coachee. There is a link to my CV here. This does not mean that I know any better – but I should be able to hold up my end of a conversation.

My approach is rooted in Skepticism (let’s question things), Bayesian thinking (we have a variety of preconceptions), Systems thinking and Modelling (things interconnect and changing things has consequences), People are usually good, but may have needs you don’t understand, so may appear peverse, or bad, Stoicism, we can (to some extent) decide how we look at things.

I coach you, I do not coach for HR, or for your boss, or your company. They can pay, but I will not report to them. I am not an arm of performance management. Coaching is confidential (within the limits of the law). There is a link to my outline coaching agreement here.

I do not normally charge for coaching, I am fortunate that I do not have to and I see it as part of giving back. If you cannot afford it, I will still coach you – pro-bono. If you can afford it, you can donate to a charity we agree on … a good guide would be pay per hour what you earn. I like to coach people I find interesting. I hope to get as much out of it as the coachee does. If you merely want coaching so that you can make more money, I am unlikely to want to coach you, or to do a good job as a coach. I will occasionally coach senior executives for donations to charity,particularly linking coaching with language and cultural orientation, see here.

I have had some “elite”, very expensive coaching which was a waste of time. I have had wonderful challenge and support from very busy people who did not charge.

You can find my CV and my outline Coaching “Contract” by clicking on the butttons. 
Do send me a message via the form below if you want to get in touch