Coach Don’t Tell

In our latest blog, Leadership Development Specialist Jill Davies shares her thoughts following our recent 'Coach Don't Tell' virtual session.

Never has there been a better time for managers and leaders to develop their ability to hold effective coaching conversations-whether virtual or face-face.

When I ask people about their understanding of coaching I usually get a wide variety of responses from “a coach is an external person that provides support for a senior member of the team” to “used when you need to resolve a performance management issue”. However, if you accept Sir John Whitmore's (1996) definition that “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance”,  then it is something that we can all do at any time with anyone.

In today’s ever-changing climate, it is more important than ever that people are continually learning, demonstrating commitment and take responsibility for their actions. Whilst most leaders and managers would say that they provide regular feedback and listen to their staff, recent Institute of Leadership and Management research indicates that there is a clear difference of opinion between managers and staff as to whether managers use coaching approaches.

This week, 7 managers from very different organisations joined me to discuss the importance of coaching and identify and develop their skills. We had some very interesting and stimulating conversations and everyone had the opportunity to practice the skills. The feedback was great demonstrating that in as little as an hour and a half everyone can start their journey to using coaching skills as part of their day to day interactions.

How you can get involved

The Coach Don't Tell session was all about participants developing their own coaching skills, but if participants want to see the impact of being coached themselves, we are delighted to offer free 1-2-1 coaching sessions with our Executive Leadership Coach, Shelly Evans.

Shelly has worked within the learning and development sector for twenty-five years, designing and facilitating training, coaching and leadership development. As an experienced coach, Shelly has worked with Senior Managers of UK PLC's, SMEs and sole traders from most sectors within the UK including 3rd sector and NHS and has a wealth of experience working with individuals and organisations to attain individual, team and organisational goals.

If you would be interested in 1-2- coaching, please contact us on ineladership@swansea.ac.uk and Shelly will get in touch.