Stepping Out of the Boat: Incorporating Coaching Among Teams
Teams and leadership can feel like this at times: many people to work with, difficult decisions to make… Leaders do not need to be alone in spaces of difficult decisions and challenges; coaching skills can help invite teams to be involved and participate with clarity and movement forward! Work and communication environments that incorporate coaching principles can shift the atmosphere for all involved and potentially pivot a leader's approach. How so?
Too Much Coach, Not Enough Boss - Some thoughts for leaders who know how to coach and also need to be boss.
Clara is a trained coach and a team lead. One afternoon, Jonas, one of her teammates, comes in frustrated. A project has stalled due to a senior colleague in another department not responding. Jonas has no standing to pressure this person to respond, yet Clara does.
Clara does what she's trained to do. She listens. She asks open questions. She ‘holds the space’.
Twenty minutes later, Jonas leaves feeling heard — and with no idea what to do next.
Sitting alone, Clara realizes something uncomfortable: she was so busy being a coach that she forgot to be his manager.
Let Your Value Shine Through!
We know coaching as a transformational skill and technique that gives opportunity for changed and encouraged lives! How do people become aware of you and the value offered through coaching? Check out some insights from Sarah Short in this reel.
Defining Your Coaching Niche
This month, we are featuring Sarah Short of The Coaching Revolution, who will be doing a workshop with us on April 14. For more information about this workshop, please visit this link.
I Already Have a Niche
(excerpted with permission from www.thecoachingrevolution.com)
When I invite coaches to join the Nail Your Niche Challenge, a common response is “I already have my niche.” They tell me they’re going to focus on overwhelm and anxiety, or burnout recovery, or mid-life women in transition. They’ve identified what they think is a clear focus, so they don’t need a challenge about niching.
Except what they’ve identified isn’t a niche at all.
FOCOS EU and Cru: Intensive Updates
The year 2026 has begun on an exciting note! We are thrilled to announce that two programs, Foundational Coaching SkillsEU and Foundational Coaching SkillsCru, have recently completed Phase Two of their onsite intensive training for the year. These programs are part of the year-long Foundations of Coaching Skills training.
This year, we had 12 participants from 5 countries attend FOCOS EU and 18 participants from 9 countries attend FOCOS Cru onsite intensives.
Celebrate!
Celebration: a joyful word filled with energy and excitement!
Sometimes in life, celebration is also calm and simple.
What does this have to do with coaching?
Psalm 150 and Zephaniah 3:17 are good places to start!
Let everything praise the Lord, everything that has breath.
Gratitude and Thankfulness: Active in Christianity and Coaching
This passage invites us to remember many things, one of which is the posture of thankfulness and gratitude with the word of Christ dwelling in us. (Additional depth is available in the surrounding verses.) When Christ’s word dwells within us, our lives can be transformed beyond our ability. This touches even the postures of thankfulness and gratitude; two words complement and reflect one another.
In coaching, these elements can be foundational in various ways, including communicating effectively. ICF core competency #6 (1-4): “Listening actively" rooted in gratitude and thankfulness allows each session to be a gift. A coach can remain in partnership/agreement with what the client brings and movement forward as a valued gift rather than a possible distraction.
Strengthening Your Reflective Practice
10 months of 2024 have passed and soon another year draws to a close. I invite you to pause for a moment and reflect.
What kind of year has it been for you as a coach? What stands out on your journey? Perhaps there’s a client's success that fills you with pride, or a moment where you’ve noticed real growth in yourself.
Beyond Culture
As coaches, we understand that the client's culture and perspectives significantly influence their process. Joining this process is the most efficient way to achieve lasting transformation. Using tools that respect and evoke client awareness within their cultural context is valuable in a cross-cultural world.
As we focus on ICF Competency 7 (Evoking Awareness #7-6 through 7-11),
ICF definition:
"7. Evokes Awareness ‘Definition: Facilitates client insight and learning by using tools and techniques such as powerful questioning, silence, metaphor, or analogy.’"
Here are two tools to kick off this discussion: