What are the differences between Coaching and Mentoring?
February 26, 2008 by Hannah McNamara
Filed under Articles
This week Hannah McNamara was interviewed by popular blogger, Krishna De, for her regular podcast series TalkingCoaching.
In this in-depth intervew, Hannah was asked for her views on the differences between and similarities of coaching and mentoring.
If you’ve ever been confused about what constitutes and coaching and what is mentoring, this interview will be useful to you.
Lasts approximately 25 minutes.
PODCAST: About Coaching and how it works
December 22, 2007 by Hannah McNamara
Filed under Downloads
To find out more about coaching, please listen to the series of short podcasts by Hannah McNamara (originally published on CD):
Accessibility: This podcast is available as a transcript for deaf people. Please contact us to request a copy.
© Copyright HRM Coaching Ltd 2007-8
For more information about coaching, contact Hannah McNamara at HRM Coaching on 020 7939 9910 or contact us
Ageism within Coaching
November 23, 2007 by Hannah McNamara
Filed under Articles
An article in the current issue of Coaching at Work magazine reports that a year on from the introduction of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, ageism appears to be alive and well within coaching.
As a coach in her thirties, with a team of coaches from a variety of backgrounds and ages (30s – 60s), ageism in coaching could be a cause for concern for me and for my team. The survey quoted in the article states that 65% felt that there were certain types of coaching to which older, more experienced coaches were more suited. For example 52% said that older coaches were better suited to Executive Coaching and 35% of organisations buying in executive coaches prefer them to be aged 45 and over.
What worries me is that selecting coaches purely based on the number of years on the clock may be misleading (not to mention potentially illegal).
I have personally coached plenty of people older than me. In fact I’m currently coaching a couple of clients who are almost double my age and we’re achieving some great results. None of which have anything to do with either of our ages. It’s about experience. I have much more experience than them in the field that we’re coaching in. That’s not me being big-headed or naive, it’s just a fact.
Of course I can understand things from the organisation’s perspective. If they are selecting a coach for someone, they need to make sure that they are credible and taken seriously by the coachee. Most people prefer to be coached by someone who they perceive as being their equal or at a higher level. I have yet to meet a senior executive who would be comfortable being coached by one of their junior managers!
But is it really about their age?
I have met plenty of coaches who, according to the survey would be within the age bracket for Executive Coaching but would be completely unsuitable for the job. They either have no commercial experience, no management experience, and sometimes very little work experience at all. Yes, they may be great coaches (using a non-directive model), but if organisations or coachees are looking for experience and for the coach to switch to mentoring when appropriate, they may not offer the best value.
Equally, I have met coaches who like myself have over 15 years experience in their field, have been managing and coaching teams since their early twenties, have led departments through restructure and down-sizing, had responsibility for several million pounds worth of expenditure and reported directly to the Chief Executive of a national organisation employing several thousand staff at the age of 26.
And of course there are some coaches who tick all the right boxes on age and experience, but have received little or no training in how to coach effectively and have been accused of pursuing their own agendas when working with clients.
Ultimately, finding a good coach is not about whether they have grey hair or not. It’s about finding the coach who is fit for purpose. In other words, can you answer yes to the following questions:
- Can they show evidence of coaching successfully in this field?
- Do they have commercial awareness and/or a sense of the ‘bigger picture’?
- Are they able to build a good working relationship with the coachee?
- Is there a good cultural fit with the organisation?
- Do they employ good processes and use tools that are fit for purpose?
- Are you confident that they will get the results that you’re looking for?
- Will they understand the short-hand/jargon used by the coachee or understand the organisational context in which the coachee operates?
- Do you trust them?
Perhaps this is one of the benefits of working with a team of coaches. Having a variety of people from different backgrounds in my own coaching team means that I can offer clients access to a pool of pre-screened coaches who I know well. I know their experience, the sectors that they have coached in before and their coaching style.
Age aside, it means that clients find the coach who’s right for them.
Do you suffer with SIAR syndrome?
October 12, 2007 by Hannah McNamara
Filed under Articles
How often do you leap out of bed excited about what the day will bring?
Do you know exactly what you’ll be doing next week – because it’s exactly the same as what you did this week? Could you be suffering from SIAR Syndrome?
It’s the hidden syndrome that can leave you tired, listless and frustrated. It strikes down both the young and the old, the rich and the poor. Talked about in hushed tones with trusted confidantes, it’s the affliction that leaves victims asking, “Why me?”
But for sufferers, there is light at the end of the tunnel because SIAR Syndrome can be avoided and its effects eliminated.
If the following sounds familiar, you too could be a sufferer without even realising it:
When your friends ask you what you’re up to, do you reply with something along the lines of “Oh, you know, same old, same old”?
If doing the same thing over and over again is making you happy, great! But if it’s not, maybe now’s the time to do something about it, because the chances are you’ve caught it - SIAR, or Stuck-In-A-Rut Syndrome.
Breaking out of a rut can be tricky. It can mean changing habits, making uncomfortable decisions and committing to doing things differently. But it can also be liberating, invigorating and you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner!
Whether you’re stuck in a rut at work or in your personal life, it’s worth bearing in mind this quote from well-known author and speaker on personal development, Anthony Robbins:
“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”
How many times do we do the same things over and over again and expect to get different results? In business, we might, for example, keep doing the same Marketing we’ve always done, yet expect the results to be better than they were last time.
In our personal lives, we might walk into the same set of circumstances we’ve had before, yet expect things to be better this time.
But there is something even worse than being a sufferer of SIAR Syndrome…being a carrier. You know the people I’m talking about, don’t you? “That’ll never work” and “play it safe” are some of their favourite sayings. Stuck in a rut themselves, they can’t bear the thought that someone else might break free of it.
But with so many people stuck in a rut, surely it should have some good points, shouldn’t it?
Let’s have a look at the Pro’s and Con’s of being stuck in a rut:
Pros:
- It’s comfortable
- It doesn’t take much effort
- You know what to expect
- It’s easy to surround yourself with like-minded people
- There’s less chance of making a mistake
Cons:
- It makes life boring and predictable
- You feel that life is passing you by
- It can leave you wondering where your life has gone
- You could look back and wonder about the what-if’s
- It can be scary even thinking about breaking out
Now, imagine that you’re in your twilight years, sat in your rocking chair thinking back over your life. If it helps, imagine that you’re flicking through the photo albums showing your life. Think about all the things that you’ll have achieved, what you’ve done with your life, who you met and what you learned.
This ought to get you started with all the things that you want to start working towards. Now, how would you feel if you could start to make it all happen? What goals would you want to set for yourself?
Do any of them involve changing something? Do ALL of them involve changing something? Does it make you excited or nervous?
A way to tackle nerves is to break the change down into its component parts to discover exactly what it is that’s making you nervous. Sometimes nerves can kick in when you’re doing something that you’ve never done before and that can lead to procrastination, one of the symptoms of SIAR syndrome.
Once you know exactly what’s making you nervous, dig deeper and ask yourself “what is it about xxxx that’s making me nervous?” Then you’ll be able to think about ways of overcoming it.
Interestingly enough, the same symptoms of nerves – shortness of breath, racing heart beat and thinking fast – are the exact same symptoms of excitement. It’s all down to how you frame them in your mind.
Next time you think you’re nervous, tell yourself it’s excitement and you’ll make the experience a whole lot more enjoyable! You might even crack a smile!
Breaking out of a rut is a lot easier when you’ve got someone guiding you through it. Working with a life coach or business coach is a little like working with a personal trainer – your coach will motivate and push you to do more than you’d do alone. Plus, because they’re outside of your normal circle of friends and contacts they can offer a fresh perspective on things. Break free!!
HRM Coaching has a network of experienced, professional coaches who can help you to achieve your business and personal goals this year.
To find out more, call 020 7939 9910.
How to build your business and still take time off!
September 3, 2007 by Hannah McNamara
Filed under Articles
We all know people who are like human dynamos. They seem to make an art form of building their business and still enjoy quality time with friends and family. It isn’t magic, you can do it too.
The world of business ownership or management is inhabited by two main personality types. There are people who never miss deadlines, who can be replied upon to deliver the goods whatever the odds and, who seem to thrive under pressure. Then there are people who achieve very little and yet seem to be permanently in a rush.
The first group actually manage to build their business or practice and do even more, whilst the others often struggle to stay afloat. So how can you learn from those who are able to create success while they still take time out for holidays and quality family time?
Consider your working time. You can spend it in two ways. You can be working in your business or, you can be working on your business.
Working in the business means doing whatever is necessary to provide your products or services to existing clients. Working on your business is the creative time that you spend developing a clear strategy for the future, planning the tactics that will make it happen and, building relationships with clients. You will be well rewarded if you take some regular time away to think clearly about this business building.
There is a wide variety of branded ‘time management systems’, many of them will be used during an initial flush of enthusiasm and then end up as very expensive bookends or doorstops. The reason is obvious. Time management is a false description of self management. There are some very simple techniques that you can start using today to build your business and still enjoy time off. Use them as you consider your ‘in business’ tasks and then your ‘on business’ activity.
Consider the task
Is it necessary to do it at all?
If it is a major task, ‘chunk it down’ into smaller elements or steps
Is each step necessary?
What is the result or outcome of doing it?
How else could this result be achieved?
What is the cost of not doing it?
Even if this step seems too simple to be effective, almost every organisation, large or small, perpetuates time consuming tasks that are no longer needed. There is little point in demanding a log of every photocopy made in an office if nobody ever checks it. Do you spend time on needless meetings, memos and emails when you could deal with a matter in a brief phone call?
Consider the person
Who does it?
Why that person?
Who else could do it?
Why that person?
Who else should do it?
The objective here is to delegate downwards to the lowest level with the ability to perform the task satisfactorily. It is pointless to send a highly paid PA to the Post Office if the office junior can take your outgoing mail there just as easily. Better still, investigate the possibility of having your outgoing mail collected. Remember the old adage that ‘nobody is indispensable’. Examine ways to take time out from your business, secure in the knowledge that it will run just as well when you are not there.
Consider the place
Where is the task done?
Why there?
Where else could it be done?
Why there?
Where should it be done?
Perhaps your printer has just delivered your latest brochure for final proof reading. You need a quiet environment with no distractions. Go home an hour earlier to do it in peace. If your home environment is noisy, find a quiet lay-by or car park.
Out of the dilemma
Of course, it is easy to consider aspects of what, who, why, when, where and how …when you have time for yourself. And that creates a Catch 22 situation. You will not have the time until you do it, and you cannot do it until you have the time.
Fortunately, there is a practical and effective way out of this dilemma. You invite a business coach to help you. All coaches are not equal. Some are specialists in the art and science of self management and developing a sound balance between leisure and work. HRM Coaching Ltd has a wide network of experienced and qualified coaches and can select the specialist who is most appropriate for your situation. An initial discussion is totally free of cost or obligation.
Call Hannah McNamara on 020 7939 9910 for more information. This could be your first significant step towards building your business and still taking time off.
