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Coaching

[this blog entry describes the work of a coach with her clients]

Christa Weßel (2016) traces

Coaching means to support a person or a team in describing a personal or professional goal and to achieve it in a defined period or to recognise and accept failures and to develop alternatives. The coach has to prove professional, methodological and social competencies. Coaching strives for professional and personal development and is part of one's continued education. Both, client and coach learn from and with each other. (book Menschen [people], 2017) 

 

Inducement and Topics

It starts with your longing for change or an incident. Questions raise like: What do I want? What does our company need? And you start to work on topics like

  • career development
  • self-employment & entrepreneurship
  • strategy development
  • communication and organizational culture
  • sociotechnical systems ("people & computers")
  • education and professional development
  • leadership & teamwork
  • balance of professional and personal life
  • business succession

You are working in IT, health care, education, research or other areas as entrepreneurs, executive, professional, freelancer, scientist, ... . The coaching takes place as individual, team or project coaching.

 

Scope, Duration and Methods

You as the client decide on the general set-up and scope and thus on the duration of the coaching. You can finish the coaching anytime. Nevertheless you should inform me as early as possible, so that I can in my role as coach initialize the conclusion phase. Usually you and me together initiate the conclusion phase.

 

The coaching takes place as face-to-face talks or as blended coaching. The set of instruments includes semi-structured interview, dialogue, purpose and planning processes, reflection, feedback and "homework". If the coaching is intended for a group the coaching uses also workshop approaches. Milestones of the coaching process are

  • phone call or e-mail to arrange the fist dialogue: contact
  • first dialogue: topic, clarification of the mandate, purpose, approach, professional fee
  • further dialogues
  • final dialogue with evaluation and outlook

Of course I as the coach observe confidentiality. This applies also to any third party that finances the coaching, for instance the employer. You, the client, decide whether you want to share anything with others.

 

Walk to Talk

This is a coaching as face-to-face serial: we go for a walk along a river, in a park or at the seaside. Mostly the coaching process lasts about six to twelve months and consists of six to ten appointments. It is also possible, that one, two or three dialogues will meet your needs. The coaching dialogues last between one and three hours. The billing takes place after each meeting unless we agree upon another arrangement. 

 

Intensive Coaching: Outdoors

This coaching mostly lasts one or two days and takes place in combination with an outdoor activity like kayaking, cycling, hiking or sailing. You and I plan together the design of your intensive coaching. 

 

Blended Coaching

You and I combine - blend - face-to-face meetings, phone calls and e-mails. This facilitates flexibility, that enables me to accompany you individually and in time tailored to your needs. The coaching process lasts from some weeks to a few months.

 

If we do not yet know each other we should meet for the first dialogue face-to face. If we already worked together all dialogues can be phone calls. The intervals and the duration of the particular dialogues depend on your needs. An example for an additional task for the coach is the analysis of application documents, proposals or internet presences and recommendations on adaptations. This may come into question for the application for an executive position or the preparation and realization of a project.

 

A blended coaching typically lasts overall between one and ten hours. The billing takes place monthly.

 

Just once: Impulse Coaching

Your reflections during that dialogue are so insightful that you can proceed on your own. Such a coaching can evolve planned or by chance. For instance you and I realize already during the apponíntment via e-mail or phone that just one dialogue will meet your needs. Or we meet for instance on a conference and a dialogue comes to be an impulse coaching. In either case we come to an agreement on the fee and start immediately with the coaching. 

 

Your Benefit

I support you as neutral expert, with whom you can reflect upon your work and your personal issues. This enables you to decide on your further course of action and to put it into practice. 

 

Christa Weßel - Monday, 05 February 2024

 

Blog section organization development

 

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