If you are coaching or mentoring others, it is vitally important that you engage in regular supervision with a qualified supervisor. The International Coaching Federation describes supervision as “reflective learning and collaborative learning for the development and benefit of the coach and his or her clients” and serves the purpose of enabling the coach to develop skills, resolve problems that have arisen during practise, ensure coaches are practising ethically, and allowing the coach to gain necessary support from peers and more experienced coaches. It is also vital to receive regular Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in order to ‘keep your saw sharpened’ and further develop as a practitioner.
Royal Mail recognise the value of this. The postal service and courier company have been seeking to develop a coaching culture within their organisation by training and upskilling coaches throughout the business. To help embed this culture, Azure Consulting were asked to provide two Supervision and CPD events in London and Manchester, where new and experienced coaches could come together, share successes, exchange ideas and keep up the momentum generated during the initial programmes.
Participants of a recent ILM Level 5 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring programme undertaken within Royal Mail by Azure Consulting
The two CPD sessions concerned Positive Psychology and Self-Awareness, and both stimulated much interest, debate and discussion. Common issues raised during the Supervision sessions included whether coaching was the right intervention for particular situations and how to encourage resourcefulness in coachees. The Azure facilitators reported back on the success of the events, saying they thoroughly enjoyed the days and were impressed at the commitment shown by the coaches to developing the coaching culture within Royal Mail. Feedback from Royal Mail coaches was also very positive – “First class – I really learnt a lot”, “I learnt some very useful tools to put into practice”, and “Very well timed on my personal coaching journey” were some of the things participants told us following the events.
A Royal Mail coach collects her ILM Level 5 Certificate in Coaching and Mentoring at one of the CPD/Supervision sessions
Azure Consulting run regular open Supervision and an open CPD sessions throughout the year. The next one, a Supervision session and a CPD session focusing on “Dealing with Underperformance”, both on 15th December. Additionally, we are commencing an ILM Level 5 Certificate in Coaching & Mentoring with a Contracting Session on the 9th November and the programme running in December and January. Click here to contact us if you are interested in any of these programmes.
October 2017
