What to expect from coaching

What actually goes on in a coaching session? Well, this is what we're going to be talking about today on how to lead the podcast for CEOs, founders, and leaders who want to find the perfect balance of authority and empathy. I'm Kate Waterfall Hill, and I'll be sharing some insights from over 30 years of working in business and leadership development.

Before we dive in, a quick reminder, my new Leadership Accelerator Premium is now open. It is a 24 week program combining on demand video lessons, weekly group coaching, live workshops, DISC personality profiling, and Institute of Leadership Certification, all within a supportive community of leaders just like you. Places are limited. So book now for yourself or for one of your team members. Find out more at www.waterfallhill.co.uk.

So let's kick off with my alter ego, Linda the Bad Manager,

“Yes. Rachel, you want to talk to me about coaching? Well, who needs coaching? I don't. I'm perfectly good as I am. In fact, I'm a perfect leader. Don't need coaching. No, nobody's gonna come and fix me. Tell me what I need to do. That's not really the principle of coaching. Well, nevertheless, it's a hard no. What about Jason?

What? What about Jason? He's learning everything he needs to learn from me. He's absolutely fine. You'd like him to go on some sort of group coaching program so he can learn from other people as well as the main coach. That's also a hard No, he's not going on a group coaching program. No. I can't afford to have him being a better leader than me.

And what about the team? What about the team? It's well absolutely fine. You think they could do some team coaching What for? To get them more in alignment. So they're more cohesive, collaborative, communicating better. Not working so much in silos. Oh no, I quite like it. Yes, that mutual resentment breeds a bit of competitive spirit.

No, I'm happy with it as it is. No, that's not changing either. So on all three counts, Rachel. It's a hard No, no, no.”

So today let's have a look at what you can actually expect from coaching, whether that's one-to-one coaching, group coaching, or indeed team coaching, And what on earth is the difference? Many leaders I speak to are curious about coaching but feel unsure about what it actually entails.

They wonder is it worth the investment? What happens during sessions, and how coaching differs from other development approaches.

Let's start with one-to-one coaching, often seen as the creme de la creme of the coaching community. This provides a confidential space that's completely focused on you and your leadership challenges.

But a coaching conversation is a very unique type of conversation. It's quite different from the ones we typically have in our professional or personal lives. If you think about the usual conversations that you have at work, most are dialogues where one person's waiting for their turn to speak, to share their own perspective or experience. But in coaching, that dynamic shifts completely. The entire focus is on you, your thinking and your development.

Many one-to-one coaching programs, including mine, mean that you typically work together with your chosen coach over about six months in my program, you get nine 60 minute sessions over that time. That gives us a session cadence of roughly three to four weeks, which I find strikes the perfect balance.

It's frequent enough to maintain momentum but spaced enough to allow you time to implement whatever we discuss. So, what makes coaching different from therapy? Well, while both provide confidential spaces to explore important issues, therapy tends to look back to understand past experiences that might explain current behaviours, whereas coaching, on the other hand, is primarily forward looking.

We might occasionally glance back to understand patterns, but our focus mostly is on where you want to go and how to get there. The structure of our work together typically follows three core components. Firstly, managing self. This is the foundational work where you explore your values, your strengths, and your leadership presence.

We'll look at your personal brand as a leader and identify any self-limiting beliefs that might be holding you back. We'll also develop strategies for emotional regulation. Really important in strong leadership.

This element of coaching really builds your leadership foundation. Secondly, we move to managing others. So once we've established the foundation piece, we can move to your relationships with team members, peers, and stakeholders. We'll address specific challenges around motivation, delegation, conflict management, and building psychological safety.

This is where we transform your personal leadership foundation into tangible impact on those around you, really influencing positive outcomes and change for the better.

Thirdly, we've got managing goals. So usually we complete this towards the end of our time working together, but it ensures you leave the coaching program with a clear direction for your continued development after the formal coaching relationship ends. Each individual session follows a similar structure, but it's guided very much by you.

And we'll begin with updates and a progress review giving you some gentle accountability. Then we'll address either a specific challenge you've brought to the session, or we'll follow that structured program, managing self, managing others, managing your goals. We'll end with clear takeaways at the end of each session. Really tangible next steps.

And I'll send you some notes at the end of each session to capture what we've discussed in essence, but most particularly to make sure that you're really clear on those next steps. It's worth emphasizing that coaching isn't just a nice chat whilst the sessions are supportive and often really energizing. They're purposeful conversations designed to create meaningful change.

I bring real focus to my coaching. I want to get you the results you need to actually move forwards, real value for your investments.

So whether you are in a commercial organization and it's about business objectives or a non-commercial organization, and it's a slightly different focus.You will still get the change that you want to see.

So that's one-to-one coaching, bespoke, confidential, one-to-one as it would indicate. Now let's talk about group coaching, which offers a different but equally valuable approach.

Group coaching brings together people from different organizations or departments, but they tend to be working on similar challenges. in my Leadership Accelerator premium program, they're all managers and leaders who are facing these leadership challenges.

I like to work with a relatively small group of participants. That works quite well for me in terms of my coaching because it allows people to have the time to have some individual reflection with the power of collective wisdom.

We start each session with a facilitated discussion and some peer coaching. So each person has the opportunity to bring their challenge to the group and I coach, and the rest of the group contribute their thoughts and ideas as well.

We then move on to some teaching elements where I'll introduce a specific leadership concept and guide you through some frameworks, and also give you the opportunity to work together with the other people in the group in small breakout rooms.

So you can try some of the tools and techniques in a safe space. You really benefit not only from my guidance, but also from the diverse perspectives and experiences of the group. That's what makes it so powerful. the other thing that's often a step change that people talk about after they've left the group is the realization that you are not alone in your leadership challenges.

When you hear others articulating struggles that are similar to yours, it creates an immediate sense of relief and community.

And when you hear how others have successfully navigated challenges that you are currently facing, it really does open up new possibilities. So group coaching also offers really good value making, professional development accessible at a lower price point than one-to-one coaching.

It's particularly beneficial to those who learn well through discussion and benefit from hearing multiple perspectives. So let's have a look at how group coaching differs from team coaching. There's an important distinction.

Team coaching involves working with an intact team, people who work together already or are soon to work together within the same organization. The focus isn't just on individual development, but on improving team dynamics, alignment and collective performance.

In team coaching, we address the team as a system looking at communication patterns, decision making processes, role clarity, and how the team functions together. It's about helping the team develop shared goals, build trust, and improve their collective effectiveness. One key difference is confidentiality in one-to-one and group coaching.

What's shared remains completely confidential. In team coaching, the focus is on open communication within the team context, building transparency rather than privacy. The outcomes tend to differ as well. One-to-one coaching focuses on your personal leadership development, whereas group coaching combines personal development with the benefits of peer insights.

And then team coaching aims for team level improvements in performance communication and collaboration. So you might be thinking which approach is right for you. If you are facing specific leadership challenges and want dedicated support to address them, then one-to-one coaching might be your best option.

If you value learning from peers while still focusing on your own development group coaching could be ideal. And if your entire team needs to improve how they work together, team coaching would be the appropriate choice. Many leaders actually benefit from a combination of approaches at different stages of their development journey.

Regardless of the format, all coaching shares some common elements. It tends to be forward looking and solution focused. Coaching also provides a space for reflection That's often missing in busy professional lives. It combines support with appropriate challenge. It's not just a nice chat, and it's also confidential, with the exception being if there's risk of harm or when you're in a team environment, and ultimately it's about unlocking your potential rather than telling you what to do.

So what can you expect to gain from coaching? Well, leaders I've worked with report greater confidence, improved relationships with their teams, better stress management, clearer strategic thinking, and really the enhanced ability to navigate really complex challenges. Perhaps the most significant outcome is increased self-awareness.

Research consistently shows that self-awareness is such a critical factor in leadership success. Yet I'm afraid to say like Linda, the bad manager. It's something that many leaders lack. Coaching provides a mirror that helps you see your blind spots, understand your impact on others,

and align your intentions with your actions. A final note on getting the most from coaching. Be willing to be vulnerable. The more open you are about your challenges and uncertainties, the more value you'll gain.

Come prepared to each session with reflections on what you've tried since our last meeting and really be willing to experiment with new approaches between sessions.

Coaching isn't about being perfect, it's about continuous growth and development. And the most successful coaching clients are those who embrace the process with curiosity and commitment.

So in summary then, I'd like you to remember these points one-to-one Coaching provides dedicated support to your unique leadership challenges.

Group coaching offers the benefit of peer perspective and collective wisdom.

Team coaching focuses on improving collective performance and team dynamics. All types of coaching tend to be forward looking. They are confidential unless they're in that team setting. We talked about

And absolutely focused on unlocking potential. The greatest benefits come when you approach coaching with openness and commitment. That's all for today's episode of How to Lead.

Until next time, keep leading with clarity, care, and curiosity. If you've enjoyed this episode, please do follow for more leadership insights and remember. If you'd like my personal support, take a look at my website, www.waterfall hill.co.uk. For more information about my one-to-one coaching and the newly accredited Leadership Accelerator premium program, there's never been a better time to take your professional development seriously than right this minute.

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