Elsabé Manning of Success Factory - an accredited training and coaching company - has been training coaches successfully for the past three years. Elsabé is a member of CETASA (Coach Educators and Trainers Association of South Africa) – a sub-committee of Comensa.

WHAT IS COACHING?

Coaching is a partnership between a coach (fully trained member of staff) and an individual or team that supports the achievement of extraordinary results, based on goals set by the individual or team. Through the process of coaching, individuals focus on the skills and actions needed to successfully produce the best results.

Through the coaching process the clarity that is needed to support the most effective actions, is achieved. Coaching accelerates the individual's or team’s progress by providing greater focus and awareness of possibilities leading to more effective choices.

Great results are a matter of the individual's or team’s intentions, choices and actions, supported by the coach's efforts and application of coaching skills, approaches, methods and tools.

WHY SHOULD ORGANISATIONS TRAIN STAFF MEMBERS TO BECOME COACHES AND MENTORS?

Less time consuming than external coaching;
Cost effective;
Coaching leads to improved management of staff;
Coaching creates trust and cohesion;
High performance behaviours;
Much improved results;
Much improved competence: skill, knowledge and attitude;
Staff are more content and motivated;
Much improved bottom-line;
Higher productivity;
Successful K.P.A.’s;
Targets reached;
Staff loyalty;
Effective leadership;
Better communication;
Much improved relationships;
Great service to internal and external customers;
Willingness and desire for individual growth and development;
Successful organisational vision, mission and goals;
Job satisfaction!

THE ROLE OF THE COACH:

	To engage the coachee in conversation utilising specific communications skills and questioning techniques to lead the coachee to answers, new possibilities, resolutions, decisions and insights;
	To provide objective assessment and observations that foster the individual’s or team members’ enhanced self-awareness and awareness of others; practice astute listening in order to garner a full understanding of the individual’s or team’s circumstances;
	Be a sounding board in support of possibility thinking and thoughtful planning and decision making;
	Identify and champion opportunities and potential;
	Encourage, stretch, challenge and commensurate with personal strengths and aspirations;
	Foster the shifts in thinking that reveal fresh perspectives;
	Challenge blind spots in order to illuminate new possibilities;
	Support the creation of alternative scenarios.

Effective coaching maximises the performance of all role-players: staff, managers, customers and suppliers. By coaching in the workplace staff can motivate, guide and support one another in developing high performance behaviours.

MENTORING

Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship which involves a more experienced person helping a less experienced person to achieve their goals.

Effective mentoring…

Is a relationship that focuses on the needs of the mentee;
Fosters caring and supportive relationships;
Encourages all mentees to develop to their fullest potential;
Is a strategy to develop active community partnerships;

While, in the main, mentoring occurs on a one-to-one basis, elements of mentoring may be present in group situations where under certain circumstances a one-to-one relationship emerges as an important vehicle for growth and development for mentees. The one-to-one relationship is the key to effectiveness in mentoring.

While most mentors undertake the mentoring role as volunteers, there are circumstances where paid staff takes on mentoring responsibilities. The fact is that the role of a mentor extends beyond a mere employment responsibility.

OUTCOMES OF COACHING AND MENTORING

Participants are able to:

	Describe the role of a coach explain why everyone in the organisation needs to be a coach;
	Describe how coaching can benefit themselves, others and the entire organisation identify behaviours that help foster a supportive coaching environment;
	Demonstrate a variety of asking and listening techniques to coach others formally and informally;
	Use the Key Actions to conduct a coaching session;
	Define constructive feedback;
	Explain why everyone in the organisation needs to be able to give and receive constructive feedback in a spirit of learning and mutual respect;
	Use the Key Actions to give constructive feedback;
	Use various techniques for receiving constructive feedback;
	Identify behaviours that reinforce people’s efforts to achieve organisational goals and objectives;
	Effectively use the Key Actions to recognise people at all levels of the organisation;
	Plan for effectively recognising the efforts of others to sustain and encourage productive performance;

Rate and rank work responsibilities;
Identify work priorities;
Improved business results by changing others’ behaviour;
High-performance sales climate;
Long-term developmental action plans for individual team members;
Action plans for tracking staff’s progress;
Focused coaching for better results.

KEY ACTIONS

Identify an opportunity to help someone expand on his or her skills, knowledge and abilities;

Confirm that the person is ready for coaching;
Ask questions and offer information to clarify the situation;
Help the person identify possible actions;
Gain agreement on a course of action;
Offer support;
Convey your positive intent;
Describe specifically what you have observed;
State the impact of the behaviour or action;
Ask the other person to respond;
Focus the discussion on solutions;
Develop a list of work responsibilities;
Review and revise the list;
Rate each responsibility based on its organisational contribution;
Rank responsibilities in order of priority;
Make adjustments, as needed;
Begin with a list of high-priority work responsibilities;
Select responsibilities and identify intended outcomes;
Rate each outcome based on its organisational contribution;
Establish a data-collection plan;
Review and adjust all goals set using this process.

SPECIFIC OUTCOMES OF UNIT STANDARDS

Elsabé is a member of the Coach Educators and Trainers Association of South Africa - A sub-committee of COMENSA (Coaches and Mentors of South Africa). The Committee wrote the unit standards for coaches training material for South Africa.

Success Factory’s coaches training material is fully aligned to the unit standards as currently set by CETASA. It is also fully aligned to [and we deliberately improved on] the International Coaches Federation (I.C.F’s) expected outcomes and competencies assessment for coaches.

1.	Coaching Definitions (Ability to explain the concept of coaching.)
2.	Differentiate between coaching, teaching, training, mentoring, counselling and/or therapy (Ability to differentiate between all the disciplines.)
3.	Meeting Ethical Guidelines and Professional Standards – (Understanding of coaching ethics and standards and ability to apply them appropriately in all coaching situations.)
4.	The Role of A Coach (Ability to describe the role of a coach in detail.)
5.	Attributes and Characteristics of A Good Coach (Ability to describe and demonstrate the character and personality traits of a good coach.)
6.	Coaching Process (Ability to describe and demonstrate the coaching process and process and stages of a coaching session.)
7.	Matching Coaches and Coachees/Clients (Ability to match coaches and clients in such a way that they form a trusting, respectful relationship that will ensure the best possible outcomes.)
8.	Coaching Agreement (Ability to identify needs and expectations of all parties concerned and to reach an agreement concerning expected outcomes.)
9.	Coaching Environment (Ability to establish a safe, comfortable environment conducive for effective coaching sessions.)
10.	Establishing trust and building rapport (Ability to create a safe, supportive environment that produces ongoing mutual respect and trust.)
11.	Coaching Presence (Ability to be fully conscious and create spontaneous relationship with the client, employing a style that is open, flexible and confident.)
12.	Creating Boundaries (Ability to establish a good trusting relationship with the client within the confines of clearly defined boundaries.)
13.	Conducting Coaching Sessions (Ability to manage coaching sessions in clearly defined stages conducive to the achievement of specific agreed upon outcomes.)
14.	Assessments (Ability to identify the need for coaching through discussion with client or team to be coached and to identify developmental areas; psychodynamic factors which impact lifestyle and/or performance.)
15.	Communicating effectively (Ability to focus completely on what the client is saying and is not saying, to understand the meaning of what is said in the context of the client’s desires, and to support client’s self-expression.)
16.	Powerful Questioning (Ability to ask questions that reveal the information needed for maximum benefit to the coaching relationship and the client.)
17.	Direct Communication (Ability to communicate effectively during coaching sessions, and to use language that has the greatest positive impact on the client.)
18.	Human Behaviour (Ability to understand intent; uncover beliefs; identify emotions and to engage the client to gain insight in order to change limiting beliefs in order to develop high performance behaviours.)
19.	Performance Enhancement (Ability to assess the client’s performance in order to help the client identify then to overcome obstacles and to put goals in place which will enhance the client’s performance.)
20.	Managing Diversity (Ability to manage the wide range of variation in the qualities or attributes under discussion.)
21.	Facilitating learning and results (Ability to integrate and accurately evaluate multiple sources of information, and to make interpretations that help the client to gain awareness and thereby achieve agreed-upon outcomes.)
22.	Learning Styles (Ability to identify and utilise the client’s preferred method and style of learning in order for the client to achieve the best possible outcomes.)
23.	Creating Awareness (Ability to integrate and accurately evaluate multiple sources of information, and to make interpretations that help the client to gain awareness and thereby achieve agreed-upon results.)
24.	Designing Actions (Ability to help the client to create opportunities for ongoing learning, during coaching and in work/life situations, and for taking new actions that will most effectively lead to agreed-upon coaching outcomes.)
25.	Planning and Goal Setting (Ability to develop and maintain an effective coaching plan with the client.)
26.	Managing Progress and Accountability (Ability to hold attention on what is important for the client, and to leave responsibility with the client to take action.)
27.	Measuring Coaching Results (Ability to develop and use measuring tools in order to accurately measure outputs / outcomes of coaching.)

CERTIFICATION AND ACCREDITATION OF COACHES

Participants will receive Success Factory certificates for accreditation with Comensa (Coaches and Mentors of South Africa.)

DURATION

Five days. There is also a one-hour written exam and a one-hour practical (coaching skills evaluation) which has to be completed on the fifth day of the course.

Please note that Elsabé runs monthly open courses for coaches training at Success Factory’s office in Observatory, Johannesburg. Please click here for more details.

For more information please contact Elsabé Manning on (011) 648 8969 or 084 371 9105 or email her at elsabe@successfactory.co.za.