In this fortnightly series, John Copeman uses the example of fictitious company All Filters International to demonstrate how to get the most out of coaching for your organisation. This week JC prepares to get started on the individual coaching sessions. JC is also offering a free coaching by email service. The series involves 15 emails that will help you become your own life coach. To take part or if you have any questions for JC send an email to jc@trainingzone.co.uk.

Having reviewed all my notes and considered the outcomes for the business, I noted down my choice of coaching order preferences as:

• Trudy Bradshaw – head of administration


• Bill Proctor – head of EMEA sales and distribution


• Dee Browning - UK sales team, as available


• Nitesh Chowdrey - internal sales team, as available


• Joan Bradley - marketing team, as available


• Maurice Palmer - HR team, as available


• Samantha Aral - accounting team, as available

I telephoned Trudy, Bill, Dee and Nitesh and made my appointments to see them in the office, which turned out to be the following week. Then I made appointments with Joan, Maurice and Samantha for the following day. I also gave them a date window for them to set up my appointments with their team members and to let me know when I met with them.

I then set up a coaching sheet for all individuals, in preparation for the first sessions, and applied the relevant notes to each coaching sheet to ensure that I could access my key focus points before each session.

The coaching sheets are manual note taking, with printed notes from my mind mapping, using a digital pen, so I can get my information back into digital format as easily as possible, but not use a laptop while in the coaching session.

The coaching sheets are prepared as follows, using my own coaching model COACH ©

Circumstances:
* Allowing the coachee to identify their own goals for the coaching programme. It is important in ‘business coaching’ to promote common understanding between coach and coachee, on what the current circumstances are, along the goals and targets set by their position.
* It is also in this area of the session, the coachee needs to assess their own current circumstances because of the goals to find out where they are starting from.

Objectives/Options:
* In this section the coachee reaffirms the objectives they both want and must adhere to, and for the coach to (through effective questioning) to uncover from them the options available to step towards the goals.
* It is also key the coach help the process of the coachee honestly assessing the value and cost (financial and emotional) of the different options.

Action:
* The coachee is guided through the decision making process needed to select the preferred option/options, and to decide the actions they must take (and when they must take them) to begin the process of achieving the goal/goals.

Circumstance change:
* The coach must now facilitate the process of the coachee foreseeing how the circumstances will change because of them taking the chosen action.
* It is also important for the coachee to understand that the change in circumstances as a result of the action, will take them back to the beginning of the coaching process. The coachee is encouraged to revisit the process themselves in considering the next move

Habits of excellence:
* The coach must allow the coachee to understand the value of breaking their thinking and planning down in this manner, and to use it themselves between sessions.

The morning came of my first four appointments, and having had a brief conversation with Shelia Warren and agreeing a date to meet with her for a coaching session, I set up my laptop in the corner of Bill’s office. I made sure that my laptop screensaver had a password set on it, so I could leave it on without fear of anyone seeing my notes. Gathering my notebook I headed for the boardroom where the meetings were scheduled to take place.

I had been their just a few minutes when Trudy knocked and came in.

Key Points:

• Select your order of coaching based upon your desired outcomes for the company as a whole.


• Get department heads to make the appointments for you where their staff are concerned, as it makes them a part of the process, and respects their status.


• Be prepared with notes and a coaching sheets. If you’re are not prepared, your outcomes and your coaching will suffer.


• Having made your appointments, always confirm them by email one or two days before, as it allows the coachee to mentally prepare.

* Catch up with all instalments of The Outcome, including a profile of John Copeman at here.