“Tangible, concrete information in a short period of time that I can definitely put in my ‘tool-box’
as a people leader.”
- Anthea Iliades, Spectrum Personnel Melbourne
Coaching is an interactive process for helping individuals and businesses solve problems, make decisions, learn new skills and improve performance. Coaching focuses on asking questions and raising awareness so that the client can make better decisions and implement them more effectively. It also aims to transfer new skills into the client’s business.
Coaching in a business setting is still a relatively new approach for many people. It is helpful to compare other methodologies such as Consulting, Training, Facilitation and Mentoring, as Shirlaws Coaching also draws on the strengths of these different approaches. Ultimately, it is the personal and interactive nature of Coaching that increases the speed and effectiveness of business improvements, and provides sustainable growth and long term results.
Consulting
Problems are “outsourced” to a consultant to solve. This can be useful when time and resources are limited, though usually there is limited transfer of the business skills involved. A coaching approach will structure support so there can also be an effective transfer of skills into the business, where that would prove beneficial.
When our clients are time poor, we may offer a more consulting approach and access to our specific insights and recommendations. We will also use a coaching approach when possible, to ensure new learnings and skills are also achieved.
Training
Training is about filling knowledge, skills and behavioural gaps. Training is generally quite structured and seeks to transfer specific skills within a classroom or workshop setting.
Often our clients need staff to upskill in a specific area, such as sales, leadership and management, or communication skills, and so we offer a workshop-style training program to meet this need. Clients can either attend public workshops or ask us to design an in-house training program.
Facilitation
In contrast with training, facilitation is about managing the process of a meeting, conference or retreat with no ownership of the topic or outcome. The main aim is to ensure all views are heard and the client works effectively towards their desired outcome.
Shirlaws offers a range of services including strategy retreat or workshop facilitation, conference MCs and keynote speakers, as well as conference agenda design. If retreats and conferences in an organisation are not delivering the change that is desired, it is often beneficial to combine facilitation with some focused coaching to follow-up agreements and support genuine change.
Mentoring
A mentor provides guidance by sharing their experiences and learnings to an owner or business executive following a similar path. While Shirlaws coaches bring their relevant experience to all clients, we focus on moving beyond the limitations mentoring can have.
After all, the experiences of one individual don’t necessarily translate into the best guidance for a business in a similar, but ultimately different time and place. The Shirlaws team approach ensures clients leverage the successful experience of all our coaches. Frameworks and our coaching methodology ensure coaching sessions focus on your agenda, not ours, allowing you to achieve the unique benchmarks you want.
For more information about Coaching in your business, contact Shirlaws, explore this site, or learn more about Shirlaws Australia and our business coaches.
