We’re adding to the already-damn-awesome program leaders we have for Box of Crayons’ flagship product, Coaching for Great Work.

Bottom line? We’re looking for entrepreneurial-y, coach-y, trainer-y, corporate gravitas-y people … a rare but potent mix.

All the details about the program (both C4GW and the Train the Trainer program) and how to apply are here:

=>  http://www.coachingforgreatwork.com/program-leader-application/

(If this isn’t for you, but you know someone who might be interested, I’d be grateful if you’d pass the news along.)

We’re looking for a small number of new program leaders for Box of Crayons’ flagship product, Coaching for Great Work. You can register your “no obligation” interest here.

Coaching for Great Work provides practical coaching skills for the time-stretched manager. It increases both impact and engagement. The program is proving popular and effective, and we’re having success working with blue-chip organizations in North America, the UK and Europe using Coaching for Great Work to support their strategic and leadership goals.

Learn more about the program at our new website: www.CoachingForGreatWork.com

What we’re looking for

We’re looking for a magical combination of three things: corporate gravitas, experience both as a trainer and as a coach, and entrepreneurial zeal.

Most likely, you are a successful independent and looking for an awesome program to add to your current portfolio of services.

We’re also encouraging people to consider applying in pairs – although it’s not obligatory by any stretch. We’ve learned that having a buddy/partner can help with future success. (Now’s a good time to be sounding out possible partners.)

The process

1. We’ll be inviting full applications shortly.

2. The certification starts with a three-day training program in Toronto on October 22-24 (so save the date), and then continues with teleclasses for three months after that.

We’ve not yet finalized the cost – that will be clear when we open the application process.

Interested? Curious? Want to dip you toe in the water?

With no obligation, you’re welcome to register your name and contact details for free here.

It will ensure that you’ll be first to know about the application process which will open next month.

Thanks for your interest

Michael

PS – If you’d like to learn more about Coaching for Great Work for your organization, take a look at www.CoachingForGreatWork.com and please do get in touch.

It’s all about the questions

In Essential Coaching Skills for Mangers #3, I shared the first of seven core coaching questions that should be in every manager’s back pocket: What’s the real challenge here for you?

Here’s the second of the seven core coaching questions, and it’s short and sweet. In fact, I’d go as far as to say this might be my MOST favourite of the core coaching questions for managers and leaders.

Core Coaching Question for Managers #2: And what else?

So small. So cute. Yet so powerful.

“And what else?” works helps managers get to the real issue at hand for three reasons:

1. Because the first thing a person has to say is never the only thing and often not the best thing

2. Because it stops you as the manager from leaping in with opinions, advice, commentary and whatever. It keeps the focus on the person you’re coaching

3. And because, should you need it, this powerful three-word question buys you time to find the next great question.

(Of course, it comes it a wide range of varieties: Anything else? Yes, and… ? Is there more?)

Your coaching action

Start building your “and what else?” muscle. It’s going to transform your both your peer-to-peer conversations as well as manager-employee conversations.

Additional reading

Making Questions Work by Dorothy Strachan. A fantastic resource for facilitators, coaches and the rest of us. [Amazon affiliate link]

The Essential Coaching Skills series is first posted on the excellent Make Work Meaningful blog.
The Essential Coaching Skills series continues here every Wednesday.

Hear that?

As managers, we’ve all been taught the importance of active listening. I don’t mean to come across as cynical, but it often boils down to this:

• Look as though you care

• Nod your head a lot

• Make small grunting noises indicating encouragement

But you know the problem. At least some of the time, the wheel is spinning but the hamster is out to lunch.

What’s really going on is that you’re not listening to the person you’re coaching at all. This isn’t active listening. Rather, you’ve got a whole mini drama running along in your head, drowning out anything the other person is saying.

Any of this inner monologue sound familiar?

• I know what they should do .I just need to find the right moment to interrupt

• Why are we having this conversation? I don’t know what I should be saying.

• This is great. I really look like I’m listening to them.

• How do I stop this so I can get on with my own work?

• Ooh – I know what question I should ask. Hurry up, so I can ask my question.

Don’t be ready with your coaching question

Part of the pressure comes from feeling like we need to have a question (or advice) ready to go as soon as the person stops speaking.

Actually, you’re allowed to have a pause before you ask a question. And in fact, you’ll find that if you take a moment or two to find the best question to ask after they’ve stopped speaking and then ask it, you’ll sound smarter and wiser that if you just blurted out something right away.

Your coaching action

Notice how your inner voice is getting in the way of you really listening to the person talking. Abandon the need to have a question ready right away, and you’ll find that you can really pay attention to what they’re saying. When they’ve stopped – and only then – take a breath and then ask the question.

Additional reading

Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott [aff link]. An excellent, thoughtful book on what it takes to have genuine and courageous conversations in the workplace. It’s not all about listening of course, although Tom Peters does say (often) that listening is the greatest act of leadership and respect one can embody.

The Essential Coaching Skills series is first posted on the excellent Make Work Meaningful blog.
The Essential Coaching Skills series continues here every Wednesday.

The seven questions that count

In this Essential Coaching Skills tip, we are going to look at the first of seven key coaching questions

But before we do, a bit of background. When I started my own coach training, I watched my instructors to try and understand what they did so well that made their coaching get to the point so efficiently.

Pretty quickly I understood this key coaching “secret sauce” – great coaches have some core questions that they rely on time and time and time (and time) again.

I think there are seven coaching questions that managers, supervisors and executives should have in their back pocket. These are the questions you want to start memorizing, having my computer, written on the back of your hand.

Here is the first one, and it’s a beauty.

Core Coaching Question #1: What’s the real challenge for you?

Managers spend so much of their time in organizations and beyond, directing time and energy and passion and emotion and anxiety and effort to solving the wrong problems.

Because so many of us are geared up to give advice and provide solutions – the training ground of the typical manager – that we often skip this first vital question, which is probing to find out what the real challenge is.

The “for you” bit in the end is important too. If you leave it off, you run the danger of your coachee talking about the general challenge, or the high-level challenge or the theoretical challenge – without ever getting to what the challenge is for them.

Your coaching action

Start noticing your strong tendency to lead to problem-solving. That’s not all bad – sometimes it’s exactly the right thing to do. But as often, you’re better of spending time figuring out what the real challenge is first.

Almost certainly, the initial challenge the person you’re coaching isn’t actually the real challenge. (Sometimes it is. But rarely.) Stay hungry. Stay curious. Ask them, “What’s the real challenge here for you?” and see what happens.

Additional reading

Making Questions Work by Dorothy Strachan [aff link0. A fantastic resource for facilitators, coaches and the rest of us. Not just a long list of questions, but a thoughtfully structured book that takes you through key elements of any coaching or facilitation engagement.