Coaching Mastery

I have a relational approach in all of my work as coach, learning facilitator, mentor and supervisor. I believe that the quality of the relationship we co-create will determine the quality of the work we do together.

My approach is based on years of experience in adult learning and professional development, and integrates the most recent and relevant findings in neuro-science and positive psychology. Current research is applied to real life with culturally sensitive scenarios. My brain-friendly approach gives each participant a dynamic collaborative experience. Workshops are designed to enable thinking and creation to happen easily and enjoyably through a variety of interactive activities that allow each of my clients as individuals, team or organization to use their most effective, thinking, learning and creativity styles.

“Preliminary Conversation”

If you are interested in exploring the possibility of working with me, the first step is to e-mail or phone me. I will then invite you to engage in a “preliminary conversation” – an exploratory conversation of 45 minutes-1 hour duration, which is free of charge. This is an opportunity for you to experience how I work, and for me to really understand what you want to achieve. This conversation is designed to invite you to become clear about how you want to work with me and how you want it to feel. This conversation is free of charge because it allows us to stand on clean and neutral ground where we can both explore and say a real wholehearted “yes” or a clean “no”, while being enriched and energised by the conversation.

Contracting Conversation

If you decide that you do want to work with me, then together we agree to have a “Contracting Conversation” which becomes the start of our collaboration. During this conversation we begin our “contracting process” which, I believe continues throughout the span of our work together. We take the time to design our partnership, refining the details of how we will work together on:

the relational aspects: who you are, how you want to develop and grow as an individual, a team or an organization, how you like to work, what supports you to be courageous and authentic. My commitment is always to stay in the conversation until we find a way through.

the professional aspects: discussion of our actual work together, ways of working, confidentiality, expectations/requirements of your professional body, accreditation, and anything else that is relevant.

the logistical aspects: duration of the contract, frequency, agreements about payment, contact/support, cancellation, agreement about endings/reviews/recontracting etc.

Creating a shared language/currency: Drawing on your experience and knowledge, we will discover which models and ways of working can become the currency or shared language of how we work together. This will be unique to you and with your agreement may include some of the following:

Presence – Awareness of the Body, Energy, Feelings, Mindfulness: This is fundamental to how I work. The invitation in every session is to come into presence with each other and with the clients who will figure in the exploration of your work. Using breath, posture and an agreement to share our insights, somatic cues and emotions, allows us to build a powerful container to do good work together.

Energy Management : From the perspective of Quantum Field Theory, we explore the value of preparing energetically for sessions, and clearing the energy field once the work is completed. Using exercises from Leadership Embodiment, we can look at how to manage your own energy and to recognize the impact of the energy of the coach/client and organization on you. You will also discover how to remain aligned and centered in order to be more resourceful in your work, particularly when you need to challenge a client or provide potentially difficult feedback.

Unconscious Dynamics: Our relationship can provide a valuable learning laboratory – using our in the moment experiences to notice any unconscious dynamics that arise between us or in while discussing your case. This builds a healthy curiosity and skillful handling of phenomena such as Projection, Parallel process, Transference, Counter-Transference and resistance to change that may arise in client work.

Dialogue Practice: key concepts from the field of Dialogue Practice create rich resources for the Coach, Supervisor, Learning Facilitator – by attending to how we enter the collaborative space and how we create the container for the work we can bring a level of spaciousness, respect and courage to the relationship. The ability to enquire in the moment, to suspend judgment, to advocate and at times having the capacity to stand by our own reactions or the reactions of clients in service of deeper learning.

Emotional and relational intelligence – based on Richard Boyatzis ’s approach “from best self to real self”: In order to permanently change behavior in ways that stand up under pressure, you need to learn how to take advantage of the powerful emotional parts of the brain that remain active and accessible even in times of stress. Emotional and relational Intelligence consist of four attributes:

• Self-awareness – You recognize your own emotions and how they affect your thoughts and behavior, know your strengths and weaknesses, and have self-confidence.
• Self-management – You are able to control impulsive feelings and behaviors, manage your emotions in healthy ways, take initiative, follow through on commitments, and adapt to changing circumstances.
• Social awareness – You can understand the emotions, needs, and concerns of other people, pick up on emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.
• Relationship management – You know how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.

Building facilitation skills for managers – based on our own experience as facilitators and coaches, we have had the privilege of helping hundreds of clients become more effective leaders, many of them successfully incorporating facilitation and coaching skills into their daily work, thereby unleashing employee performance. The «coach-like attitude» Model is designed to equip executives with practical facilitation tools such as active listening, powerful questioning, genuine practice of giving and receiving feedback, mindfulness, leadership embodiment, and so on, appropriately to each individual or team.

The World Café: Is a process to create a living network of collaborative dialogue around questions that matter. World Café conversations offer a practical yet creative way to grow our capacity for thinking together.

Creative Thinking: Six Thinking Hats of Edward De Bono: “thinking is the ultimate human resource” using the Six Thinking Hats encourages a ‘map-making’ approach to thinking, vs. an argumentative approach which may otherwise ensue.

Appreciative Enquiry (AI): A strengths-based approach to organizational development and change through applying innovative thinking to implement ideas and actions for new directions.