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You have thought long and hard about it and you decide you need a life coach. Do you know what's involved?

A coach helps clients empower themselves to address aspects of their personal and professional lives. Some coaches deal with personal clients while others only work with businesses and other organisations that have identified individuals who could benefit. Some work with both types.

Either way, there’s an early discussion around expectations and about the role of the coach. An effective coach sets out to create a trusting and confidential environment in which the client can speak openly and explore the areas they would like to address.

Some coaches will use a framework that encourages the client to set goals and map out action plans for achieving them. The key, here, is to break down goals into small, manageable steps. This helps to make the goal-setting progress realistic but it's also useful for identifying milestones at which the client can observe progress and reward themselves accordingly.

However, sometimes, the client is unaware of the issue - or issues - but the coach, through careful probing and listening, will help them get to the root of the matter.

The coach may well follow up with a series of monitor-and-review sessions to discuss progress. Additional email and phone personal development coaching are sometimes available but the overall aim is to give clients the tools and techniques for moving on as quickly and effectively as possible themselves.

For more on Coaching and Mentoring...contact us

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What a busy week! Monday and Tuesday was spent preparing for the Wednesday event. Entitled No Question! this was in inspirational event for female International Students in and around Liverpool Inspiring stories from the guest speakers, food, speednetworking, and even a dance class, this was an excellent evening enjoyed by all.

Check back for pictures and video testimonials from the event.

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When you begin a new job, you can expect your employer to be concerned about your training. In most cases there is a period of adjustment to the new work situation. There may be a lot to learn about what the job consists of and how it is to be done. There are procedures, policies, rules, and expectations understood by those who have been on the job for a while. All this becomes the focus of training and adjustment for the new person.

Usually, someone will be assigned to assist the new person with on-the-job training. Also, without a specific assignment to do so, coworkers may voluntarily help with the orientation and training. You can expect support as you learn to fit in, get along, and become productive in a new work situation. The person who takes a personal interest in helping someone with training and development on the job is called a mentor.

You could consider a coworker or supervisor who is responsible for your on-the-job training as a resource person, helping you achieve your plans for self-improvement. However, for this person to assume the role of mentor and assist you with your personal self-improvement program, he or she should take a personal interest in helping you reach your potential at work and in life.

For more information on business mentoring please contact us

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Guiding others through life can be a daunting, but potentially rewarding task for any person who is up to the challenge. The person doing the guiding has a fine line to walk.  On one hand he must be strong enough to reprimand the follower when that person ignores advice or strays from the path.  On the other hand, he must sometimes allow the follower to stray, so that the follower can better understand why things should be done differently. The people doing the guiding generally fall into the categories of coaches and mentors.  While the two roles are similar in some ways, they are in fact very different.  Before you take someone under your wing and help them progress through life, it is important that you know the difference between coaching and mentoring, and which is best for your relationship with your potential follower.

Mentoring generally involves a closer and deeper relationship than is seen in coaching.  The leader and follower in this relationship are most commonly referred to as mentor and protege.  The mentor is often older than the protege, and is certainly more knowledgeable, wise, and more experienced in the ways of the world than the protege. The mentor’s task is to be the guide for the inexperienced protege, with the desired result of the protege growing closer to mentor’s level of knowledge and experience over time.

The mentor-protege relationship is as old as history itself. There are many variations of the mentor-protege relationship the modern world. For example, when a new employee first enters a company or business, he or she is generally adopted by someone who has been in the company or business for a long time. Because the new employee will likely at first feel uncomfortable or disoriented, or might not be prepared for the rigors of the new workplace, the mentor serves as a buffer and guide, making the transition easier for the protege, and accelerating the process of integration and becoming a productive employee.

Another example from the workplace is an existing employee who might show potential as someone who could one day be a supervisor, a department head, or excel in a completely different division of the company. A person experienced in the company could informally take on this employee and be his or her mentor. In this relationship, the mentor will teach the protege the necessary skills to advance in the workplace, so that one day the protege might take the mentor’s place, advance elsewhere in the company, or move on in a greater capacity to another company altogether.

The concept of coaching, on the other hand, is quite different from mentoring. In coaching, a method is employed in which a leader or coach facilitates the actions of one person or a group. The instruction and training given are done with a specific end goal in mind. The methods of directing people’s movements and actions might include giving motivational talks. The coach may also train people to make them perform better, such as through seminars or workshops, or through practice such as done in sports.

In mentoring, a mentor teaches a protege how to live better or how to function better. In coaching, perhaps better seen as a more specific method of mentoring, the coach guides an individual or a team to achieve an end goal. For sports coaches, this would be winning a game or event. For marriage coaches, the goal would be a stronger marital bond. For family coaches, it would be a stronger familial bond, between parents and children, or possible amongst the children themselves.

There are many different kinds of coaching and mentoring, and many different techniques associated with each as well. Whether a coach or a mentor is more appropriate for your particular situation is entirely up to you.

Would you like more information on mentoring? or would you like a Life Coach? contact us for a review

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