Separating Empathy and Collusion in Coaching
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As coaches, we’re taught not to collude with our clients. But what does that really mean? Quite simply, collusion happens when we validate and reinforce beliefs and behaviours in ways that shrink possibilities for change and risk a client remaining stuck with their problem. So far, so good.…
Can Coaches Ever be Truly Non-Judgemental (Part 2)
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This is the second in a two-part article. If you haven’t yet read part one, my advice would be to do so. Not only is it a rip-roaring yarn in its own right, but it’ll help this second part make more sense.For the lazy (or let’s say, time-efficient) amongst you…
Can coaches ever be truly non-judgemental? (Part 1)
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For various reasons, I’ve been thinking about the issue of non-judgement in coaching recently. I’ve been wondering whether it’s truly possible to be non-judgmental and if there is a more useful way to think about judgement in coaching. When I first became a coach in the early 2000s, it was…
6 Reasons Coaching Supervision is a Must for Transformative Coaches
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If you’re a coach (or want to be), you’ve probably heard of coaching supervision. But you might not know exactly what it is or how it could benefit you and your clients. As a coach, you work to support and ‘hold’ your clients, often through challenging periods of transition and…
A Journey Towards Reflective and Reflexive Learning
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It goes without saying that new coaches need to learn new skills. That’s typically why someone joins a coaching programme. To learn how to coach. Yet, time and again, we hear that the journey is about so much more than learning to coach. It also changes how the learner relates…
5 Ways to Work as a Coach after Qualification (With Real-Life Examples)
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Coaching is an increasingly popular profession with the market demand for trained coaches increasing year by year. In turn, coaching has remained an attractive qualification among people who are looking to make more of an impact on the people around them. These might be colleagues, team members, or their own…
What is Transformative Coaching?
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What is transformative coaching? This is not a question that can be answered comprehensively in a short blog post. Indeed, even as I write this article, I am writing a whole book on the subject of transformative coaching. However, my aim here is to convey the essence of transformative coaching…
How Can A Life Coach Presume to Coach Anyone on Their Life?
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We have a problem in coaching. And even more so in life coaching. It’s the word itself. Coaching. It evokes all sorts of fury and scoffing at the arrogance and hubris of someone who thinks they can coach another person on their life. “Who the #$@% do you think you…
Coach Training as the Gateway to a Profession: What Aspiring Coaches Need to Know
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Abstract If you’re looking to embark on a journey to become a coach, we believe it is vital to understand what’s expected of you and what it means to be joining the coaching profession. Where once it was enough to complete a coaching course, now to be a coach is…