Coaching
Life is forever unfolding and we often find ourselves in situations that we have never before faced.
Where do we go during those times?
Our coaches at Waverley Learning are here for you to provide an astonishing quality of held space in which you are able to see and honour your raw experience of life, to find inner space and a deeper resourcefulness.
Our philosophy and approach to coaching is firstly appreciative and strengths based. We balance discovery on the part of the client with practical advice, challenge and direction from the coach.
Our goal is to help the client shift thinking, behaviour, performance and actions through fresh insight, revelation and knowledge that presents choices for action.
Our coaching is supported by professional supervision and our coaches have 20+ years of wisdom and discernment in coaching, mentoring, spiritual direction and counselling.
When we coach people and teams, we follow accepted best practice guidelines. This ensures complete confidentiality for clients and involves a clearly staged process including contracting formally around an issue, needs or specific questions; using diagnostic tools as needed (we are experienced and qualified using a number of tried and tested tools, questionnaires and processes); ongoing exploration using techniques to aid interpretation of issues and options for progress; and regular reviews of progress to decide on how (and if) to continue.
Performance coaching
We can help you gain fresh insight and knowledge to shift your thinking, behaviour and performance.
Our performance coaching typically focuses on an individual where there is a need to change or improve performance at work or in role.
Executive coaching
When we work with senior people in an organisation, our aim is to provide a safe space for managers and leaders to pause, to reflect on their own resourcefulness, to identify enablers and blockages within the system (and perhaps their own thinking) and to move forward confidently.
A typical engagement involves six coaching meetings over a period of between six months and a year. We emphasise the engagement process, ensuring that all the key stakeholders in the coaching are properly engaged at the beginning and at the end of the assignment. Sometimes we support the coaching with a one or two day retreat (to deepen ‘self insight’ and resourcefulness); unlimited email and telephone support is provided throughout.
This form of bespoke coaching is beneficial to people who are embarking on significant change, taking on intense challenges, seeking to increase their leadership impact, handling difficult relationships, having problems getting to grips with an existing job, or who need to broaden their competence into new areas.
We are often asked by our clients to build in Executive Coaching within the design for Leadership Programmes to embed learning. This is typically supportive of workshops and/or conferences.
Team coaching
Using our frameworks for developing and sustaining high performing teams, we specialise in working with teams at important moments for them. We know that teams are required to take on new members, lose existing members, respond to pressure and challenge whilst delivering results and looking after the well being of members. We also know that leading teams is rewarding, inspiring and at times frustrating.
We help senior teams merge their individual agendas into a common purpose. We help them explore their shared values, their individual and collective talents and how they can communicate and collaborate inside their organisation and externally.
Our work with teams is not focused primarily on team challenges (although we have and do look for creative ways to develop the team’s working practices and this could include expeditions and team challenges) but on having the dialogue and conversations that shift perceptions, challenge assumptions and move things forward. This can include some team diagnostic, observations over time, working with key members and leaders.
As with other coaching, we recommend that team coaching takes place over several months to allow for learning on the job.
Transition coaching
The Waverley Transitions Programme is a one to one intensive coaching experience over several sessions. We have identified four distinct phases in a great transition. Our research and experience tell us that individuals (and teams) have to go through these phases and many of the component parts in each phase to give themselves a good chance of thriving in the new role or scenario.
There is no prescribed timescale, although much research has settled on the “first 90 or 100 days” as the critical time in the new role. Our approach encourages people to start their transition journey and process ahead of taking up their new role in whatever form that presents itself.
Phase 1 is all about building an awareness of the big picture context, the organisational current reality, enquiry with stakeholders, understanding the requirements of the next position and beginning to surface questions, issues and challenges.
Phase 2 is all about building a personal response and aligning this with the organisation so that individuals can define their contribution and how they are going to outwork the role authentically.
Phase 3 takes people into a stage of experience and application. This could involve developing key skills and techniques that will be needed to succeed. It will also involve the generation of a compelling and inspirational narrative that reflects the individual leader and the organisational realities. Individuals and teams are encouraged to develop full transition plans including milestones and also to consider how to avoid leadership blind spots.
Phase 4 ensures that individuals and teams build mechanisms for sustaining progress and themselves. This will involve coaching and support. It may also include cementing learning through a co-creation process often working with colleagues and senior leaders or wider stakeholder groups to achieve specific goals.
Innovative coaching
An opportunity to spend quality time – a day or half day – on a stand alone personal retreat with a dedicated Waverley coach. You will follow a proven process that enables you to:
- step back and examine your current situation
- find space to think about what really matters to you
- receive insight and encouragement about your real power and potential
- make new, clear choices about your direction
These retreats are held in places of peace where the atmosphere is uniquely suited to positive personal reflection. We often use monasteries, but there are a range of options from beautiful natural settings to city ‘oases’.
