Coaching has been defined as:

“a Socratic-based, future-focused dialogue between a facilitator (coach) and a participant (coachee/client), where the facilitator uses open questions, summaries and reflections which are aimed at stimulating the self-awareness and personal responsibility of the participant”*

Passmore, J., van Nieuwerburgh, C., & Barr, M. (2019). Workplace coaching. In R.

1. Griffin (Ed.), Bibliographies in Management. New York, USA: Oxford University Press.

ISBN 978-0-19-984674-0

Other Definitions include the following:

“empowering people by facilitating self-directed learning, personal growth and improved performance.”

(Bresser & Wilson, 2020)

Passmore, J. (Ed.). (2021). Excellence in coaching: Theory, tools and techniques to achieve outstanding coaching performance (Fourth edition). Kogan Page.

ISBN 978-1-78966-548-2

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them”

(Whitmore, 2009)

Passmore, J. (Ed.). (2021). The coaches’ handbook: The complete practitioner guide for professional coaches. Routledge.

ISBN 978-1-00-308988-9

ISBN 978-0-367-53920-7

ISBN 978-0-367-54619-9

• ··

Coaching Psychology has been defined as

“enhancing well-being and performance in personal life and work domains underpinned by models of coaching grounded in established adult learning or psychological approaches”*

Whybrow, A. & Palmer, S. (2019). Past, present and future. In S. Palmer and A.

Whybrow (Eds.), Handbook of Coaching Psychology. A Guide for Practitioners (pp. 5-13). Routledge.

ISBN 978-1-138-77531-2

ISBN 978-1-138-77532-9

• ··

The Association for Coaching, on its “Coaching Defined” Page, talks of:

Personal Coaching –

“A collaborative solution-focused, results-orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the coachee.”

Executive Coaching –

“As for personal coaching, but it is specifically focused at senior management level where there is an expectation for the coach to feel as comfortable exploring business related topics, as personal development topics with the client in order to improve their personal performance.”

Organizational Coaching –

“As for personal coaching, but the specific remit of a corporate coach is to focus on supporting an employee, either as an individual, as part of a team and/or organization to achieve improved business performance and operational effectiveness”

Speciality Coaching –

“As for personal coaching, but the coach is expert in addressing one particular aspect of a person’s life e.g. stress, career, or the coach is focused on enhancing a particular section of the population e.g. doctors, youths.”

Team and Group Coaching –

“As for personal coaching, but the coach is working with a number or individuals either to achieve a common goal within the group, or team to develop high performance.”

(LINK: https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/CoachingDefined)

• ··

The International Coaching Federation in its Code of Ethics defines Coaching as:

”partnering with Clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”

(LINK: https://coachingfederation.org/ethics/code-of-ethics)

These two lead definitions of Coaching & Coaching Psychology are quoted in:

• *Moin, T., Giraldez-Hayes, A., Stopforth, M, Lynden, J. & Rees-Davies, L. (2023). Who is a coach and who is a coaching psychologist? Professionalising coaching psychology in the United Kingdom. The Coaching Psychologist, 19(1), 4-18.

For Further Reading see:

• Passmore, J. & Lai, Y, (2019) Coaching Psychology: Exploring definitions and contribution to coaching research and practice? International Coaching Psychology Review. 14(2), 69-83.
• https://coachingstudies.org/resources/articles/what-is-coaching/#

The Association for Coaching definitions of ‘Personal Coaching’ and ‘Executive Coaching”, imply One-on-One Coaching:

Personal Coaching – “A collaborative solution-focused, results-orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of work performance, life experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of the coachee.”

Executive Coaching – “As for personal coaching, but it is specifically focused at senior management level where there is an expectation for the coach to feel as comfortable exploring business related topics, as personal development topics with the client in order to improve their personal performance.”

(LINK: https://www.associationforcoaching.com/page/CoachingDefined);

Christian van Nieuwerberg in his excellent book (See details below) describes One-on-One Coaching as:

“a managed conversation between 2 people, the coach and the coachee, that aims to support sustainable change to behaviours or ways of thinking and focuses on learning and development.”

van Nieuwerburgh, C. (2020). An introduction to coaching skills: A practical guide (3rd ed.). SAGE Publishing.

ISBN 978-1-5297-1054-0

ISBN 978-1-5297-1055-7

The Distinction between coaching and mentoring is an important one and the frameworks for interaction between Coach and Client/Coachee and between Mentor and Mentee require different ground rules as a result.

• “coaching and mentoring are essentially similar in nature” but “coaching tends to be more formal”

(Garvey, Stokes and Megginson, 2009) (Passmore, 2010)

• “a mentor has experience in a particular field and imparts specific knowledge, while a coach does not necessarily have specialist experience and does not impart knowledge” and “a mentor acts as an adviser, counsellor, guide, tutor, or teacher while a coach’s role is to assist the client in uncovering their own knowledge and skills and facilitate the client in becoming their advisers”

(Bresser and Wilson, 2010)

In short, yes. However, it is a nuanced ‘yes’, and it will depend on a number of ethical and practical considerations, as well as the age of the prospective client.

Children, relative to their emotional and cognitive maturity level, may not have developed the ability yet to be fully responsible for the outcomes that coaching is built around, nor have access to the means and resources required. Often there is a mentoring role in play.

In many ways this lends itself to a specific framework for coaching, mentoring and teaching children (relative to the educational environment and context that the child is functioning in), which itself should drive the more holistic plan; which would need parental involvement in the process.

With this in mind, we have developed our own model for enabling a framework geared towards enabling teens to thrive and grow; and following some of those guiding principles, we generally consider taking on clients 14-years old and older. Please reach out for further information.

Please see the ‘Programs’ Menu link on this website. There is an overview of each of our Programs there. Feel free to download the information sheet. If there is something more specific you would like to ask, or get any more information, please contact us. Details are on the Contacts Page on this site. All our Programs, and any of our general coaching, can be tailored to you or your organisation’s specific needs. We would love to hear from you.

As mentioned on our Home Page under Programs: we adopt a distinctive approach, by making sure to first listen attentively to your individual/group needs. We have to first understand and then clarify those with you; and only then, work to generate creative ideas, craft leadership and coaching paradigms and frameworks, and devise workable and practical strategies. Our quest to find unique solutions in every case, supports an overall goal of enabling clients with the tools to build sustainable and viable models for personal and collective performance and flourishing. Basically, we want to work to build something that works, specifically for you.

Our first communication and interaction is free. We can discuss options that are workable. In coaching environments this is sometimes referred to as a “chemistry” session. Essentially, a way of finding out whether we can work together. Our experience in commercial and other environments, means that we don’t have a fixed idea of what you would to get out of our work together. And if we don’t think we can be an effective resource or ‘partner’ for you in the process, we will be open and honest in conveying that. Ultimately, only by having a conversation, and hearing from each other, can we decide if it will work and then finalise a ‘contract’* from that.

*And to be clear, the contract is as much about our mutual obligations and commitments, as it as about any financial agreement.

Yes, absolutely. Contact us to find out we are a good fit for each other, whether or subjects and topics can meet your needs, and figure out the logistics and financial arrangements.

As with Live Speaking Events above: Yes, absolutely. One of the positives that came out of the global pandemic was the accessibility and of online video forums, platforms and general willingness to have these types of events. As above, Contact us to find out we are a good fit for each other, whether or subjects and topics can meet your needs, and figure out the logistics and financial arrangements.

Our quest to find unique solutions in every case, supports an overall goal of enabling clients with the tools to build sustainable and viable models for personal and collective performance and flourishing.”

Yes. See the note above regarding coaching children, though.

We work with teaching staff, school administrators, and leadership. In addition we have School Board experience, and access to some leading educators and speakers.

Working with the Athletic staff is another speciality area, within this niche , assisting coaches to frame different paradigms and frameworks alongside their technical and tactical knowledge. Our view is that educational environments in school (and beyond school, for life learners), are best served by a range of skills and learning contexts from the classroom to the sports fields and courts, to the other extra-curricular activities and clubs. For example, we don’t coach the basketball X’s & O’s. Thats not our ‘coaching’ role. But working with coaches to create a winning culture, founded in principles of good citizenship, with lessons for life, is in our sweet spot.

There are core programs that would apply really well to parents of students as well; such as Intentional Attention (ADHD Coaching).

We have vast experience working for and within non-profit Organisations. We have created and developed a variety of fundraising initiatives in the past, and finding ways to use our content, expertise and presentations around a non-profit theme would be our privilege. Contact us, to discuss how these ideas can work for you and your organisation.