– by Nontokozo Mthembu
“Coaching in the workplace focuses on improving the skills of each employee, through setting goals, monitoring performance, and providing feedback. Good coaches make learning a positive experience, inspiring each individual to work hard and to their full potential.”
Tim Galloway
UKZN Extended Learning recently hosted managers from different organisations, on the Coaching for Managers training workshop. The workshop was held at our UEL premises, Howard College, gate 9. The facilitators for the day were the remarkable Management Coaches, Julie Elliott and Liz Witherspoon from Simplicity Coaching. The topics discussed included: self-awareness, mindfulness, coaching, and the Grow model.
During the training, the facilitators went in-depth on self-awareness using, the Johari Window model as a tool to improve on one’s self-awareness and mutual understanding between individuals within a group. This can be achieved by acknowledging one’s open area, blind area, hidden area and the unknown area.
Towards the end of the training session, delegates were given a task to assess themselves through a coaching skill practise, that took place in pairs. The task was for them to take turns to be the coach and coachee. The practice was to offer the delegates an opportunity to develop coaching and feedback skills within a specific time frame. Having to look at different aspects such as their long term goals, their current reality, the different options to consider to achieve the goal and the will in achieving the goal.
The training ended off, with a Q & A session and delegates had the opportunity to reflect on what they have learnt, and how they can implement the information obtained from the workshop within their workplaces.
After the training session one of the delegates gave their testimonials about the training:
“Thank you for the opportunity to attend the workshop. I learnt a lot from those few hours of interaction and it helped me reflect on somethings and I have practised more ‘mindfulness’ since then. I am also going to be able to separate coaching from mentoring and practice both, but with the consciousness of the differences and applying each only where and when needed. I believe my team members and I will benefit more from this in the long run”.
With such positive responses from our delegates, UEL is proud to offer useful skills development programmes such as these as they are essential in business and fast-changing environments. To learn more about Coaching for Managers Programme, please click here.
