In this article, I am going to share with you my thoughts and experiences of creating coaching programmes that help people to become more influential. Along the way I will give you detailed examples, including a template structure which I call the Executive Service. This is a detailed outline of typical coaching sessions I propose to prospective clients. You'll also see how I go about documenting my coaching programmes. As mentioned in the previous article on principles, I prefer to adopt a structured approach to coaching. This starts with building a clear understanding of the needs and also the parameters I have to operate within. You will have your own way of approaching this stage. Here is how I do it (in most cases). Read More

How you choose to record and how you use these documents is entirely up to you, and perhaps the person in HR who is paying the bill. The examples given below are based on actual coaching I have done but have naturally been made anonymous. My suggestion is to take a look at each example before reading the notes below.

Example One

Here is a document that was created at Read More

The topics you choose to include in an influence coaching programme will naturally vary depending on the needs of your client. Below is an example proposal structure together with the content that I commonly put into coaching proposals. I have no doubt you have your own way of doing things, so, as with all of these articles, I share this in case it helps.

Executive Coaching/Mentoring Proposal: Colin

Colin has recently been appointed Head of Operations (Global). To establish Read More

The initial session with a coaching client is perhaps the most critical one for the coach, and there is a great deal you need to achieve. During the call you will establish the relationship, build trust and create a firm foundation on which the success of the coaching programme will be based. Here are some extra thoughts to help you get this right. They are particularly relevant to coaching people to influence more effectively. Read More

There is a great deal of debate about coaching, what it is and what it is not. Since I've been coaching and training coaching for over 20 years now, I don't tend to engage in those debates, I just get on with doing my job. I don't want to get too far into this series without openly laying out my position. In that way, you can understand a little more about where I am coming from, and perhaps, more easily work out what is right for you and your practice. I do what works for me, and so should you. In this article, I want to share with you seven core principles which sit behind the way my business and coaching practice has developed. Quite a few are based on my personal values, and all are based on what I have found to be especially useful when helping people to become more influential. Naturally, you are free to agree, disagree, adopt and mould to your preferences. But, be aware, some of these are fundamental to the way I do things and what you will be learning more about as Read More