process
How people change: Working with the stages and processes of change
While archiving a journal recently, I found an old photocopied article wedged in its pages. Upon re-reading it, I was struck by just how relevant (and now, mainstream) the ideas in this article were. The article, from the September 1992 edition of American Psychologist, was entitled “In Search of How People Change” and was written [...]
Rethinking the Complimentary Coaching Session: Part 4. Applications for Coaching Practice
Research really only matters when we can learn something useful from it – and apply it to our lives. In this case, we’ve learned a little more about what works in those initial stages of coaching – whether it be in a comp session or a screening call. But how do we integrate it? How do we apply this knowledge to creating more effective coaching?
Rethinking the Complimentary Coaching Session. Part 3: The Research Study
In the first two parts of this Rethinking the Complimentary Coaching Session series, I introduced the possibility that the complimentary coaching session, as commonly offered by coaches, was not the client enrolment panacea that it was touted to be. I had a theory that the sales focus of the session was undermining its usefulness as [...]
Career Change: Designing my new brilliant career
When you’re self-employed, changing careers isn’t just about looking in the local paper to see what jobs are on offer. You actually have the opportunity to continue creating your own work in whatever field or way you choose. Over the last few months I’ve been re-imagining the work I do (and importantly, could do) and [...]
Setting up your Business Action Group
Here’s the second part of the Business Action Group article which sets out the basics for setting up your own group. Last month we talked about getting together with other soloists to support and grow your business through a Business Action Group (BAG). If you’re thinking “This is for me” then here are the steps [...]
Rethinking the Complimentary Coaching Session. Part 2: The Selling of Coaching
In Part 1 of this series on Rethinking the Complimentary Coaching Session, I wrote about being introduced to the Comp Session as part of my coach training and how, at that early stage, something just didn’t sit right for me. I felt uneasy about using techniques that increase a client’s pain to tip them over [...]
Rethinking the Complimentary Coaching Session. Part 1: Feel the Pain
And here is where it all changed for me. The instructor responded by introducing us to the “Kiss. Tell. Hurt.” approach, the first of many ill-advised torture devices of coaching that I’ve come across over the years.
Organic business: Why I’ve gone organic
I’ve been writing articles for the online business community, Flying Solo, for a couple of years now. This article on my organic approach to business is one of my favourites from last year. As a soloist, I’ve struggled to find the right amount of structure to keep my business fresh, enjoyable and with a healthy [...]
Free your mind: The power of Unsubscribing from email lists
It’s that time of the year when I review what I’m doing and start re-visioning how I’d like my next twelve months to be. This year, I’ve decided that my future is going to have a lot less email. I use email a lot. It’s my main connection with the world. I like it so [...]
On Reflective Practice, or, Why I write.
Using writing as reflective practice not only develops your communication skills but can also help you with those big (and little) life decisions. Reflective practice. Means nothing to you? No, it probably wouldn’t unless you’d trained as a teacher or a nurse or a psych or a management consultant. It’s a shame it’s not more [...]
