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In many organisations – facing staff retention problems, skills shortages and finite budgets – group coaching is now being seen as a more viable option than one-to-one coaching. Not only is it more cost-effective but the process has the added advantage of fostering the trust needed for effective collaboration, creating networks, cutting across silos and enhancing communication across the organisation.
Like one-to-one coaching, group coaching helps people examine and reflect on their own behaviour, and that of others. Over and above this, however, research suggests that individuals are more likely to implement changes if they are accountable to their own learning community and therein lies the effectiveness of group coaching – individuals get the opportunity to learn from shared experiences, role model, have different perspectives, work on their own and each other’s issues, and are more motivated to change behaviours and ways of working because of the commitment they have made to each other.
A specific use of group coaching – addressing the under-representation of women in leadership positions
At Maximum Coaching we have designed – and delivered for a City client – a group coaching programme, ‘Managing Your Career’, to help women anticipating a move into a senior management position to gain a better understanding of their potential so they can plan and prepare for future career opportunities more effectively.
This is based on a six-step model that sets out exactly what skills, tasks and priorities we need to consider in order to move forward in our careers. The programme provides a simple and concise way to develop a career management strategy and is built around the following principles:
1. Values and purpose
2. Personal branding
3. Self-promotion with integrity
4. Career management
5. Building confidence and resilience
6. Long-term planning
The feedback from the programme was so good that we’re planning to run an open version later in the year. For further details of the programme – and for more background about us – please see http://maximumcoaching.co.uk/our-services/leadership-coaching/group-coaching/
Elizabeth Crosse
Practice Director
Email: [email protected]
