This programme will give you an introduction to the skills, knowledge and experiential practice to apply a coaching approach to your role as a leader or manager. Coaching is one of the most effective tools and interventions to bring the best out of your team and the people you lead.
Having spent the past 15 years coaching and training leaders and managers around people-management skills, in particular in ‘difficult’ conversations, being able to employ an ‘ask and listen’ rather than a ‘tell and sell’ approach is critical.
Yet research shows that while many managers and leaders see value in coaching skills and even consider themselves quite good at it, the reality of what happens in interactions and conversations with people they manage is quite different. While the leadership skills and traits of a ‘can do’, problem-solving mindset and approach serve very well in many aspects of their role, these same behaviours undermine their effectiveness in conversations aimed at facilitating and empowering others to learn and grow.
Designed to provide managers, and others who have responsibility for developing workplace competencies, with the skills needed to develop individual performance in others, this programme will create an understanding of the organisational and workplace context within which performance and career development take place. It will provide the skills, knowledge, and tools required to undertake coaching assignments.
Who is this coaching skills course for?
Managers, team leaders, supervisors, and HR professionals who would like to enhance their skills in empowering, wishing to build skills and develop their coaching style in order to challenge/support individuals within the organisation to reach their full potential.
Benefits of Coaching Skills for Managers and Leaders
“…more and more of the companies… are investing in training their leaders as coaches. Increasingly, coaching is becoming integral to the fabric of a learning culture—a skill that good managers at all levels need to develop and deploy. The role of the manager, in short, is becoming that of a coach“
Ibarra & Scoular, The Leader as Coach, Harvard Business Review, 2019
“Mary was a fantastic trainer with a huge knowledge and a wealth of hands-on experience.
Role plays were a core part of the training and I got individual coaching and mentoring following each role play.
I would highly recommend this course, I gained valuable skills that I can use in both my professional and personal life.“
Role plays were a core part of the training and I got individual coaching and mentoring following each role play.
I would highly recommend this course, I gained valuable skills that I can use in both my professional and personal life.“
“When starting the course I was concerned that I would be unable to resist “jumping in” or “trying to direct” as this is what is expected in my professional life. However, with time, it became natural to actively listen to what was being said and began to recognise the person’s “interest” behind their stated position.
The small number in the class facilitated engagement and learning – no question was dismissed or considered unimportant. The course was intense, but the support given by Mary meant that while the bar was set high, it was always possible to succeed in the task set.
Since the course ended, I find I am listening better in all situations and am conscious that people can find their best solutions and work out problems and I have been slower to offer solutions giving people every opportunity to explore their own ideas in full.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this training, and particularly our Tutor, Mary Rafferty, to anyone who is considering training to be a Mediator, it is a great launching-pad!”
The small number in the class facilitated engagement and learning – no question was dismissed or considered unimportant. The course was intense, but the support given by Mary meant that while the bar was set high, it was always possible to succeed in the task set.
Since the course ended, I find I am listening better in all situations and am conscious that people can find their best solutions and work out problems and I have been slower to offer solutions giving people every opportunity to explore their own ideas in full.
I would wholeheartedly recommend this training, and particularly our Tutor, Mary Rafferty, to anyone who is considering training to be a Mediator, it is a great launching-pad!”
“I would highly recommend this training course. It was structured extremely well and was engaging from the beginning to the end. Coming into the course, my background and experience was in the area of adversarial disputes and procedures. The mediation programme taught me a whole range of new skills in a process (i.e. mediation) that is markedly different from the adversarial system that I am used to: facilitating the parties to come to amicably agreeable solutions, engaging with parties in a facilitative manner, asking effective and appropriate questions and exploring issues in a targeted and appropriate way.
One of the most prominent skills that I learned was the ability to refrain from imposing my own beliefs or judgment on a particular matter, but rather act in an entirely objective and facilitative way. It was particularly interesting how engaging the classes were with all of the members of the class practicing and learning together and each learning from one another’s mistakes as we became more familiar with the process of mediation, and the dos and don’ts.“
One of the most prominent skills that I learned was the ability to refrain from imposing my own beliefs or judgment on a particular matter, but rather act in an entirely objective and facilitative way. It was particularly interesting how engaging the classes were with all of the members of the class practicing and learning together and each learning from one another’s mistakes as we became more familiar with the process of mediation, and the dos and don’ts.“
“After 35 years, I thought I’d got all the courses; this mediation training course has had a huge impact on me.
As a Senior Business Partner in HR after being a line manager for 35 years, my inherited tendency was to “solutionise”. This course with Mary Rafferty showed us how to get to get to heart of problems by using the mediation process.
Others have noticed and so have I – subtle but necessary changes.
I would recommend this programme to any manager – in the line or not. It will arm you with tools where staff will see your targets as theirs and it will extend the range of your success.”
As a Senior Business Partner in HR after being a line manager for 35 years, my inherited tendency was to “solutionise”. This course with Mary Rafferty showed us how to get to get to heart of problems by using the mediation process.
Others have noticed and so have I – subtle but necessary changes.
I would recommend this programme to any manager – in the line or not. It will arm you with tools where staff will see your targets as theirs and it will extend the range of your success.”
“The mediation training was very educational and it was also a very enjoyable experience. Mary is very professional in her approach and the venue, delivery of the training and the materials provided are excellent. Mary provides brilliant support and encouragement throughout the training and there is also a lovely mix of humour. Some of the learning throughout the training involves learning about the process of mediation, styles of managing conflict and it provides a lens to view conflict in a very different light. There are a significant amount role plays which provides an excellent opportunity to practice the skills, enhance learning and an opportunity to learn from others on the training. This training equips you with valuable life skills and I would definitely recommend it.”
“I attended the Mediation Training and my primary motivation was to improve my mediation and dispute resolution capabilities in work. I found the course to be extremely helpful in developing these skills and have already used them to good effect in both work and non-work environments.
What I really liked about the course was the use of role play to ensure that learning was ingrained.
Mary’s considered style and thoughtful questions really made me think about how I approached problem solving. I have become much more effective at delegating and helping parties to come up with their own solutions to problems rather than always believing that I needed to do this.
I would strongly recommend this course, and Mary as teacher, to anyone wishing to develop problem solving and mediation skills that will help them in their work and personal life.”
What I really liked about the course was the use of role play to ensure that learning was ingrained.
Mary’s considered style and thoughtful questions really made me think about how I approached problem solving. I have become much more effective at delegating and helping parties to come up with their own solutions to problems rather than always believing that I needed to do this.
I would strongly recommend this course, and Mary as teacher, to anyone wishing to develop problem solving and mediation skills that will help them in their work and personal life.”
“Mary is an outstanding facilitator who modelled excellent mediation skills throughout the course. She responded thoughtfully and comprehensively to participants’ questions. She encouraged and challenged everyone to learn.“
“From day one, the course builds knowledge of a process that helps to get beyond the point where both parties are dug in to a position, teaches you how to uncover the issues and concerns of both parties, and gives you the tools to help both parties to get to a point where they can find common ground and reach an agreement that is acceptable to them both. That is the process of mediation and it is very powerful.
The process reinforced using role plays that were as close to reality as you can get without being in an actual situation.
Mary is an excellent trainer who was very patient and encouraging and kept things moving along at just the right pace. I learned a lot of things that I will use, not just in mediation, but in everyday life.”
The process reinforced using role plays that were as close to reality as you can get without being in an actual situation.
Mary is an excellent trainer who was very patient and encouraging and kept things moving along at just the right pace. I learned a lot of things that I will use, not just in mediation, but in everyday life.”
“I found the course to be very beneficial, I have completed a number of conflict resolution courses but this course taught me the benefits of listening and allowing people time to work through their issues and hear themselves. I enjoyed the theory but the role plays allowed for real life situations and the roadblocks you can encounter during a dispute.
I would highly recommend this course and have done.“
I would highly recommend this course and have done.“
“Mary was a totally professional facilitator. She was a talented teacher, engaging, supportive, encouraging and light-hearted while at the same time ensuring that each individual developed as a competent mediator. Her attention to detail and to each individual was extremely impressive. She just made it all so easy, we hardly knew we were being challenged. I can recommend this programme and Mary as facilitator in the very highest terms and without reservation to all aspiring mediators.”
“Mary’s style of delivery was intelligent, professional with a lovely dash of humour, I would recommend this course wholeheartedly. All was excellent, informative and thoroughly enjoyable.”
“The patience displayed and encouragement continually offered throughout was most welcome as was clearly the course content so well delivered. It will be of huge value to me in my legal work. Many thanks again-a really informative, beneficial and interesting 6 days“
Learning outcomes
- Understand the coaching approach to leadership and the benefits and application for developing and improving your team
- Build trust, rapport and connection with team members so you have more buy-in and engagement
- Develop initiative, motivation, accountability and problem-solving skills in people you lead
- Create and maintain an appropriate environment and relationship for coaching
- Be able to utilize a range of effective listening, questioning and feedback skills to facilitate another person finding their own answers and solutions
- Learn at least three coaching models/tools that you can use to empower and motivate your team
- Understand the organisational context of coaching
- Be able to employ coaching skills to deal with difficult issues in a way that minimises conflict and maximises the chances of achieving mutually acceptable solutions
- Develop greater self-awareness, presence and confidence as a leader or manager
- Have practiced applying coaching skills in coaching your peers as well as with people you manage
Coaching Skills for Managers Programme Overview
Session 1:
- Introduction to coaching: definition, key principles of a coach approach
- Coaching vs mentoring, consulting, advising
- Benefits of a coaching style for leaders and managers
- Coaching process overview: how and why coaching works
- Coaching mindset: seeing and eliciting coachee’s potential and possibility
- Establishing an effective coaching relationship/climate
Session 2:
- Coaching tools: The GROW model and demonstration
- Goal-setting and small group practice in contracting
- Listening skills in coaching
- Fish-bowl coaching practice
Session 3:
- Coaching tools: Values and self-limiting beliefs
- Using questions to reframe and challenge
- Coaching tools: Balance Wheel – application to work/job performance etc.
- Providing input and observations as the Coach
Session 4
- Coaching in the organisation:
- Aligning individual goals with team and departmental goals
- Applications and integration of coaching skills in your role as a manager/leader
- Coaching tools: Use of self: presence, silence and intuition
Session 5
- Coaching tools: visioning and visualisation
- Dealing with ‘resistance’
- Note taking and record keeping
- Boundaries and restrictions within coaching relationship
Session 6
- Evaluating the effectiveness of coaching
- A coach approach to ‘difficult’ conversations
- Identifying key strengths and areas for development