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Training and Professional Development

Mentoring and Coaching Services Provided by Healthcare Alliances

Leadership Coaching

Two questions are considered first: What is a leader and what is coaching?

Leadership is used as an attribute, rather than as a job title. It is used in the sense that most senior staff in health and social care are leaders. Therefore, it captures a wider remit of people. This interaction is not just for directors or clinical or general managers - it also captures, for example, professionals, clinicians and patient representatives.

A leader is one who:

  • Develops and shares a vision
  • Builds relationships and facilitates interaction
  • Delivers results, mainly indirectly, through others

Coaching is the process of developing the capacity of the leader as a learner. This is done in several ways, including providing feedback about immediacy and impact, challenging thinking and sharing concepts and frameworks about context and systems.

Leadership coaching is distinguished from:

The interaction can involve one or more aspects, such as

  • Behind the scenes coaching, often focused on a particular issue or situation
  • Live action coaching - being present at, and observing, real work situations (but not taking part)
  • Debrief sessions, especially after important meetings

The agreement will cover, amongst other things:

  • The context of the interaction
  • Concrete objectives for the coaching: organisational and personal
  • Anticipated behavioural changes in the team
  • Challenges and constraints facing the leader
  • Internal sponsorship of the interaction
  • Timescales
  • Debriefing

As part of the interaction, participants will be offered the option to complete and receive feedback on their Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. This provides a constructive framework for looking at how people prefer to take in information, make decisions and live their lives.

Example question: Can you explain the impact of the wake that you create behind you?