Coach Approach
Simplicity is the very first organizing company to send their entire team through a Coach Approach program! We underwent an intensive and comprehensive 8-week coach training program that has added tremendous value to the services we offer our clients. Simplicity strengthened our coaching skills through education and leadership by master trainers at Coach Approach.
Week 1-Betsy House
The International Coach Fedration’s website defines coaching as, “Partnering with clients in a thought provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” The Coach Approach states that “Coaching is not advising, telling, training, showing, organizing, counseling or consulting. Coaching refers to the bundling of specific, effective communication skills and to a creative and resourceful partnership.”
We entered into the first week with hesitation as to what we were about to embark on, but quickly realized how powerful this program was going to be both personally and professionally. We practiced new coaching skills in small groups by role playing from a neutral space with no opinions or judgements using self-management skills.
Week 2-Anne Steppe
This week we were challenged to practice our Active Listening Skills. We made the connection as to why it is powerful to take a brain-based approach to coaching. During our practice sessions we worked on how to co-create relationships with our clients and how to listen “to” and how to listen “for” what our clients are saying. We also worked on the skill of endorsing.
Week 3-Shyla Hasner
This week we worked on creating a coaching metaphor to provide us with a self-image that grounds and inspires us as coaches. Developing our personal metaphor will help us to hold a set of personal intentions to maintain when coaching.
Week 4-Deb Fletcher
We began Week 4 with a clarification of our metaphor exercise.
We deepened our understanding of the “DO” of coaching by learning to listen for self-criticism, contradictions and what is left unsaid. We also added the concept of direct communication by adding the use of powerful questions.
Week 5-Jen Borda
Success (or success in failure) and seeing the value of our learning that leads to meaningful change. AEC – Awareness, Engagement, Completion. It is important to use “curious accountability,” by checking back with clients on their solution and then brainstorming. We learned how to try to help the client shift their perspective from negative to positive and focusing on how the client brings value (and opportunity).
Week 6-Robin Leonard
In week 6, we looked at the strategy piece of the coaching puzzle. The three parts to this segment are Request, Challenge and Champion. The request aspect is asking the client to complete an action with specific parameters. The challenge aspect is a super power request. The champion aspect is when we are speaking to our client’s future capability. Each of these components are important to the success of our clients because we are giving them ownership.
Week 7-Katie Puckett
This week we learned about accountability during a coaching session. According to The Coach Approach definition of terms: “Accountability describes the work of the client and coach to support client actions beyond simply identifying and choosing them. As partners, the client and coach agree to learn from the experience of agreeing to, attempting and/or completing these actions”. There are many kinds of accountability. Action (or inaction) is an opportunity for deeper learning coming from a supportive, curious, and neutral environment within the coaching partnership. Accountability should come from the client. Coaching helps the client create accountability within themselves.
Week 8-Betsy Blair
With the completion of 8 weeks of training in Coaching Essentials, in the words of Cam Gott, our instructor, “We are now organizers with coaching skills”. It’s been a life-changing course. As a Team, the skills we have learned taking this class will equip us to offer so much more to our clients who are looking to break-free from their stuff and live a more productive life. Our clients call us for the organizing, but we hope they will stay for the coaching.