Individual Performance Coaching for Teachers and School Leaders

For some months now the Enfys Acumen has been promoting a performance coaching programme for teachers and school leaders. During October 2007, two major developments have taken place.

Firstly, I have started delivering a coaching programme for a primary school teacher in Monmouthshire. Funded entirely by a grant from the General Teaching Council for Wales, the coaching programme for this teacher is focusing on issues that have been agreed with the school's headteacher.

Secondly, I have been recruited as an associate of Dysg, the Welsh Assembly Government division focusing on on improving the quality of teaching and learning in the post-14 education and training sector.

Headteachers and teachers interested in introducing performance coaching in their schools are encouraged to read this extract from an Enfys Acumen information sheet:

What is coaching?

Generically, coaching is a form of support for individuals as they decide what they want to achieve in their career, relationships, health, finances - in fact any area of their lives. Coaching has developed from the stages of mentoring and guiding to empower people to make decisions about their lives and to support them whilst taking the necessary action to achieve what they decide they want.

In a professional setting like a school, an independent coach can reflect ideas, evoke solutions and support their implementation in a way that few organisational insiders could ever do. Individual or one-to-one coaching is ideal to work with a person who wants to develop themselves on issues that are unique to themselves. Individual coaching is the best choice in the following scenarios:

· support for a new member of staff or a recently promoted teacher or manager. Research suggests that 1 in 8 workers resign before getting to grips with a new role and the average worker needs a minimum of 5 months to become competent in a new job. Competency in a role is usually directly related to the levels of confidence felt. Coaching increases individual confidence and therefore reduces the time needed for competency to occur

· to provide extra recognition to high achievers and a school’s future leaders

· to help an individual meet key performance indicators

· to assist an individual to increase their confidence in their role

· support for an individual who has non-work related issues that are affecting his/her performance

What are the benefits of coaching?

· coaching enables people to find clarity in a situation where currently they feel unsure of what is the 'next step' to take

· coaching helps people to find their best decision making state of mind so that they can trust their choices and move forward without doubt

· coaching helps people with strategies to achieve what they want

· coaching gives people a support mechanism to stretch them out of their comfort (or discomfort!) zone

· coaching gives people someone to help maintain motivation on action where they might previously have given up

How does coaching take place?

Coaching sessions last between 60 and 90 minutes. These can be either face-to-face or more usually, over the telephone.

Having a series of coaching sessions is ideal because this enables people to build up momentum to be empowered to continue with their action plans after the coaching sessions finish. We suggest that booking a series of 4 coaching sessions is a good starting point. 10 sessions tend to be the average.

How to introduce coaching into your school?

Organisations that are most successful at introducing coaching have been found to introduce coaching throughout their organisations. Very importantly, having senior management support when implementing coaching greatly increases the success of coaching initiatives in the workplace.

Fifty per cent of UK Companies now have coaching initiatives within their organisations.

How much does coaching cost?

Single session	Block of 4 sessions	Block of 6 sessions	Block of 10 sessions
£100	£360	£480	£750

NB A grant is currently available from the General Teaching Council for coaching. Additional discounts available for contracts to coach more than one member of staff

About the Enfys Acumen Coach

Nigel Griffiths is the founder of The Enfys Acumen and has been coaching for most of the last 20 years, but he admits that he hadn’t realised that’s what it was called until relatively recently. And now regularly receives coaching himself!

He initially qualified as a teacher in special education and after a couple of years teaching became a manager and developer of voluntary services. Starting from humble beginnings he rose through the ranks to the role of chief executive of a national charity with resources worth £4.5m and doubled the staff team in a three year period.

Nigel has always been committed to personal development. In 1998 he was awarded an MSc in Interprofessional Studies and more recently an Advanced Diploma in Marketing for Coaches. In order to enhance his skills he is currently working towards diplomas in Personal Performance Coaching and Executive and Management Coaching, both with Europe’s top Coaching Academy. Nigel is an avid reader of management theory and theology.

Nigel was born and bred in Holyhead, North Wales and is semi-fluent in Welsh. He has lived in Newport, South Wales since 1984 (except for 2 years “missionary work” in Shropshire, England in the late 1980s). He actively supports his children’s leisure activities and is a leader in the Scout Movement (CRB checked).

For larger coaching projects, the Enfys Acumen works with a core group of qualified/respected and experienced coaches.

Plan Your Perfect Christmas Now

As the shops begin to display their full ranges of seasonal gift ideas, they are putting plans into action that were formulated almost a year ago. For many of us, Christmas is a last minute rush and an expensive time of rampant consumerism and materialism.

So at the Enfys Acumen, we believe this is a good time to start planning your own perfect Christmas. Not in a materialistic sense, but in a sense that is measured by contentment and satisfaction.

In a few one-hour telephone conversations, at weekly intervals, I invite you to review where you are now and where you want to be in the future. Together we can create a strategy for getting to where you want to be and define the actions that will produce the desired results.

I’m always keen to point out however that a coach is simply the catalyst. It is the you, the client who makes the decisions and the commitment. For a great many of my clients, the weekly reporting back of progress is the spur that keeps them on target.

A lot of Christmas stress results from people trusting to luck that ‘everything will be alright’ rather than taking control and ensuring that they actually make everything as they want it to be.

I frequently ask my clients,

“What would you choose to do in your life if you could do absolutely anything with no limitations, no prospect of failure and no accountability to anyone?”

I am no longer surprised when clients answer this innocent question with a long list of what they don’t want to do. It seems to be a natural reaction. I don’t let them off the hook that easily. I listen and keep returning to the positive side of the question. Eventually I will get them to admit to themselves, and often this is for the first time, what it is that they really want to do. This awareness can be the best Christmas present that you can give to yourself.

It is nowhere near as selfish as it sounds either. My clients discover that, once they have a plan for their life and achievements and are working towards its fulfilment, all the other areas of their lives improve as well. Partners, relatives and colleagues alike notice a new sense of purpose, a new enthusiasm and a contagious happiness.

You may not be able to wrap all this up in pretty paper but even so, its value is beyond measure.

I am always happy to discuss this or other aspects of my approach to coaching, absolutely free of any cost or obligation. You can contact me during usual office hours on 01633 769657 or by email anytime.

Use These Longer Evenings

If, like me, you lead an active outdoor life you will think of the autumn dusk as coming too early and making your evenings shorter. If you spend much of your time indoors you will see them as longer evenings.

The hours of darkness are the same for everyone. It is only your perception of them that is different. As a professional coach I notice that no two people see the world
in exactly the same way. The art of achieving success in life is to ensure that you see every challenge or opportunity in its most positive light - and this is a great time of year to start doing this.

In a few one-hour telephone conversations, at weekly intervals, I invite my clients to review where they are now and where they want to be in the future. Together we create a strategy for getting to where they want to be and define the actions that will produce the desired results. As I always say, moving from dreaming to action.

I am quick to point out that as the coach, I am simply the catalyst. It is the client who makes the decisions and the commitment. For a great many, the weekly reporting back of progress is the spur that keeps them on target.

Many of us are too busy working at earning a living to actually take time out for living fully. I begin by asking a client,

‘What would you choose to do in your life if you could do absolutely anything with no limitations, no prospect of failure and no accountability to anyone?’

I am no longer surprised when clients answer this innocent question with a long list of what they don’t want to do. It seems to be a natural reaction. I don’t let them off the hook that easily. I listen and keep returning to the positive side of the question. Eventually I will get them to admit to themselves, and often this is for the first time, what it is that they really want to do.

Coaching is a painless procedure that seeks to eliminate limitations, ensure success and allow individuals to take personal responsibility for their own lives.

Some clients are amazed at how liberated they feel when they realise that they can and should take control over their own lives. Too many just go with the flow and respond to the pressures of what others think they should do. With coaching they can change from this ‘victim’ mentality to one of ‘victor’ thinking. And anyone can do it.

I am always happy to discuss this or other aspects of my approach to coaching, absolutely free of any cost or obligation.

Achieve Your Business Results Through Executive Coaching That Yields a 500% Plus ROI

The following is an article by Leanne Hoagland Smith that she has very kindly allowed me to reproduce – it really does speak for itself

What if you could have a 500% plus return for very pound that you invested in your employees? What would that mean for your business? Possibly right now you are thinking that this is not possible and even if it was, any business owner would jump at the chance for such an incredible investment?

First, it is true. So begin looking for that jump rope. According to a recent report by MetrixGlobal for a Fortune 500 company, executive coaching provided a 529% return on investment. This report is supported by other research including Dell Computers. Half of the 761 senior managers at Dell Computer Corporation recently received executive coaching within a two-year time period. Dell has been actively monitoring these managers through pre-determined measurements. One of these criteria indicates that executives who received coaching tended to be promoted more often than those who were not coached.

If you are now convinced that coaching is a viable strategy to enhance your bottom line, then what do you need to do as a business owner to implement a coaching programme?

First, research any coach or coaching organisation that you are considering. Ask for specific references where measurable results were put in place prior to the coaching. The coaching should be results focused with clearly identifiable measurements. Also, coaching certification should not be a limiting factor as many certified coaches fail to earn even mid five figures. The determining factor should be about the results that the coach has delivered with his or her clients.

Second, look for a coaching programme that works with your company and can be quickly and affordably aligned to your company’s culture. This curriculum should also be easily adapted to other training and development group sessions as well as to the different roles within the organization including Executive Leadership, Management, Supervision and Leadership.

Third, coaching is a personal relationship between the coach and the client. Your employees must feel comfortable with the coach. Some preliminary communication should take place with your employees before the implementation of a coaching program.

Fourth, the coaching curriculum should be structured, proven and provide numerous opportunities for application and feedback.

Fifth, everyone in the organisation needs to support and reinforce the coaching program. Management above those in the coaching programme must understand and be in agreement with the programme.

To be truly effective, an excellent coaching approach extends beyond the professional life into the personal life. For it is within each individual personally where the performance excellence evolves.

Coaching is a proven way to dramatically enhance your bottom line provided you incorporate at least these five strategies. By taking such action, you can achieve your goals quicker and leave your competition in the dust. That is unless of course they decide to enact a coaching initiative before you do. So what are you waiting for?

It's a small world - please can you help?

Earlier this year the Enfys Acumen, made a social responsibility commitment to put aside up to two days every month to provide charitable organisations that could not otherwise afford our professional fees with pro bono organisational development support (Click here for more information). This initiative has proved to be most satisfying, both for us and the people who have received our support.

One of the charities that has asked us for this help is called Aid for Orphans and the Disabled (AFOD) and is from the Gambia in West Africa.

The charity is registered with the Gambian government and started its work about three years ago. We have received endorsements from international aid agencies in the area that are familiar with the organisation, but do not have the resources to support AFOD themselves. Over the last few weeks, we have been exchanging regular emails and have had a number of telephone calls, including a mini workshop by phone at our expense to clarify the support needs of the charity. Communications of this nature, although wonderful in so many ways, are hampered by the fact that the only email access my main contact has is at an internet café and due to a poor telephone network, calls tend to cut out every few minutes or so.

Let me tell you a bit more

The Gambia is one of Africa's smallest countries and unlike many of its West African neighbours has enjoyed long spells of political stability since independence. This stability has not translated into prosperity however. Despite the presence of the Gambia river, which runs through the middle of the country, only one-sixth of the land is arable and poor soil quality has led to the predominance of one crop - peanuts. The population of the Gambia is 1.5 million and the country covers an area of 4,360 square miles - both are about half that of Wales, my home country.

The extent and effects of the AIDS virus in Africa are well documented and no doubt we are all aware that the majority of people with the disease can be found in Africa. The Gambia is equally affected by the AIDS epidemic and currently over 20,000 of the population of this small country are infected. AIDS tends to affect people between the ages of 15 and 49 years - the time when people should be most productive and have the greatest economic and familial responsibilities. The orphans of AIDS victims and disabled people in most of Africa are very much the poorest of the poor.

What about AFOD?

AFOD is based in Bundung Borehole on the outskirts of Serrekunda, the largest conurbation in the Gambia. The charity’s aims are to address the social needs of orphaned children and disabled people in the area. With very little statutory support for these people like we have in the UK, their plight is very much in the hands of other people in the community, but unfortunately prejudice and stigma remains high. A recent survey carried out by AFOD has shown that in their own local community alone there are nearly 1000 people who are orphaned children or disabled. Some of the greatest challenges are concerned with:

• Education - most orphaned children and disabled people miss out on educational opportunities not because of academic reasons, but because of financial reasons: they cannot afford fees, transport to school, books, uniform and shoes. With very little practical skills, they quite often become street beggars with no hope for a future

• Nutrition - many orphaned and disabled children experience a very limited diet. Research has shown that many such children only have one meal a day, consequently they are at greater risk of other illnesses and early death

• Health - in addition to AIDS, other illnesses like malaria, headaches, stomach problems and fevers are rife especially amongst AFOD’s target groups. Medicines are expensive and many orphaned children and disabled people simply cannot get to health centres because they cannot afford transport costs.

Why is the Enfys Acumen supporting AFOD?

No doubt just like us, you are bombarded with appeal letters from dozens of very worthwhile charities. At the Enfys Acumen we are supporting a number of other charities, both with pro bono professional services and as volunteers and donors, so what is special about AFOD?

What has really attracted us to support AFOD is that it was formed and is led by young people who are working together to try to improve quality of life in their community. Their passion for wanting to make a difference is so encouraging and equally important is that they are not really looking for handouts, but rather the help to develop their skills and resources to move from dreaming to action. They want to be in a position to improve their lot themselves.

AFOD currently has the use of some premises with limited office equipment and is run by one paid member of staff, Lamin Fofanah - a truly genuine young man, with a fantastic sense of vision and a commitment to hard work to benefit his community. There is a membership of thirty people and most of the current funds are raised from holding monthly dances.

Activities to date have included an education opportunity addressing malaria; raising community awareness of the issues faced by orphans and disabled people, specifically targeted at addressing cultural stereotypes and beliefs relating to these people; and sponsoring orphaned and disabled children through the school system.

The needs of orphans and disabled people are huge and to be fair, there is so much that Lamin and AFOD would like to achieve, that up to now they have been trying to be all things to all people.

This is where the Enfys Acumen can really help and make a difference

As an organisational development and coaching practice we work with all kinds of organisations and businesses to clarify their goals, determine the values behind what they do, be specific about their starting point and agree the action steps to achieve what they want to achieve. This is exactly the kind of help that AFOD needs. Current ideas from the AFOD team include developing training and workshop facilities to help orphans and disabled people to lift them selves out of the despondency their circumstances so often put them in. They would like to establish a micro finance scheme to provide the basic equipment people might need to set up their own business ventures. AFOD really wants to develop the capacity to create new opportunities for orphans and disabled people. The Enfys Acumen is prepared to make a long term commitment at our expense to provide organisational development and coaching support to AFOD, but to truly get the ball rolling and help key people on the right to track, we have been advised that it would be beneficial to spend ten days or so, working with AFOD in the Gambia to develop plans and strategies.

How can you help?

As you will be aware the Enfys Acumen is a new business, we have only been trading since last year. However we are driven by a strong sense of wanting to make a difference in the world and these days our community is very much a global community, is it not?

We are more than prepared to make the time available to help AFOD in the Gambia, but unfortunately the costs of doing so will be considerable, specifically the costs of travel and subsistence expenses when we are out there. If the Enfys Acumen could actually spend time with AFOD in Gambia, we would be able to:

• Support the charity to create a development plan that will ensure they create the kind of services that are needed most, will be able to demonstrate to other members of the community and funding bodies that they really do mean business and consequently ensure greater support

• Create strategies for fundraising and marketing to secure the resources needed to take things forward - remember winners have 2 things: definite goals and burning desire to achieve them

• Provide community capacity building training for other people and projects in their community

• Set up a focussed email/telephone coaching process for Lamin Fofanah and possibly other key personnel to ensure the sustainability of AFOD’s work in the long term

Please pledge a donation or sponsorship

We see our work as an investment in the future of AFOD and would like you to also invest in improving the quality of life of some of the most vulnerable people in the world today. The fact that you are still reading this eBrief suggests that you might be driven by some of the same motivations as we are at the Enfys Acumen, you might not be able to offer the same kind of practical support that we can offer, but you can still help to make a difference.

We would really like you to pledge either a personal donation or some business sponsorship as a contribution to the costs of our social responsibility work with AFOD in the Gambia. We just need to raise funds to cover our travel and accommodation costs, remember the time will be given at our expense. At this point in time we only need to raise a further £300 to enable us to get to the Gambia.

Just think about this for a moment...

• A return flight to Banjul in the Gambia will cost approximately £550

• Accommodation in a guest house local to AFOD will cost about £40 per night

Why should you support the Enfys Acumen's work?

With one hand we are trying to appeal to your altruistic nature. We want you to feel the buzz of satisfaction and warm glow that giving money to improve someone else's quality of life gives us all.

But on the other hand…

• We have so much that we take for granted in our culture, wouldn’t it be great if you really could do something that would improve quality of life in another culture that is not as well off as we are in the UK

• There is plenty of evidence out there that to those who give, even greater abundance will be returned

• If a business or organisation pledges to sponsor us for £50 or more we will provide a framed certificate and photograph of our activities to display in your premises, supporting your own social responsibility endeavours.

• Perhaps we could work together in the future on developing a social responsibility commitment in your business or organisation.

Why a pledge?

If we don’t raise what we need to be able to get to the Gambia, we simply will not be able to provide AFOD with the kind of service they really need. We don’t want you to hand any money over unless we can be sure that we will get all that we need to provide AFOD with the required support.

Please make a pledge, when we reach our target of we will come back to you to ask you to actually make the donation.

I look forward to hearing from you soon, if you want to do so, please make your pledge within the next few days so that we can benefit from cheaper flights and the time available.