Employing the right blend for coaching

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Every individual is different and methods and techniques that work for one person may not be appropriate for another. Coaching can help all kinds of people to focus their careers and identify where their strengths lie. Every Coach has their own style and knows what works and what doesn’t, when it comes to helping an individual reach their full potential.  But in the current work environment, is a blended delivery style the way forward, to deliver the best service and most effective results?

A conventional approach

To truly engage with a client who is undertaking coaching, it’s important to make sure the delivery of the coaching is suitable for them. The conventional way to deliver coaching was via in-person, face-to-face sessions.

The in-person approach is ideal for fully understanding the personality and capabilities of the Coach’s client. You get a much better sense of someone’s character, their presence, confidence, strengths, and so on. But now, with ever more employees requesting – or being encouraged/forced into – working from home, a more blended delivery approach is now required.

Adopting new tech

For a variety of reasons, staff are increasingly working from home or adopting a hybrid work pattern.  Many companies are downsizing their office space, while others are recognising the myriad advantages of staff working in a hybrid model of home and office. The increasing prominence of online meeting and communication platforms for everyday office business – the deployment of Google Teams, Zoom and other tech – has allowed a much greater focus on efficiency and productivity. There’s no commute and preamble to an online meeting, so business can be discussed, in theory, at a greater pace. In coaching too, remote learning has become a great way to undergo training and guidance.

Connected coaching

Setting up online meetings for coaching should perhaps not be carried out from the outset. The initial contact ideally should still be in person, but the remote aspects of coaching can conserve resources, such as time and money, in the long term. It also, of course, means that distance is no object, when it comes to the coach-client relationship. Coaches can engage with and guide anyone, anywhere in the world. The content of the coaching will remain the same, but the mode of its delivery will change.

A combination of these two methods means that coaching can still be ‘fit for purpose’ and deliver high-quality, expert advice, whilst embracing the latest technological advances, work practices and approaches. This ensures that both client and coach reap the benefits of this 21st Century blend of coaching.

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Something to prove

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What separates one candidate from another? When we’re looking to advance our careers and move onwards and/or upwards, we strive to make ourselves appear an ideal candidate for our new role. We can do this a number of ways – via contacts on LinkedIn or other social media, researching the business and sector, filling in application forms. But our main tool in this is our CV. How it is written, how it is presented, is crucial from differentiating us from other candidates. But it is just words and qualifications. How can we prove beyond that, that we are the ideal candidate for the role?

Spot the difference

It’s interesting when you look at two comparable candidates on paper. You’re up for a role against someone who has exactly the same qualifications and experience as you for a single job. How do you make yourself appealing, so that the interviewer or manager can make a judgement call in your favour? How do you prove yourself when the margins are tight? Connections online that align with the new firm are a good indicator that you’d be a good fit with the company – online business platforms such as LinkedIn or local business groups or forums can help with this. But when it comes to any kind of in-person contact with your prospective employers, you have to make an impression. It’s somehow proving what you’ve achieved against that job description, rather than simply carrying out the requirements of a job description.  You have to be able to demonstrate the value you add to an organisation, which is usually about the bottom line – how will the organisation become more successful, and therefore increase their profits, as a result of hiring you?

Proving yourself

You can demonstrate this in a CV to a certain extent – think of our recent blog where we talked about using STAR to show how we overcame challenges in practical situations. But part of this too is the added value, the over-and-above bonus you can bring to the company, its team and ethos. Take the example of a marketing manager. The job description may include such elements as developing strategy, writing and posting social media posts, writing and issuing press releases, conducting interviews, creating web copy or physical literature, such as fliers or brochures. But the remit is cast much further than that – to include personal communication skills, the day-to-day operation of the business, managing staff, managing clients, and having a deep and plausible knowledge of a number of sectors. It’s not just getting a marketing degree and some work experience writing copy.

If you’re able to demonstrate and prove your value to the business in more ways than your CV, then you’re more than halfway there. There are additional elements, such as how you present yourself visually, your personability, posture and manner, that will also feed into your business persona. But as long as the interviewers like you and feel that you would be a good fit in their organisation, you’ve got the job!

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The genuine article – authenticity

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It is often the case that we behave and interact slightly differently to our ‘normal’ selves with colleagues at work. This is not that unusual, as often we don’t know our work colleagues as well as we do our friends. It’s a bit like having a ‘telephone voice’. It’s you, but a bit more well-spoken. Perhaps this has now been supplanted by having a ‘Zoom’ or ‘Teams’ manner – how you behave when you’re using an online meetings platform. However, authenticity is a very important part of your working life and your work persona shouldn’t be forced or ‘an act’. When it comes to business relationships, the name of the game is authenticity.

Being true to you

I always deem authenticity to be particularly important when taking part in job interviews. It’s a word that has been in the dictionary for centuries, but authenticity is being used more and more in relation to how people should present themselves to others. Being your authentic self means trying not to mould yourself to meet other people’s expectations, which we can often try and do when attending a job interview, for example.  If we don’t present ourselves according to our skills and personality, it could be that we become a wrong fit in the company, which wouldn’t be beneficial to anyone. It’s entirely counterproductive to secure a position at a firm by convincing them you’re the ideal candidate for the job, when in your heart you know that’s not the case.

A balancing act

Think about how you present yourself, your ‘public persona’ if you like. Many people feel the need to ‘conform’, to be very much part of the mould, to meet others’ expectations. And some people are scared to be seen as too different. But one person’s ‘different’ is to another person an innovator. In an interview situation, it’s a balancing act between being yourself and ensuring your potential employers like what they see – without trying to be someone else. Speak well, clearly and concise, but don’t overdo it, by overenunciating words, or using terminology or jargon that you wouldn’t normally use in conversation – you’ll only get caught out, when you don’t know what they mean.

Be the best you are

In an interview situation, there’s a big difference between being confident and being overconfident. Importantly, if you have pre-rehearsed a couple of answers, don’t make them sound too trite. Retain a natural delivery and not speak as though you’re trotting out an opinion, parrot-fashion. Retain what makes you ‘you’, and play to your strengths. If you feel you are the kind of person who is a little shyer and more reserved, then it helps to have some practiced responses to stock questions you may be asked. This will give you confidence and in its own way allow you to be more yourself in the interview, despite your nerves. Authenticity is something that is impossible to fake however and people will know if someone is being insincere, or even misleading. Being yourself means that an interviewer can assess your personality fit for their culture as well as you being able to assess them. That is, as long as they’re being authentic with you too, of course!

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A STAR-ing role – the use of STAR in CVs

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There are many different ways to approach writing a CV and in some respects, it depends on your own strengths as to which road you go down. One popular method of CV collation is the use of STAR in CVs. This way allows you to demonstrate your practical aptitude for the role, with examples of how you have surmounted challenges and approached your work in similar arenas in the past.

STAR is an acronym for Situation, Task, Action and Result, a process that can also be used to answer interview questions about past employment. In this way, an initial situation can be seen to have a positive outcome, with the process explaining how the goal was reached. It’s a great way to show what you are capable of and how you have used your skillset in specific situations.

A STAR is born

The four-part process can easily be applied to CV writing. Before you begin, look at the job description and the requirements the potential employer is looking for. Think about how well suited you are to the role and see whether your CV can be tweaked to show your skills for the role. Think too about instances in your own career where you have shined. Instances that show how you have used your key skills, intuition and experience to address challenges that would be applicable in the role you are seeking.

Then use the STAR methodology in the skills section of your CV. Choose three or four key skills that are essential to the role that you’d like to showcase and create some written responses around them in the STAR style – imagine you’re answering interview questions about yourself and write your responses down. So instead of simply listing out your skills in the workplace, you create a series of bullet points, with illustrative examples.

Applying the science

As you write your career history in your CV, rather than just reiterating your previous job descriptions – use your SITUATION (your role and its part in the wider team/company).

Then choose a TASK or series of tasks you carried out in that role that demonstrate what your role consisted of – for example a large project you headed-up, or an initiative you introduced.

You can then elaborate with the specific ACTION you took during the process. This will highlight your input and how your steered the project, or managed a team, or contributed to the design, or however you worked within the remit.

Finally, demonstrate your ability with the RESULT and show how you contributed to the positive outcome. This can be carried out for each of your former jobs, where pertinent experience to the application can be demonstrated. It’s particularly important to qualify as much as possible the benefits to the organisation that your examples have given.  For example, did the task you performed increase sales, efficiencies, profitability, staff engagement?  Can you quote figures and percentages?

A practical approach

Many applicants find that STAR allows them to demonstrate their value in real terms, in real-life situations. It also allows you to go into a few specifics of detail, with the context of the details clearly outlined – for example, rather than simply noting ‘good team worker’ demonstrate how you work well within a team.

If you think this practical approach may be beneficial to you, have a go yourself. Choose one of your past job situations and create a STAR analysis of the salient points where you were successful in the role, following the STAR subheadings process. Candidates using the STAR method find this linear approach gives them focus and structure when pulling their CV together, to create a body of writing that both reflects their experiences but will also be attractive to potential employers.

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Sharing advice

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I was recently asked to contribute to a local business magazine called VOX about the best piece of advice I could share with other business owners. It got me thinking about all the great advice I have been given – or shared – over the years since I set up my business over a decade ago.

I certainly had a wealth of insight to choose from, but what I shared with the magazine was the following:

“Create and develop your business through building great relationships, be authentic and deal with like-minded people. People don’t like to be ‘sold’ to. Your product or service will sell itself at the right time, to the right client if they know and trust you.”

In this instance I was limited to a word count, but my quote felt like good advice and something I have kept in mind throughout my time running Career Evolution. However, I would also have liked to add, that sometimes, the right thing to do, is to turn business away.  To any business – young or old – out there, this sounds anathema, but it is sound advice as it is imperative that you remain true to your service and its value, and you work with people and businesses where you can add real value and the benefits are mutual.

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Setting up office – the hybrid model

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In many instances, the ‘hybrid’ model has emerged as the most prevalent way of working, if your role has been traditionally office-based. This involves a merging of working from home and working in the office, with specific days allotted to both each week. It has been welcomed by many as allowing staff a much great degree of work-life balance, and the flexibility of the system can help things like commute times and fuel consumption. But it can also become a headache for managers, when they are left in the dark as to who is working where, and when.

A structured approach

Which days are worked in each location can be a flexible arrangement – with days decided on a week-on-week basis – or it can have more structure. The structured approach can be more important in larger firms, where organisation for access to the building and to desk space may require greater thought – especially if social distancing measures are needed occasionally, due to employee numbers. This can be especially true of health locations, such as GP’s surgeries or consultancies, where there is a degree of mixing between office-based staff and the general public.

Time and Space

The ‘new’ hybrid working method, which for some savvy workers has already been part of their work routine for many years, has impacted businesses in all kinds of ways. It’s made managers think about their office space, their best use of their resources and if indeed the same degree of office space is needed. Staff can be allotted certain days to be in the office, to log into a specialist computer system for example, that they cannot access at home, but these visits can be scheduled not to overlap with other staff. In this way, a more ‘hot desk’ approach may work best – with desk space used by many individuals, with no set ‘placements’. Of course, this will lead to an end of the personalised desk tradition, but will perhaps result in tidier offices.

Making connections

Working from home necessitates a much more coherent approach to technology across businesses too. With everyone familiar with online meeting tools and platforms, it’s easy to keep in touch with staff, whilst also allowing them the freedom to work at home, managing their own workloads, at their own pace. Of course, some general rules still apply – such as working hours and the times of day you’re getting you work done. There’s no point working until three in the morning if your job requires you to interact with other businesses in normal working hours on UK time.

Virtually working anywhere

Often the hybrid model has not only seen an increase in productivity, but also an unconscious increase in working hours. Closing the door to the office on a Friday for the weekend can be difficult, if the ‘office’ is also your kitchen or lounge. On the whole however, the hybrid model has been welcomed in most quarters and when it works, it works very well indeed. There needs to be a degree of trust and faith on both sides – both managers and employees – but as long as the safeguards are in place, the hybrid model is well and truly here to stay.

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Top tips for acing that interview

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An interview for a new role is almost as likely to be carried out remotely, as it is to be a face-to-face affair these days. However, whichever it is there are still things you can do – or be aware of – to help ensure that you make a positive impression on the interviewer.

Do your homework

Time on research into the company you are being interviewed by, and the job role you are going for, is time well spent. Not only is it useful insight to help you prepare for the interview, but it should also give you an indication as to whether it’s the type of business you would like to work for. Make a note of some questions you would like to ask about the business in your interview, as it shows that you have taken the time to find out about the company and are genuinely interested in the role and what you can bring to it. Also have a think about how your experience and background can be of benefit to the business. If you can show transferable skills or a knowledge of the industry, these will all help your case.

Be prepared

If the interview is taking place in person, make sure you know how you will get to the interview in advance. Whether you need to use public transport or are planning on driving to the interview, make sure you allow yourself enough time to arrive in plenty of time. Bear in mind the time of day you will be travelling and factor in rush-hour traffic if necessary. If your interview is online, make sure that you are set up in plenty of time in a quiet location, and have checked that your equipment – microphone and camera in particular – is all working correctly.

Linking up

If you are given your interviewer’s name before the interview, it is well worth looking them up on LinkedIn to see who you will be meeting. While they might not appreciate an invite request from a potential candidate, most people will appreciate knowing you have bothered to find out about them in advance.

Dressing up, dressing down

The issue of what to wear is a sticking point for many people. Dress code in the workplace is possibly harder now than it ever has been. Many companies these days go for a far more informal dress code than they have done in the past and employees are, if not encouraged to express themselves through their choice of clothes, certainly not penalised for doing so. However, at the interview stage, in most cases it is still advisable to dress smartly, even if the ‘uniform’ will ultimately be jeans and trainers.

Don’t freeze

It can happen to any of us at any time, your brain goes blank, and it can be a struggle to remember your name, let alone answer a question. If it happens during an interview, don’t panic. Take a breath and ask the interviewer to repeat the question. If you need a few moments of thinking time, that is OK too – unless of course the question is ‘what is your name?’!

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Dropped out of what?

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I hugely dislike the term ‘dropped out’.  Whilst my outplacement work is largely with people who are established in their careers rather than students and young people, I hear a lot of stories about career ‘non-choices’ based on parents’ expectations and yes, sometimes real pressure.

When a young person finds they don’t like their degree course and decide to leave it, we often use terms like, ‘they dropped out of university’.  No, they didn’t ‘drop out’, they made a choice to change direction.

I had endless good-natured debates with my youngest during their school years. They were a classic scientist, whilst my love has always been languages.  We respected each other’s passions, diverse as they were.

They started a degree in Physics and Astrophysics.  They really started to dislike it and we’re not even going to start blaming remote learning because of the pandemic.  I wouldn’t capitulate easily and as they were in their second year, I felt that they should just ride their feelings out and get on with it.  It wasn’t happening though, and I could sense a change in personality.  They wanted to change to a degree in Illustration.  This total switch from science to arts was beyond me, but they demonstrated to the university that this was the right choice for them and started their new course in September (giving them two freshers’ years which I joked was possibly an incentive).

The university did two things which were hugely supportive. The first was that the Head of Illustration said she would be interested to see what their physics learnings would bring to their work. Secondly, they received a certificate for their first year’s studies in Physics and Astrophysics.  All in all, lots of learning, with some pain and concern on all parts, but overall – so positive.  Some people would call it dropping out…

(permission given by Alex to post this).

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Coaching for success

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We must not lose sight of the importance of coaching for success, regardless of whether someone is home working, or back in the office. We’ve all seen some drastic changes to our work routines over the last two years. As of February 2022, 20% of workers across the UK have not returned to the office full-time, while in London the figure is nearer 50%. But with the introduction of greater flexibility and hybrid working models, especially where office-based staff are concerned, have we seen a sea change in how careers develop also?

Productivity and success

Some things aren’t going to change. Even if we are going to be working from home, we are all going to undergo training and attend meetings. Our work still needs to deliver quality and we need to rise through the ranks and achieve greater responsibility and recognition, higher earnings, and more senior roles. And Coaches will still have a crucial role to play in that development. A Coach will help you improve your performance and enhance the skills you already have, to allow you to play to your strengths to become productive, informed and successful.

Unconscious learning

There’s really no substitute for working in an actual office in some respects.  We all know how much we absorb unconsciously in a work environment. It’s much easier to ask a quick question in person, rather than type out a lengthy email. It’s important that that element of work – the quick tip, the hive minds group chat to crack a problem – which is very difficult to replicate with remote working with quite the same spontaneity and efficiency, is not lost. We learn an awful lot from our colleagues, whether we realise it or not. But the need remains for external guidance and specialist knowledge too.

Navigating the new landscape

In other words, the role of a Coach is unchanged in this new business landscape. The methods and the media for delivering this learning and coaching to clients may change – it may be that the remote working model will remain, inasmuch as coaching sessions can be caried out remotely. But this is actually a positive. It means high-quality coaching can be beneficial to anyone, regardless of their location, and can be delivered to that location, without losing its impact. And of course, where possible, face to face coaching sessions and mentoring will quickly become the norm again, as there’s nothing quite like actually meeting someone in person, to understand their true personality – their strengths, weaknesses, their confidence and demeanour. But whether they are working from home, or in the office, it’s imperative that everyone’s needs are recognised, and their career goals addressed.

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Getting your message across

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Regardless of whether you are networking in real life or on Zoom, interviewing for your dream job, presenting your message to a room full of people or just in a one-to-one with a direct report or your line manager, it’s important to remember that what you are saying is just one part of a much bigger story.

Everything from how you hold yourself, to your facial expression and level of eye contact all have an impact on the message that your audience hears. In fact, it might surprise you to know that findings from some studies show that up to 93% of communication takes place via nonverbal cues. The validity of this percentage has been questioned over the years, but the fact remains that whatever the actual figure is, nonverbal communication forms a significant part of understanding what is being said and the meaning behind it.

What does verbal communication cover?

Even verbal communication is not just the words that you use. It also includes your tone – serious or informal, its pitch – high or low, how fast you talk and how loudly or quietly, also the clarity of the way the words are spoken and the overall tempo. Each element provides clues to the listener about the content of the communication.

Nonverbal clues

However, the nonverbal cues – or body language – that you share consciously or subconsciously helps provide the rest of the story. These cues can include many things from facial expressions, eye contact and posture, through to gestures, body movements and the physical cues such as space and touch – handshakes and hugs for example.

Remember to smile

One of the most powerful and positive nonverbal cues is your smile. Indeed, it is often stated that people can usually hear a smile in your voice even if they can’t see your face. When they can, a natural smile and good eye contact can have a huge impact. But don’t feel like to you have to maintain eye contact continuously though, it might start to become unnerving for both of you!

It is also important that your verbal and nonverbal communications are aligned, as if the words being spoken are not supported by the way you present yourself, you are providing your audience with a mixed message, which will ultimately hinder their understanding. So next time you are preparing to engage with someone or a group of people, think about the message you are trying to convey and ensure you give yourself the best chance of being understood.

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