growasacoach

Adding value, all the time

One of the people I always make time to read is chris brogan because I find he always adds value when he posts.

This post on 19 presence management chores you could do every day  is a fabulous example.  It's to the point, focused and gives you tips on how to stay focused on social media - something I know many people are worried about given the fact it's easy to get swept up with what is happening out there!  Even more for us coaches, we're just so curious about what is happening with people!

It also made me think on this specific situation, about how presence management as a coach is more than just presence management in relation to being doing tasks relating to social media.

Presence is a powerful word.

Useful life and career coach blog lists

I was really pleased to be sent an email last week which includes 100 blogs related to career and life coaching.

http://www.ekgclasses.org/100-best-life-and-career-coach-blogs/

The full list is on the link, I am mentioned as a resource for coaches, so do let other coaches you know, know all about the list - and about us, of course!

Claire

Who is coaching the coach?

Thanks to a fellow coach Heather The Efficiency Coach  for sending through this thought provoking article on Training Zone Who's Coaching the Coach?

Supervision is still something which is very new in the coaching world, although well established in other areas such as therapy where it is a mandatory requirement. 

When I asked on LinkedIn a poll question about who had supervision, it was great to hear that there was a good percentage had some kind of coaching supervision. What wasn't clear from my very brief survey, of WHO was supervising and how formal the relationship was.

What was most definitely interesting was that of 34 responses, many said that they had varying results for not having a coaching supervisor right now.  Which as a supervisor, helps me to understand part of the role of coach supervisors is also to support and educate about what effective coaching supervision, and mentoring looks and feels like, and how this can fit with other support systems you put into your coaching, such as ongoing professional development and co-coaching arrangements.

For me, coaching supervision provides a breathing space.  60 minutes (or however long you contract) where you stop the world and get off for a little while.  Where you can meaningfully review how you work as a coach, who you are as a coach and confidentially and safely, what's hapenning with you and your clients.

Much more on this soon!

When you are self employed, nothing is certain...til it's in the bank!

One big thing I have learnt since being fully self employed is that nothing is in the bank...til it's in the bank!

Unlike when you work for an organisation, when you know you will get paid on a regular basis on a set date, working for yourself means that you get to seek out your own opportunities.

Which is great.

As long as you remember, that until they have translated FULLY into paid work, and that money is in your bank, that it's just that - an opportunity.

Focusing in the present in that, will help you hold opportunities open and consider what priorities to place on work offers.  It will help you ask "what do I really want?"

It will help you remain focused on building your networks and the depth of your contacts, as simply put, you're never done!  Even where you have a full work sheet right now, you don't want to be losing the gift of the warm, human relationships you've reached out and made.

Coaching Ethics and Parliamentary Questions

I've been watching all the unfolding anger and questions relating to the parliamentary system and MP expenses here in the UK.

I admit to an addiction to developing news stories which doesn't sit with the mindful approach I like to cultivate, that I hold in awareness. It's definitely the move from curiosity into "nosiness!" about what's happening next.  One of the things that I've found myself bringing parallels to as a coach is how we as coaches build the practical and ethical foundations for coaching as a whole and our own practices/ businesses in specific.

Some useful questions to ponder:

• If you had to share what you claim as business expenses, are they all fair and above board?  Could you say that they were "solely and neccessarily" for coaching, in the same way as MP expenses should have been?
• Do you talk about what you do as a coach, and know how to talk about what your boundaries are, what you can and can't do, will and won't do, with clients, so you are being clear with them up front?
• Are you positive about coaching as a profession, and how does that show up in the way you work and market your business?

The scent of hope

I was listening to the end of the G20 yesterday.  When I really listened, beyond the actual words and the actual numbers what came across was the scent of hope.

Of the "magic" that comes with Obama, and his presence.  What I feel he has brought is the presence of possibility.  There is always a feeling, I think with big events like this that are so hyped that nothing will really happen.  And yet a huge amount of announcements came out of yesterday. 

And what came out of that for me was the sense that in the UK, where all we seem to have heard about is the difficulties, that there could be the glimmerings of possibilities about how we can learn from today to be more effective in the future.

And isn't that our goal too as coaches?  To help ourselves and others recognise that when times are tough they are helping us to create that new better future when we look at things being possible?  I've felt very challenged by this myself, having been made redundant in November.  Even knowing it was a good move for me, it's a very different place and there's a lot to get used to.  And now here is my challenge to myself and to you.

Look at where you are today with what learnings you can take from the present.  With what new perspectives it has given you.  With what new strengths you have found in yourself.  And how in knowing you can cope, hope and move to thrive.

Managing Progress and Accountability & Marketing your Coaching Business

This is the 11th and final post in the series on aligning your marketing of your coaching business wiht your coaching core competencies

Managing Progress and Accountability:  If this with the client is about holding attention on what is important to them and leaving them with accountability to take action, with your marketing the important thing to take away is that you focus and find out what marketing works for you (both emotionally and in terms of results) and that you are holding yourself accountable for taking regular action in your marketing. 

If you struggle to keep this regularity, think about getting yourself an accountability partner, or a marketing coach who will help you manage your own progress.  Measure what success looks like and then you can see which marketing is worth the time you are putting into it.

Planning and Goal Setting and Marketing your Coaching Business

This is post 10 in the series on aligning your marketing your coaching business with your coaching core competencies

Planning and Goal Setting:  As a coach marketer, it’s important to have a plan for your marketing. 

The great thing is that you already have lots of tools out there to help you create your own plan and goals for marketing! 

What do you know that you coach to clients that will help you create a more structured approach to your marketing? 

One of the keys to marketing is consistency and a plan will help you with this.  Goals will help you measure whether you are being successful:  Set SMART goals to help yourself move forwards with your marketing. 

Then you can review them (see next post coming up!) to find out what is working.  Little and often is best with marketing rather than a big bang and then no contact for a long time.  This approach will also help you avoid marketing from desperation when you don’t have clients. 

Designing Actions and Marketing your Coaching Business

This is post 9 in the series of aligning marketing your coaching business with your coaching core competencies

Designing Actions:  When you are marketing what you do as a coach, make it clear about how coaching is focused on actions. 

Work out what those actions are, and how these will benefit your clients.  When you are talking to prospects, you can share what kind of actions people in similar positions you have worked with have taken, and what impact this has had for them. 

When you are designing new programs, again go back to what your niche wants to be different and think about what that means for what you offer and what actions, and questions you can focus on. 

Where you use tools and structures, talk about these up front with what benefit they can have.

Creating Awareness and Marketing your Coaching Business

This is Post 8 in the series of aligning marketing your coaching  business with your coaching core competencies

Creating Awareness: 

As a coach marketer, you want to create awareness for your products and services out there in the market which means getting comfortable with sharing useful resources and information with your niche. 

I build awareness through writing articles, blogging, and most recently through social media which fits with the coaching ethos I have of sharing and connecting – such as twitter and Linked in.