Brenda Eckstein International

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Levels of Coaching

March 19, 2018 by Brenda Leave a Comment

When engaging the services of a coach, there is often confusion over the level of coaching needed. A general rule of thumb is that there are three levels of coaching and these correspond roughly to the depth of training the coach should have in order to coach the client at a certain level and in order to achieve the desired outcomes. Although based primarily on Integral Coaching, these rough guidelines may be useful in considering other forms of coaching.

Spontaneous coaching is used where the coachee has an immediate issue that they need to address. In other words, this is appropriate where a ‘quick fix’ is required. One or two coaching sessions may help the person find solutions which will get them over an immediate hurdle. This is contracted between coach and client ‘up front’ before the start of the programme.

A minimum of a short coaching course at an accredited organisation may qualify a coach to deal with issues like this. I have found it interesting that even when coaches are qualifying at higher levels, in their practical exams, they are usually tested in spontaneous coaching. This is a matter of practicality as usually a maximum of an hour can be allocated to this part of the practical exam.

Sometimes as the coaching proceeds through the agreed spontaneous coaching conversations, both coach and client realise that the coachee would benefit through a more intense coaching programme. If this is being considered, this new programme would be contracted as a separate programme either with the same coach, if they are qualified to work at a deeper level, or with a new coach.

Competency-based coaching helps coachees to become more competent at managing their lives whether it be their roles at work or in their private capacities. Here typically a 3-month coaching programme would be contracted where coach and coachee meet every second week for an hour. The coach helps the client, through reflection and practice, to build new neural pathways and thus become more competent.

I recommend that the coach engaged in this type of coaching should have successfully completed a training course of at least 6-months – again at a reputable institution. Coaches trained at this level will also be effective at spontaneous coaching.

The next level of coaching is where a fundamental shift in the person’s ‘way of being’ is sought in order to help them flourish in their occupational and private capacities. The required outcome would be the person viewing the world differently through enhanced awareness and ability to develop new neural pathways thus embedding their new practices. This takes time and usually at least a six-month programme seeing the coach for an hour every second week is needed. In addition, the coachee needs to be committed to changing themselves and diligently practice assignments crafted together by coach and coachee. Outcomes include being able to self-correct and self-generate.

In this realm there are no ‘quick fixes’ neither for the coachee nor the coach. A programme like this requires that the coach has a deeper level of training, ideally spanning about 2 years at university post-graduate level, or other highly regarded institution. Coaches qualified at this level are competent to coach at lower levels, too. In other words, they are capable of doing Competency-based and Spontaneous coaching.

The converse does not apply. Professional coaches with insufficient training should not be working in higher levels of coaching. In other words, a coach trained to deal only with spontaneous issues should not attempt to work with someone requiring a shift in their way of being. After all, we are working with people’s lives! Similarly a General Practitioner would not practice complex spinal surgery.

Of course, the above are general guidelines. There are many permutations of these levels. However, no coach should ever go beyond their level of training and competence. Professional coaches will also refer clients to appropriate outside professionals in other fields, like counselling, when this seems necessary and they will not try to handle issues beyond their scope, or situations outside the realm of their competence, training and experience.

Furthermore, to call themselves a coach, a person should have gone through training as a coach and be qualified in that field. So let’s look at the definition of professional coaching and here I’m using the International Coach Federation (ICF) definition which is fairly generic, covering a wide range of coaching approaches:

ICF defines coaching as ‘partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential’.

No matter how highly qualified in other fields such as psychotherapy, counselling, mentoring or consulting, if engaged in a coaching role, the coach should respect those boundaries and stick to their role as a coach. I have personally found that in working with or mentoring emerging coaches-in-training, the ones who battle most with developing their coaching skills are often those who are qualified in other fields such as counselling.

In brief, make sure you engage the right coach whom you know is qualified and will provide a professional service in line with your requirements. You are more likely to gain positive outcomes, often way beyond your expectations!

For more information on leadership development or executive coaching, please contact Brenda personally at brenda@146.66.90.172 or phone +27 82 4993311

Integration: let’s continue working on ourselves

November 15, 2012 by Brenda Leave a Comment

In our 6-week ‘EYES’ (‘Enhance Your Executive Skills’) course which combines group training and individual coaching sessions,  this week’s theme is ‘integration’. How do we take our new insights and use these to enhance our functioning in all areas of our lives?

People often ask about my role as an ‘integral’ coach and the simplest way to describe it is that I help people to turn ‘stumbling blocks’ in to ‘stepping stones’. We all have ‘blind spots’ and a good coach can help us to recognise aspects that are holding us back.  Whatever is hampering our progress in one domain is usually having a negative impact in other areas as well.  The message is that we need to work on ourselves in an integrated way.

Let me give you some examples:

This week I was again privileged to take two separate groups of clients to ‘HorsePlay’ where Carl Bronner gently but firmly enables participants to find new ways of approaching their leadership roles.  At ‘HorsePlay’ it would appear that people are working on their individual horses for the morning.  But Carl enables us to see that we are really working on ourselves.  The lessons are astounding.  My role as a coach is to help individuals consolidate their insights and become even more aware of how they can apply those lessons in their professional and personal lives.

I’m also involved in dog training at present.  Again, I am the one who is being trained!  Adrienne Olivier reminds us that we are working on ourselves.  And there are some hard lessons!  Over the years we have been privileged to own many dogs and each has been ‘schooled’ by Adrienne.  It continues to fascinate me how there is continuous improvement in techniques and for me dog training is ‘on-going learning’.

You’ll be pleased to hear that our ‘New Kid on the Block’ is progressing well – and so am I!  Remember:  when we improve the way we train dogs, we are working on ourselves! 

 Kaiser and the sprinkler system - video clip.

This week Kaiser discovered a new toy – the sprinkler system!  Since he came to live with us, it has rained so much that we hadn’t needed to water the garden until this Sunday.  So, besides the serious lessons to be learnt and our joy when he (we?) get commands right, we have great fun watching his progress.

Whether we want to achieve our goals through communicating with horses, training a dog, or improving our business or personal lives, we need to work on ourselves.

For more information on ‘executive coaching’, ‘integral coaching’ or training, please  contact me - brenda@146.66.90.172, Phone: +27 33 3425432, Mobile: + 27 82 4993311.

Turning ‘stumbling blocks’ into ‘stepping stones’: the BIG picture

February 28, 2012 by Brenda 1 Comment

As an integral coach I ‘practise’ the self-observations (to gather data), engage in daily practices, reflections and do ‘one off’ exercises appropriate to my own self-developmental path.  Today when I was reflecting and applying our coaching models to myself I noticed something very interesting.  In looking at the four most recent ‘posts’, which I wrote spontaneously over a period of a month, I had by chance (really?) covered four domains.  My coaching colleagues will understand the significance of this but there are interesting learning points for everyone. 

Let me explain:  the articles were written in the following order:

January 31       Isn’t it strange?

This first article covers my passion (D1) for a poem which reflects our lives.  Robert Sharpe wrote that poem over 200 years ago and it is as applicable today as it was then. 

February 7        ‘Stepping stones’

The second article looks at action (D2) that was taken to overcome a ‘stumbling block’ (grass would not grow).  And this has created a ‘stepping stone’ which has opened up many possibilities and is a source of great joy.

February 14      Customer service:  turning ‘stumbling blocks’ into ‘stepping stones’

The third post looks at how building positive relationships (D3) can escalate service to levels to excellence.  When things go wrong (‘stumbling block’) and we are able to find a ‘stepping stone’, this builds future possibilities and action.

February 21      Turning ‘stumbling blocks’ into ‘stepping stones’:  QR codes

I am not technologically (D4) astute but am motivated and assisted by my son, Gary Eckstein, SEO consultant.  With their help I am enjoying and engaged in my website, blogs and other IT aspects of my business. 

So, by chance, the above four articles build a balanced package.  What is this telling us?  It shows that whatever happens in one ‘domain’ of our lives is likely to show up in all four domains. This is how we as ‘integral coaches’ help our clients to ‘unblock’ issues (‘stumbling blocks’)  that are holding them back.   I’m so excited to discover that even where I’m spontaneously writing articles, these topics are showing up in all four domains.

If you’d like to know more about ‘integral coaching’, which can be done in person or via Skype, you are welcome to contact me - Phone:  +27 33 3425432, Mobile:  + 27 82 4993311, brenda@146.66.90.172,

Warm wishes,

Brenda

Isn’t it Strange?

January 31, 2012 by Brenda 2 Comments

People ask me to explain ‘integral coaching’.  For me, the easiest way to describe it is that we help people to turn ‘stumbling blocks’ into ‘stepping stones’.

I was delighted when Andrew Bryant started his workshop at the National Speakers of Australia convention in Melbourne in April 2011 with his theme poem, ‘Isn’t it strange?’  Andrew, thanks for sharing.

Isn't it Strange?

Isn't it strange, that princes and kings,
and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
and common-folk like you and me,
are builders for eternity?

To each is given a bag of tools,
a shapeless mass and a Book of Rules;
and each must make 'ere time has flown,
a stumbling block or a stepping stone.

R.L. Sharpe, "A bag of tools," circa 1809

Lessons From The Weed

May 8, 2011 by Brenda Leave a Comment

My gardener noticed a week growing in the garden.  There was something special about the grey leaves so we decided to let it grow.  It grew and grew and formed a prickly bush. 

Soon buds appeared.

The buds turned into flowers.

Viewed from different angles the flowers looked different.

As each flower grew older, a pod developed.

Over a few days each pod developed further and grew harder.  Inside we could see the seeds of new life.  (And if you look carefully, you’ll see the seeds in the photo below.)

At present (September 28 2010) the bush contains all these elements.  It has buds, flowers, new pods and older pods with seeds.  Each flower is at a different stage within its own life cycle.  It is a continuous process, just as our lives are continuous.  We always have something of the past, the present and the future in us. 

We could use ‘the weed’ as a ‘distinction’ in Integral Coaching and apply it to various situations. For each of us the significance will be unique at different times.  As an example, our impact on others may be at any of these stages.  Each relationship may be ‘budding’ or reaching maturity. 

The process is sometimes part of ‘us’.  At other times it may be part of an external pattern.  How we deal with these patterns and use them depends on many factors including emotional and cognitive aspects. 

The beauty of nature will impact differently on each of us, and differently at different times.  We can learn so much by observing insects, plants and other aspects of this wonderful world.  Being ‘in tune’ with nature teaches us lessons about being ‘in tune’ with our bodies and learning to respond appropriately at physical, emotional and cognitive levels.

To me, watching this ‘weed’ develop and grow has emphasised the mystery and miracle of life’s path.  That plant has a ‘built-in’ life pattern.  And we do, too.  We need to ‘tune in’ to our own patterns – both internal and external.  Patterns are important.  Even the ‘trend - spotters’ are experts at recognising patterns, learning how to interpret them and take appropriate action!

Here is an exercise for you:

Think of a situation where you found yourself in a position where you viewed yourself as the ‘weed in the garden’.  Perhaps you felt as though you didn’t belong in that environment?  It might have been when you as an outsider started in a new job.  Or perhaps you were promoted and were not part of the ‘in crowd’?

  1. In that situation, how did you avoid the ‘WeedEater’?  What were your survival tactics’?
  2. What did you do to let others see your true values, your personal brand?
  3. How would you relate your experience as the ‘outsider’ to each aspect of the picture-story above?  For example, when did the buds appear, what were the seeds in the pod?  Perhaps those were the nuggets of gold, your contribution or your ideas which would be ready for sharing when the time was ripe?  
  4. What lessons can you learn from these observations?
  5. How can you use these concepts to enrich other aspects of your life?

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