October 2020

Sharing someone’s moment of success, when their hard work, sacrifice, commitment and single-mindedness have brought them the ultimate reward is, for me, quite emotional. When I witness an athlete’s podium moment I feel humble, and inspired to be the best I can be – in whatever I do.

“95% of what it takes to be a champion takes place away from the track.” – Lord Coe, The Winning Mind

As coaches and entrepreneurs we too can plan for our ‘podium moments’ – those moments when we punch the air and think to ourselves, ‘YES! I made it! We did it!’

These moments of celebration or arrival will be different for everyone. Whether it’s the moment you receive your coaching qualification or the first day a website goes live; it could be getting your first paying client or playing a key role in transforming someone’s life. It could even be being recognised and honoured by your peer and fellow coaching community.

When you have an inner drive to succeed, rehearsal and preparation for the main event come as a part of the process for achievement. It’s all about getting READY.

READY

R – Resilience  Athletes need to be resilient and have the ability to turn setbacks into comebacks. Coaches and business owners need the same strength of mind to drive through adversity, be flexible with their thinking, take ownership of outcomes and move on.

E – Environment  You get to be the best by being with the best. If you want to become really good at something, you need to learn from people who are already good at what they do. Get to know people who are good at what they do, and put yourself in the right environment to achieve.

A – Always Improving  All professional athletes know that they need to push and challenge themselves beyond comfortable limits if they are to achieve optimum fitness and gain the chance of becoming the best. The purpose of practice is to improve and refine. What can you practice today, for a better tomorrow? Are you just going through the motions – or are practising, improving and refining yourself and your business all the time?

D – Discipline  Does your daily behaviour support or derail you? Those who reach the top in their profession or business have two things in common: they value their time and they are self-disciplined. Discipline is the cornerstone of all other success traits.

Y – You are the driver of your own destiny and your success. What are you planning to DO! to drive your career in the coaching industry forward?

It helps to adopt an Olympian mindset – that combines vision with positive consistent action. We are now an almost ½ way through the year. If you were to step forward to 31 December, what would you be saying when you look back on the year just passed? Will you be saying to yourself, ‘Where did that time go? Doesn’t time fly? Another year has gone.’ Or, will you be celebrating your own podium moments – punching the air with a feeling of euphoria and saying, ‘Wow that was a good year! I did well!’

In the months and the years ahead – what do you want your podium moment(s) to be? Get clear, get focused and you can make it happen!

Coaching within the Education Sector has been transformational as a coach.

Parent coaching, although commonplace in the U.S. is relatively new in the Australia and other parts of the world but is definitely a growing area.

“In my opinion, every parent, family and child are unique and so therefore their challenges are unique to them too, and there isn’t a parenting magic wand!  It makes this area of coaching varied, exciting and rewarding”. 

When I coach, I initially work to dispel the myth of the “perfect parent” and then move towards a strength based approach to help clients realise that they are doing the best job they can with the tools that they have available to them at the time.  Coaching gives parents more tools to do an even better job.  Supporting parents to become the parent or family they want to be can be an incredible and rewarding journey!  Some of the feedback I’ve received from clients has included the words like…

“Life-changing”, “I feel like a better person for my young person”, “we now communicate and we have fun together, I’m now enjoying my parenting like I never have before”

Many people see parenting as one of the hardest jobs there is, and in some ways, it’s true, however coaching in this area enables you to empower parents to see parenting through a different lens.  Helping them to realise that what we focus on we notice more of.  As a parent, do they focus on all the things they find irritating and challenging?  As a coach, we can help them see their child’s uniqueness and strengths and to become confident in their parental authority through, positive approaches to discipline, good communication and valuing relationships.  Coaching also helps parents to have a more coach like approach in their parenting style too.

In this area of coaching I have developed working relationships with local Children’s Centres and my local authority.  Parenting is very high on the political agenda, and things are changing in this area all the time, being aware of this I have been able to tap into local government funding to deliver group coaching programmes to many different parents.   This work often leads to parents also approaching me for private 1-1 coaching either for themselves or through recommendations to their family and friends.

“Parents will also approach me to coach their children around many aspects of wellbeing, raising aspirations or managing exam stress and empowering their young person to reach their full potential”.

When working regularly in schools, where I am asked to provide coaching workshops for parents on many aspects of parenting support as well as resilience and wellbeing evenings to support schools in developing parental engagement.  This has also spun off into other areas of business development where I have been able to provide;

• 1-1 and group coaching with students on a variety  of areas around achievement and wellbeing
• Coaching of teaching staff around leadership, wellbeing and managing stress

This area is varied and exciting area to coach within,  not least of all because it influences the outcome of the next generation.  I feel so passionate about this area of work as I have found that  at the center of everything is the child.  So, whether you are working with a parent, a teacher or a family support worker, it’s all about the child, which is a very empowering and motivational thing to be influencing.

If you really want to make a difference and make a positive impact on the lives of parents, teachers, young people and inspire the next generation, this area is one I would highly recommend. It’s exciting, rewarding and I truly believe as a coach, the sky is the limit!

7 Simple Ways to Stay Calm and Focussed.

States affect our ability to perform to our best, when under stress our performance can drop by 20-30%. Learning how to manage your state will leave you feeling more in control of the external influences that impact on our general well-being and capability to perform, experiencing both the highs and lows, whilst knowing that you have a choice of how you react to any given experience.

In today’s world, more people are finding it harder to cope with day to day stress. Regardless of occupation, seniority, or salary, we’re spending more of our days feeling drained and out of control, instead of focused and calm.

While some stress is a normal part of the life (which is why resilience is such a great skill to have), high levels of stress can reduce your productivity and have a negative effect on your physical and emotional health. There is another way to think about stress and handle it.

Some common signs and symptoms of excessive job and workplace stress include:

• Feeling anxious, irritable, or depressed
• Apathy, loss of interest in work
• Problems sleeping
• Fatigue
• Trouble concentrating
• Muscle tension or headaches
• Stomach problems
• Social withdrawal
• Using alcohol or drugs to cope etc.

Time to change

Another way of thinking about stress management is “state management”. In NLP the term “state” is used to describe our way of being at any moment. It is made up of our physiology, thoughts and feelings, and is greater than the sum of its parts.

States are the most immediate part of our experience; they vary in intensity, length and familiarity. There is good news, our state changes throughout the day, meaning it is impossible to stay in any stuck state for very long.

States affect our ability to perform to our best, when under stress our performance can drop by 20-30%. Learning how to manage your state will leave you feeling more in control of the external influences that impact on our general well-being and capability to perform, experiencing both the highs and lows, whilst knowing that you have a choice of how you react to any given experience.

1. Change Your Thinking

Think of a time when you felt the way you want to feel. Associate with the experience; be there again, seeing out of your own eyes, feel the positive feelings.

2. Change Your Physiology

Change your posture, adopting a positive posture will make you feel calmer. Smile, this simple act makes you feel happier, because when you smile you release the body’s natural feel good chemicals in the brain.

3. Move

Exercising will release the body’s natural mood enhancing chemicals beta-endorphins, which are powerful mood enhancers.

4. Change Your Breathing

Breathing more deeply and taking twice as long to breath out than breathing in will have a calming effect, breath in for a count of 6 and out for a count of 12.

5. Relax Your Muscles

Relax the shoulders and muscles in the face and neck will help you to feel calm.

6. Eat

Food is psychoactive, so eating will change your state. Be careful as this is not a long-term answer and continuous eating will lead to weight gain.

7. Use a Resource Anchor

These are physical anchors set up on the body and are associated with positive experiences.

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” Dalai Lama

We are very aware that looking into training providers is awfully confusing.  It doesn’t help that we all sound similar too, does it?

I have attached a snapshot of what you should be looking at when considering embarking on this journey to help you short list your options.

1. Nationally Recognised Training by a Registered Training Organisation with an RTO number is important as the regulatory body is ASQA which gives you peace of mind as a student that it is a recognised program with a real qualification.
2. If it has International Accreditation (ICF is the only legit international regulatory body that oversees coaching worldwide) – Ensure that have the ACTP level which put you on a direct pathway to their PCC level of credentialling.

Why is this important?  ICF ACTP Accredited coaches are seen to be elite.  They have the experience behind them to charge more for their services and to be part of a bigger regulated community.

What is Credentialing?

ICF Credential-holders are part of a self-regulating group of elite coaches who provide accountability to clients and the coaching profession as a whole. They pursue and complete rigorous education and practice requirements that provide unquestioned legitimacy to their commitment to excellence in coaching.

Credentialled coaches show their wealth of experience by the levels they reach.

Global recognition is understood that you are the best option for clients based on the high level of training you have committed to.

The Link below is interesting to look at as many clients are going through the ICF to find clients.

https://coachfederation.org/credentialed-coach-finder

The most efficient pathway to credentialing as an ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC) is as follows:

• Complete an ICF ACTP program. Ours is called the Professional Coach ICF (PC-ICF).
• Log 100 hours of coaching (75 hours paid by at least 8 clients and 25 hours unpaid)
• Apply for credentialing which will require you to do a Coaching Knowledge Assessment (CKA) which is a multiple choice questionnaire that we prepare you for.
• This will result in you being credentialed as an Associate Certified Coach (ACC).
• Your then require to build you logged coaching hours to 500 hours (440 paid by at least 25 clients and 60 hours pro-bono)
• As our PC-ICF ACTP program is accredited for 189 Coach Specific Training Hours (CSTH) you will not be required to do any additional training for this credentialing which requires 180 CSTH.
• This will result in you being credentialed as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC).

Start logging your Coaches hours immediately upon enrolment into an ACTP Accredited program.

• http://becomea.coach/
• http://becomea.coach/#EarnACredential

• Find an  ICF ACTP Accredited Training Provider: https://apps.coachfederation.org/eweb/DynamicPage.aspx?webcode=TPSS

Whenever someone asks how you are, how do you reply? “I’m great!”, “I’m fab, thanks!” or something else equally as positive and enthusiastic? Or is it more often the case that you reply with “I’m ok”, “I’m getting there”, or “Not bad”? If we’re being honest with ourselves, many of us tend towards the latter. Why? Because we’re settling for lives that are less happy than they could be.

What is happiness?

Happiness doesn’t necessarily mean long-term fulfilment – you might be a long way from feeling fulfilled in life, but you’re fully capable of happiness along the way. In fact, happiness is just one of the things that fuels us during this journey, and it’s something that can be found absolutely anywhere. You could find it in a song, a social interaction, an activity, or an achievement. It’s an emotion that makes us better, more positive and more satisfied people. It shouldn’t be considered a luxury, or an elusive thing – rather, something that we’re entitled to, and should therefore pursue.

Your song

So how do we find the things that make us truly happy, to the point of making our souls sing? And how do we keep that momentum going in our day-to-day lives? Here’s how:

• Finding your passions: Whether it’s volunteering at a dog shelter or taking part in charity events, it’s commonly agreed that the happiest people do things that give their lives meaning – but that isn’t a concrete rule. When was the last time you felt on cloud 9, just by doing something you love? It could be as simple as watching your favourite movie with a takeaway, or sitting in your garden with a good book, or taking a walk somewhere new and inspiring. Or dancing. Or running. You don’t have to be doing something extraordinary to feel extraordinarily happy – as per the old adage: it’s often the ‘little things’ that count. Whether it’s big or little, dig deep into your mind and find out what your true passion is (and if you’ve got more than one, even better). Absolutely everyone has something they love doing.

• Don’t be scared: Fear is something that holds us back in many areas of life – but only if we let it. Sometimes, our passions turn out to be things we haven’t tried before, so it’s important to be open-minded and willing to experience new things. The majority of times our fears are unfounded, so don’t let them stand between you and potential elation. If you don’t go for it, you’ll never know.

• Immerse yourself: So many of us make our passions take a back seat, using that all too common excuse: a lack of time. Granted, when you have a busy lifestyle it can feel impossible to ‘indulge’ in the things that make you happy. But this is the problem – being happy shouldn’t be viewed as an indulgence. Your happiness should be as much of a priority as your physical health. No one lies on their deathbed wishing they’d spent more time cleaning their home, pulling weeds, or working. In fact, they usually wish the opposite: that they’d spent more time enjoying the things and people that make them happy instead, passions included.

• Commit to your happiness: It’s very easy to immerse yourself in your passion for a brief period, before letting life take over again and pushing it back to the side-lines. Instead, make a solid commitment to yourself. Schedule your ‘you time’ and make any necessary arrangements in advance – even draw up a contract for yourself if you think it’ll help. Make your passion a permanent fixture in your life for as long as you feel that it makes your soul sing.

• Listen to your soul: Humans have an innate need to pursue the things that not only keep them happy on a physical level, but on an emotional one too. So long as they’re not detrimental in any way, it doesn’t matter whether your passions are productive, profitable, worthwhile in society, or even a ‘sensible’ use of your time. All that matters is that they leave you feeling satisfied, glad to be alive, and glad to be you.

Enjoying ‘me time’ and immersing yourself in what you love isn’t just a momentary fix either – it has long-term benefits too. In time you’ll feel happier, more positive and more optimistic – and when life does become testing, you’ll always have that passion to retreat to, and an opportunity to remind yourself that life can feel absolutely wonderful.

What lies behind the power of group coaching? Whether you are managing a team in your business, or you are part of a team in a company and even when you think about your friend group, a good team cohesion is essential in our lives. Ann Skidmore has been coaching teams throughout her career and in this article, she’s sharing her thoughts on coaching groups. Enjoy!

 ‘Deep conversations with the right people are priceless’

Working in teams is a daily practice in organisations.  Well-functioning teams can return big benefits to morale, strategic thinking, creativity and the bottom line.

Our first experience of teamwork is often through sports.  A group of talented people are put together and expected to collaborate to beat another team.  In reality, what happens is the team has to rally around the ‘stars’ to help them to win for the team.

Teamworking in organisations is different.

Most of us have not been trained in what that means, let alone how to get the best out of our teams. Team members are not meant to be stars, standing out alone, but working together collaborating and contributing to the greater success of the whole organisation.  Just like in a sports team, business teams need coaching and mentoring to raise the bar, enhance their performance and create high performances for the whole organisation.

This means from the most senior team, the Executive Board, downwards, all line managers/leaders need to enhance and develop their coaching and mentoring skills.  Most leaders/managers have not had the specific training for this and that’s why organisations increasingly are seeking facilitated development and coaching programmes to deliver these skills for their senior managers/leaders.

In addition, right now, leaders are facing the challenge of leading and managing their teams more frequently in a virtual, online environment.

Some of the biggest challenges of virtual teams include:

• Trust – we are either building it or diminishing it – it is never static
• Misunderstandings from poor communication
• Variations in perception as to how people sense ownership and commitment to tasks and responsibilities
• Empathy and personal connection due to physical distancing between team members

Leaders need to be able to confidently address each of these issues as part of the ongoing process that leads to higher productivity for the whole business.  Coaching and mentoring skills, plus tools and techniques enable all employees to raise their awareness and generate more responsibility for taking action.

The ‘Group or Team Coaching’ helps bring a closer understanding of what Group/Team coaching is, their similarities and differences. Virtual teams and their leaders are hiring coaches to help them to manage the physical distancing they are currently experiencing.

If you aren’t already coaching or leading teams, why not join us and find out more about whether you would like to get involved in this exciting area.

Just recently with many of my business clients, I have found they want to understand how best to lead their teams right now. 

‘At a time of crisis and uncertainty, good leadership really matters’ Chartered Management Institute 2020

They are finding the constantly changing world that they operate in frustrating, challenging, tiring and at times, physically and emotionally draining. Recently, when one of my clients was explaining how exhausting everything was for them and how they couldn’t find even a few minutes ‘just for myself’, I asked a question:

‘What’s good about this situation for you, right now?’

Needless to say, they looked at me astonished!  The point is, sometimes our clients (and we ourselves do too) can get lost in their experiences and stories of what is going on for them.  As coaches and human beings, we need to find a way to interrupt the pattern of the story, otherwise, the story gets repeated over and over again.

Once my client got over their astonishment, they identified 5 aspects of what was good about this situation and what they were learning about themselves, their team and also about their business and how resilient it was at managing the current crisis.

More than that, they realised that they were growing as a leader by managing their entire team remotely.  No one had trained them for this role, they were learning ‘on the job’ and doing ok at it too, they thought. Then I asked:

‘What achievements are you proud of that you have gained as a result of going through these challenging times?’

They smiled and realised that there were indeed some achievements that could only have been achieved by going through tough times.  They didn’t know what they were capable of until now.

We were on a roll now!  I asked them:

‘As a leader, what will you look back on when you reflect on 2020.  What did you learn this year that you couldn’t have learnt in any other year so far?’

Giving them the time, space and the silence to think out loud were the most important things I could do for them and with them.

Being a coach is a privilege, our clients share their innermost thoughts and feelings, and trust us to listen.  We do our best to understand and help them to be able to take action towards their goals.

We too are demonstrating leadership, listening well, being compassionate, having a vision for a better future, building trust between us and our clients.

Being a leader is a role, showing leadership is a behaviour.

As human beings, it’s safe to say many of us can often spend far too much time overthinking our problems within our lives. It is a huge challenge and across the board, we’re forced to stop and ponder over various key points; whether it be work, home, relationship or personally related. In fact, around 95% of us fall into this trap to some degree, according to considerable research by Dr Piers Steel, a Psychologist at the University of Calgary and the world’s foremost authority on procrastination.

Procrastination is more than just a waste of our own resources. Research has shown that persistent worry, over-thinking and ‘holding back’ can damage your happiness, your health and lower your self-esteem. It can even ruin your career, reputation and relationships with the people you love.

Such vacillation comes into play when our negative thoughts talk us into engaging in anything other than the task we know we should be completing. The more negative emotions we apply to a certain task, the more likely we are to waver and delay positive responses; thus even possibly talking ourselves into making completely the wrong decision.

Persistent avoidance of targeting problems via procrastination is a deeply rooted pattern of behaviour and this cannot be resolved overnight. However, as with most habits, it can be changed over time. Consistent practice in positively changing our thoughts or beliefs can go a long way towards the best possible chance of succeeding.

These below steps could be a great starting point to encourage serial overthinkers to a more positive path in problem solving. We hope you enjoy and find this infographic useful.

Resilience is the ability to bounce back, recover and grow from life’s adversities. Those who are resilient are able to cope with stress more effectively and maintain a positive outlook on their circumstances. Research has shown that whilst some are naturally resilient these behaviours can be developed.

If you want to learn some ways that you can boost your resilience, below are 9 ways that can help:

1. Strengthen your belief in your abilities

According to research one of the most important factors in recovering from difficult events and coping with stress stems from self-esteem. Having a higher level of self-esteem enables you to become more confident in your abilities to respond and deal with stressful situations. 
Some ways that you can strengthen your levels of self-belief include making a list of your strengths and accomplishments and keeping this list somewhere you can see it every day, choosing not to say negative things about yourself and being your own cheerleader instead and keeping promises that you’ve made to yourself so you don’t let yourself down.

2. Nurture yourself

Often when we are stressed it can be easy to neglect our needs, losing sleep, not eating properly or taking care of our overall wellbeing can be common responses to stress. Enhancing your self-nurturing skills by taking time out for yourself to do activities that you enjoy such as taking time to get outdoors, going for a walk in the park, meditation, exercise classes or pampering days are all effective ways that you can take a break from whatever the situation is so that you can take care of your needs which can help you to feel ready to face any challenge that life may throw your way.

3. Embrace change

An essential part of resilience is the ability to adapt to change. The more flexible you are the better equipped you’ll be at responding to circumstances which may be beyond your control. Resilient people understand that in order to evolve, embracing change is fundamental as it allows them to open up to opportunities, branch out in new directions and thrive. A great way to embrace change is to take small steps outside of your comfort zone; you could try new cuisines, a new route to work, new activities or learn new skills all of which can help you to feel more comfortable with change.

4. Reflect on your past experiences

Reminding yourself of the experiences in your past which have shaped you into being a stronger person can help you to keep things in perspective and reinforce the belief that if you could get through that experience, you can get through these ones too. Making a list of all the events that you have overcome and have made you a stronger person can act as a great source of comfort in moments that you may feel overwhelmed.

5. Show Kindness

Having a sense of connection to something meaningful can help us to continue driving forwards in the midst of a challenge. Choosing to show kindness by lending someone a helping hand, taking part in activities within your local community, doing something for charity even if it’s simply taking a bag of clothes to the local charity shop or giving someone some genuine praise or a compliment are all ways that can help you to show kindness to others and help you to feel more connected to others.

6. Develop a solid circle of support

When you have a solid circle of caring and supportive people in your life, you’re more likely to have people who you can confide in, share your feelings with and brainstorm possible solutions to your challenges with. Sometimes all you need to make your day brighter is a good catch-up with a friend.

7. Set Goals

Having goals to work towards can help you to sustain your motivation to continue pushing ahead and feel a sense of accomplishment when you achieve them. Resilient people are able to set goals and take the steps to achieve them; doing so helps them to get comfortable with change and strengthens their ability to overcome any possible obstacles along the way.

8. Enhance your problem solving skills

Research has shown that those with the ability to come up with solutions to problems tend to cope better with challenges than those who don’t. If you want to enhance your problem solving abilities you can approach situations with ‘how’ and ‘what’ questions such as ‘how can I improve this situation? Or ‘what can I do to change things for the better?’ When you train your mind to start directing its thoughts towards powerful questions it can help you to think of potential ways that you can solve a problem, you could also list the solutions you’ve brainstormed onto a piece of paper to remind you of the steps you can take should a similar challenge occur in the future.

9. Look for the silver lining

Sometimes when you are going through a dark period it can be difficult to remain optimistic but directing your thoughts to focus on the positives in your life helps you to take the lesson from the situation, know that just as the good times don’t last, the bad times don’t either and this knowledge can enhance your skills to combat any challenges that fly your way. When you remain hopeful about a brighter future it moves you one step closer to getting to it.

People only become resilient by having to deal with setbacks it’s a part of the process, reminding yourself that you will find a way over it, around it or through it as well as remembering that this will pass because things always do, can help you to become more comfortable with overcoming setbacks and maintaining a positive outlook.

Keeping a daily journal might seem like something for famous thinkers, or even angsty teenagers. However, in an increasingly digital age, taking the time out to put pen to paper and record our experiences, feelings, gratitude and dreams is a powerful tool for personal development.

When people are struggling with stress, depression, or anxiety, journaling can be a powerful tool to improve their mental health. It’s a great way to gain control of your emotions and connect with yourself.

Keeping a daily journal can have a surprising impact on your mental health. Below we list some of the main benefits.

1. Help clarify your thoughts and feelings 

It is difficult to think through a situation clearly when your thoughts become muddled, chaotic and confusing. Taking a few minutes to sit down and write them down is a great way clarify your thoughts and to stop circular thinking and negative thought patterns in their tracks.

2. Manage stress and anxiety 

Writing down our fears and anxieties can help release the intense emotion surrounding them. By describing them to yourself in a safe, neutral space that is outside your own mind, you can become clearer about these emotions. In doing so, you stop them from weighing you down and take steps towards letting them go.

3. Practise gratitude 

While unloading negative emotions and clearing them from your mind is part of journaling, the process can also include practicing gratitude. By including a section, either at the start or end of your journal with all the things, people and experiences you are thankful for. Taking time out of your day to practise gratitude has a powerful and positive impact on your mental health.

4. Recognise triggers and thought patterns 

According to psychologist Barbara Markway, ‘there’s simply no better way to learn about your thought processes than to write them down.’ To challenge unhealthy thought processes and patterns we first need to understand what these are. Keeping a daily journal is a proven way to recognise triggers, thought patters and automatic self-talk and get to the root of any negative emotions or anxieties surrounding them.

5. Learn to be honest and true to yourself

A journal is a safe place for your deepest and most intimate thoughts. By expressing yourself freely and authentically every day, you are practising an honest and true internal communication. With time this internal monologue will radiate outwards, enabling you to live a life that is true to you.

A daily journal is a powerful tool which allows you to step outside of your chaotic schedule and focus wholly on yourself. It’s a chance to unwind and decompress from negative experiences or thoughts, whilst also creating time to acknowledge our gratitude and achievements of the day. Through reflective journaling you can understand yourself better, helping you to strive to live your best life.