Coaching for Staff Development

This book offers a guide to coaching people at work. A discussion of what coaching is and why it is important is followed by a discussion of personality factors and other obstacles to coaching. Examples of good coaching practice and how to set up a coaching programme are included. 1. What is coaching and why is it important?.

2. Personality factors and other obstacles to coaching.

3. The nature of successful coaching.

4. How is coaching done?.

5. The coaching programme.

References.

Further Reading.

Index.

Dr Angela Thomas runs her own consultancy and conducts coaching and other courses in Europe and the United States.

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• What is coaching?

The ultimate aim of coaching is the effective use of everybody’s abilities and potential.

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• Why is coaching important?

The effective manager gets work done largely through others and thus the ability to coach is one of the most important skills of the manager’s job. It goes well beyond delegation and involves the short- and long-term development of staff.

Good coaching brings direct benefits both to the organization and to the individuals involved - better working practices, enhanced teamwork, increased creativity, better communication, less crisis management and enhanced personal satisfaction, amongst other things.

Dr. Angela Thomas, who runs her own Consultancy and conducts coaching and other courses in Europe and the States, guides the reader through the following five stages of the coaching process using case studies, examples and exercises to promote interactive learning:

1. Determine the reasons for coaching and decide on the topic.

2. Identify long- and short-term goals; define targets and standards.

3. Devise and develop specific overall individual session plans.

4. Develop specific competence and confidence taking account of individual learning styles.

5. Recap on what has been agreed, set deadlines and check on progress.

Other titles in this series: Managing Time by David Fontana; Interpersonal Conflicts at Work by Robert Edelmann; Effective Teamwork by Michael West.