The workforce is the single most valuable asset of most companies and it is evident that high levels of morale and employee well-being contribute massively to productivity and profitability. Thus, in addition to being a compassionate action, the provision of excellent and comprehensive support services for employees makes very good business sense.

Coaching addresses personal growth, development and effectiveness issues. According to one definition (Downey, 1999) coaching is “… the art of facilitating the performance, learning and development of another”. Now an established ‘discipline’, coaching is a relative newcomer to the field of personal change, although it has roots in the personal growth / human potential movement of the 1960s, on the one hand, and sports and music coaching on the other. It also has strong links with the (largely American) field of executive development exemplified in such popular books as Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”. In recent years, coaching has also drawn extensively upon a number of developments within mainstream psychology, including motivational enhancement (for example, through the techniques of motivational interviewing) and the burgeoning field of ‘positive psychology’.

Coaching draws variously on a number of wider psychological and therapeutic approaches for example:

• Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP)
• Transactional Analysis
• Motivational Enhancement and Positive Psychology

In addition, a number of specific coaching approaches have been developed (e.g. GROW and ACHIEVE).

Although coaching draws upon a toolbox of standard strategies, the introduction of coaching into an organization is always a bespoke exercise. Companies need help in identifying the objectives that coaching will most usefully address within their organization and managers need to be provided with a realistic picture of the nature and purpose of coaching. For example, although the provider will agree a general framework and certain parameters with the company, the specific 'content' of coaching sessions remains confidential. This is essential if there is to be personal disclosure and if a high level of trust is to be established and maintained within the coaching relationship.

Coaching needs to be integrated with the broader developmental strategy of the business and it needs to be considered within the context of the company’s existing HR practices.  Issues relating to diversity and sustainability need to be addressed, and systems need to be put in place for monitoring, measuring and recording the effectiveness of the programme for individuals, work sub-systems and the organisation as a whole.  The professionals at ‘Reach and Connect’ are able to support you by phone or online whichever you are comfortable with and are trained to identify when issues cross the boundaries of coaching and become issues that are more suitable to be dealt with via counselling.

If you would like to enroll on our online coaching program click here to register .