Control or let go

People often struggle to get the right balance between doing things themselves and delegating to others. Here are some simple questions to manage the conversation about this: For each answer, ask also: A useful analogy lies in Spring cleaning. Imagine you have a whole week to de-clutter your home. Starting with any room and working...

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Having a good talk with myself

Walking down the street 25 years ago, the sight of someone talking to themselves would probably make you want to cross the road to avoid them. Nowadays, it is nothing strange – we assume that they are on their mobile phone. But the idea that inner conversations should not be vocalised is a vestige of...

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What’s the conversation you need to have

We all have conversations we avoid. We can wall these conversations off to the extent that we are not even aware we are avoiding them. In helping someone get to know themselves, a coach or mentor can encourage them to acknowledge and explore these conversations. Some of the most common include: Useful questions to help...

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The linguistic origins of mentoring

An eminent US scholar in mentoring recently said at a conference “There is no such word as mentee!”, arguing instead for the word protégé. By the same logic, of course, there is no such word as protégé (French, from which it might be presumed to have originated, has a verb, protégér, from which come protecteur...

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What if the coachee or mentee appears delusional

Although only one person in 500 is receiving treatment for a delusional disorder at any time, the rest of us are much more susceptible to bizarre and irrational beliefs than we like to admit. A recent study asking people about 17 delusional beliefs (for example: Do you ever feel there is a conspiracy against you?...

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The Coach-AI Partnership

If coaches are to benefit from the rise of Artificial Intelligence, then they will need to embrace the new technology and integrate it with their practice. But what does that mean? The coach-AI partnership fulfils several functions: Making the coach-AI partnership work The key to successful partnerships will lie in questions such as the following:...

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Coach versus bot: how do they compare?

The issue of coach versus AI became one of the hot topics in coaching for 2017 and looks set to continue to generate interest, debate and – hopefully – some research. As yet, there is little evidence that existing coaches have been given the sack and replaced by a bit; nor of coaches working closely...

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Beware the coaching scam?

I recently initiated a furious debate on the web about a coaching technique called EFT, by asking whether there was any evidence to support its remarkable claims. The furore – from both detractors and supporters, with “let’s keep an open mind” in the middle – made me reflect on what is and isn’t “legitimate” in the...

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Critical conversations in succession planning

There’s a crisis in succession planning. Long one of the bastions of HR credibility, succession planning has a key role in maintaining HR’s strategic credentials. The problem is that evidence for efficacy of the elaborate processes devised to predict which talent to invest in and who should be targeted for promotion is thin at best....

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12 questions to help a client transition to a new role

Moving into a new role is one of the most common situations that arises in coaching and mentoring. There are multiple uncertainties and inevitable concerns on all sides. The new role holder will usually have to make adjustments in how they lead, but it may not be clear what these should be. Here are 12...

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