How the one-to-one coaching process works
When working with organisations who are ‘sponsoring’ executives for coaching:
Objectives for the coaching investment will typically be discussed before coaching starts with all parties involved – the individual and their line manager and/or HR sponsor – including the length of the coaching relationship and some potential measures for progress. Usually, we’ll agree a package of 6-8 meetings over 6-9 months.
There is flexibility in this, including how much we work face-to-face and how much virtually – Zoom, Teams etc work well and provide greater flexibility.
I offer an hour’s ‘chemistry’ meeting upfront to check a good match between coach and client. This meeting is free of charge, excluding travel expenses.
The agreement with the sponsoring party can include an interim meeting to check on progress and a de-brief at the end of the coaching process, including an assessment of how the original objectives have been met. However, while there needs to be transparency around agreed objectives, the content of the coaching sessions remains strictly confidential.
Coaching sessions take place in an appropriate space as agreed with the client. Usually this will be in a private location, either in a meeting room on-site, or external venues can be organised at an additional cost. Sometimes meetings can be held in public spaces (e.g. coffee bars, British Library) when it does not compromise confidentiality or the ability of client and/or coach to be comfortable and engaged. And sometimes clients like to be in a completely different kind of space to help a different kind of thinking – for e.g. walking in Hyde Park or outside the city.
When its personal self-financed coaching…
There is no-one else involved so we agree between us the expectation and objectives and there’s still more flexibility in the ‘package’. You can read more about this here.