In April 2013, I had the great pleasure of facilitating a 2-day Coaching Fundamentals training program to 16 people from Handicap International Haiti. This group was rich in cultural diversity with French, Italian, African and Haitian staff. These individuals hold diverse responsibilities in the organization such as logistics, purchasing, project management, finance, security and physiotherapy.
During the training we introduced coaching skills to this group focused on:
• Developing a higher level of listening skills and acquiring coaching competencies to engage in focused conversations that address needs and challenges of individuals and communities
• Developing skills on how to ask powerful questions and use appreciative inquiry
• Learning the art of possibility thinking, leading to new outcomes
• Acquiring new skills to create accountability and personal responsibility
• Providing a forum to facilitate individual and group leadership conversations using the coach approach
This group initially expected to learn coaching skills to apply with their clients and partnering organizations. By the end of the training, they were astounded that the training had a direct impact on their team dynamics. Many reflected that the coaching skills they learned not only would serve them in their respective roles, but they were most surprised by how the training process had offered them an opportunity to discover new aspects of each other in a very positive setting.
Coaching skills are not only for managers or executives. They are for anyone in your organization who has to work collaboratively with people. Coaching skills are for formal and informal leaders and these individuals are at all levels of your organization.
By developing coaching skills at all levels of your organization, you will expand people’s perspective and understanding of various departments’ interests, promote seeing the big picture, enhance connection between all key stakeholders, and encourage conversations that are creative and open to new possibilities. Such conversations will likely translate into the creation of effective and engaging solutions and action plans. Coaching skills assist all team members in effectively engaging in those conversations and provide them with tools to ask powerful questions from one another they would never have thought of before. With new coaching skills, your team will elevate the quality of their interactions and foster positive team dynamics.
To learn more about coaching training for your team, contact Forge Coaching and Consulting at 905-873-9393 or email us at info@forgecoachingandconsulting.com