1 - Ready, Set, Go..

A U S T R A L I A ’ S # 1 C O A C H I N G M A GSPORT AZINE

COACHINGLIFE S P ORT // B U S IN ES S // L IFE // S PEC I A LTY

READY, …

SET, GO ou

What y need to know to start coaching

launch issue

SHANE KELLY st From Gold Medali ch to Corporate Coa

ISSUE ONE/NOVEMBER 2015

$12.00 RRP (INC GST)

ISSN 2205-6963 01

9 772205 696005

www.coachinglife.com.au

plus…

DAVID PARKIN / SIMON CUSACK / SEAN DOUGLAS / LISA ALEXANDER / AND MUCH MORE

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED, TRY DOING WHAT YOUR COACH TOLD YOU TO DO THE FIRST TIME. 2 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

www.coachinglife.com.au

FROM THE EDITOR From its origins in slang, the word coach has become a true polyseme; many different but linked meanings. The word coach was originally a slang word used at Oxford University circa 1830 and referred to someone who ‘carried’ a student through their exams. Today, we would usually call this person a tutor.

These days, coaches are found in many fields outside academia. In a recent Coaching Life survey of 50 people in Brisbane, 76% of people described a coach as someone who motivates the kids at sport. 12% included a business role in their definition while only 4% included a life coach or other speciality.

2% described a large bus designed for taking trips to the casino. Although only 2 people included life coaching in their definition, there are an estimated 10,000 life coaches in Australia.

The reality is that sporting, business, life and other speciality coaches have much in common. Whether the goals are sporting domination, corporate longevity or personal growth, we are all trying to help our charges be the best they can be.

The biggest challenge I see for coaching is upholding levels of professionalism, standards and ethics. There are coaching bodies and organizations that have codes of ethics and member standards but these organisations are unregulated and with membership being optional, ethics and standards are variable.

To raise the image of coaching as a united community, we either need to regulate or educate. Regulation would mean that you couldn’t call yourself a coach unless you belonged to an association or regulatory body.

This strategy is fraught

www.coachinglife.com.au

»

with peril and does not warrant the overhead and dangers it presents. If regulation is not a viable option, then I see the answer is to EDUCATE. Coaching Life was created to help educate the coaches and wider public on the standards and practices that we as coaches wish to uphold. As coaches, we are a community rather than an association but I believe that we can still support and uplift each other, increase our knowledge and show the world what coaches can do.

It is with great pride that I present the first edition of Coaching Life. Born in Queensland, Australia, it is my ambition to take the format to the world and provide a platform for the coaching community that educates, informs and raises the coach profile.

Happy Coaching

Stewart Fleming ~ Editor /CoachingLifeMag @CoachingLifeMag /company/coaching-life-mag

COACHINGLIFE November 2015 ISSUE 1 Coaching Life is published 12 times a year. The magazine is your authoritative source for information on coaching in sport, business coaching, life coaching and everywhere else you find a coach.

Published By Operait Pty Ltd ABN 63 189 244 221 24 Leo Lindo Drive, Shailer Park, QLD 4128 Editor Stewart Fleming editor@coachinglife.com.au Advertising advertising@coachinglife.com.au Design Emma Mardaine - haven creative www.havencreative.com.au Printing & Distribution IPS

DISCLAIMER This publication is not medical or professional advice.

It is intended only to inform and illustrate. No reader should act on the information contained in this publication without first seeking professional advice that takes into account personal circumstances.

The publishers and editors give no representation and make no warranties, express or implied, with respect to the accuracy, completeness, currency or reliability of any of the materials contained and no correspondence will be entered into in relation to this publication by the publishers, editors or authors.

The publishers do not endorse any person, company, organisation or techniques mentioned in this publication unless expressly stated otherwise. The publishers do not endorse any advertisements or special advertising features in this publication, nor does the publisher endorse any advertiser(s) or their products/services unless expressly stated otherwise.

Articles are published in reliance upon the representation and warranties of the authors of the articles and without our knowledge of any infringement of any third parties copyright. The publishers and editors do not authorise, approve, sanction or countenance any copyright infringement.

The publication is protected under the Commonwealth Copyrights Act 1968 and may not, in whole or in part, be lent, copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable format without the express written permission of the publisher.

ISSN 2205-6963 Copyright Operait Pty Ltd All rights reserved.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 3

CONTENTS

24

8 16

20

12 SPORT COACHING

32

28 Coaching is a real career pathway and can be your

8 COVER STORY Three coaches to five Olympic Games. Shane’s amazing

calling.

Mitchell Hewitt, Head of Coach Education,

Tennis Australia

32 How Karate has benefited from a formal coaching

story comes full circle as he becomes a coach.

Shane Kelly OAM, 5 times Olympian

12 What I know at 73 that I wish I’d known at 30.

David Parkin OAM, All Australian AFL Coach

16 Coaching beyond the field of play. Five top tips that all

coaches can use.

Lisa Alexander, Australian Diamonds Netball Coach

20 Coaching royalty, Simon Cusack, shares his tips for

becoming an elite coach.

Simon Cusack, High Performance Coach, Swimming Australia

24 Do High Performance coaches measure up?

Coach evaluation and the team model may be the answer.

Sean Douglas – Head Coach, Football Federation Australia

4 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

methodology in Australia.

Michael Smith – NCAS Gold Coach, Karate Federation Australia

BUSINESS COACHING 36 Starting a Coaching Service Inside an Organisation.

We find out how Suncorp uses coaches.

Callan McDonnell – Head of Coaching, Suncorp Insurance

38 Coaching the boss and the boss’s boss.

What is Executive Coaching?

John Raymond – Principal at IECL

42 The Authentic Business Coach:

A Philosophical Reflection Dr Dion Klein, CEO of iPledg.com www.coachinglife.com.au

38 42

44

Five key questions to keep you at the top of your game.

Tarran Deane – President Professional Speakers Queensland

48 What people expect from a new coach.

The five benefits clients will be expecting.

Anthony Davis – Brightwater Business Consulting

LIFE COACHING 52 Nudging the dial of human consciousness.

Let’s be the agents of global transformational change.

Jenny Devine – President International Coaching Federation Australasia

56 Know your passion, define your niche. Exploring the

passion of three special coaches.

Nanette Irvine – CEO EQ Women

59 So you got a new client. Now what do you do?

Use the 3 step coaching frame and avoid the knowledge trap.

Robert Holmes – Founding Partner of Frazer Holmes Coaching

www.coachinglife.com.au

64

48

44 Designing your coaching business.

56

SPECIALTY COACHING 64 Where is your money going? How to combine specialist

knowledge and coaching to create a new field.

Melissa Meagher – CEO Talking Money

68 Imagine coaching without your voice.

Here are 3 tips to improve vocal authority and ensure your message is heard.

Lisa Lockland-Bell – Keynote Speaker & Vocal Coach

REVIEWS 72 COACHES BOOKSHELF

When was the last time your read a book?

Find out what other coaches are reading and add them to your library.

74 COACHES PANTRY

What should you be putting in your pantry and recommending to others? We look at local health products and see how they perform.

75 THE LAST WORD

Some final words of inspiration from our contributors.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 5

DON’T MISS O UT, ORDER

IF YOU COACH, THEN YOU NEED TO READ COACHING LIFE As the magazine by coaches, for coaches, we innovate with every edition, working to remain the #1 resource for coaching insights and education.

SUBSCRIBE, SAVE AND RECEIVE FREE GIFTS

AC #1 CO ALIA’S

ZINE M A GSPOART

N ES // B U SI SP O RT

EC IA FE // SP S // LI

AUSTRALI

LT Y

A’S #1 CO ACHIN

G MAGAZ IN SPORT

you Whaetd to e n o start t knoowaching c

SP OR T // BU SIN ES S

READY, SET, GO…

E

// LIF E // SP EC IAL TY

launch issue

What you need to E N SHA LY know to start coaching KEL list Meda ach Gold o From rporate C to Co

SHANE KELLY From Gold Medalist to Corporate Coach

5 VEMBER 201 E ONE/NO

ISSU

P (INC GST)

$12.00 RR

5-6963

ISSN 220

01

UG LA SE AN DO SA CK / O RE O N CU M IN / SI M AN D M UC H RK PA DE R / DAVI D AL EX AN / LI SA

plus…

S

005 .au 205 696 .com 9 772.coa chinglife

WHY SUBSCRIBE?

» » » » »

HING

IFE L G N I H C COA launch , Y D A RE T, GO… CO issue ACHINGLIFE SE

AUSTR

Whether you coach the under 11’s, the executives at BHP or the mumpreneurs, Coaching Life gives you the knowledge and insight to change lives, including your own.

N OW !

www

ISSUE ONE/NOVEM

BER

$12.00 RRP (INC GST) 2015 ISSN 2205-6963 01

Save up to 20% on the cover price

9 772205 69600 5 www.c

oachinglife.com.au

plus…

DAVID PAR KIN / SIM ON CU SAC K / SEA / LIS A ALE XA N DO UG LAS ND ER / AN D MU CH MO RE

Expert content every month Never miss an issue Free Delivery right to your door Free Gifts with every Subscription

To order a subscription now visit www.CoachingLife.com.au

FOR JUST $115 + GST YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE BEST COACHES IN AUSTRALIA, ALL YEAR ROUND.

DO YOU KNOW A COACH THAT STRIVES TO BE THE BEST? Why not reward that hard work with a subscription to Coaching Life®. We will provide 12 months’ worth of the most in-depth articles and insights into the world of coaching making this the gift that keeps on giving.

YOUR COACH WILL GET 12 MONTHS OF COACHING LIFE® FOR ONLY $115 + GST. A perfect gift for the coach who gives everything.

6 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

SHANE KELLY OAM Five times cycling Olympian DAVID PARKIN OAM All Australian AFL Coach LISA ALEXANDER Head Coach, Netball Australia SEAN DOUGLAS Head Coach, Football Federation Australia MITCHELL HEWITT Head of Coach Education, Tennis Australia SIMON CUSACK High Performance Coach, Swimming Australia MICHAEL SMITH NCAS Gold Coach, Karate Federation Australia

SPORTS COACHING » www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 7

SPORT

MY 3 COACHES

by Shane Kelly

COACH 1 - COLIN KELLY FROM A YOUNGSTER IN THE COUNTRY TO FIVE OLYMPIC GAMES AND THE YOUNG AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR, SHANE KELLY TALKS ABOUT THE THREE COACHES THAT INFLUENCED HIS CYCLING. WITH SUCH AN AMAZING CAREER, HE NOW PASSES ON HIS KEY LESSONS AS A COACH HIMSELF.

Growing up in the bush, if it wasn’t cycling, it definitely would have been football or tennis. Country families always keep busy with one thing or another and for our family that one thing was sport. As a kid of eight in primary school, I already had dreams of going to the Olympics. I wanted to go and I wanted to win gold. I had set the bar pretty high even then but that’s what I focused on every time I got on the bike. It was pretty simple Olympic Gold. I didn’t quite get there but, looking back now, that was what pushed me on - every kilometre, every day, every year.

I was the youngest of four boys and all of my older brothers raced as well. Dad did it really tough but he loved it. Not only did he coach us four boys, he also raced himself. After driving hundreds of kilometres to get to races all around the countryside, he would look after us, then race himself before the long drive

8 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

home again. It was hard on him, but we boys couldn’t have asked for anything better. It was great to spend that time with him as my dad and my coach. We shared intimate bonding times and, at the end of the day, it was all about having fun and that is what I have taken throughout my career.

Dad coached me from when I was five until I was seventeen, but I was never pushed. I think that it is very important for coaches and parents not to push their kids into anything. As a young fella, it is easy to rebel and push back.

My oldest brother is eight years older than me. When he turned seventeen, he said, “I’ve had enough” and quit cycling. It was a shame as he was quite talented and showed some promise.

He is not bitter, but if he had his time again, he probably would have done things differently.

Jamie, the second eldest, competed at the World Championships in track and road cycling. He was very successful www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

COACH 2 - CHARLIE WALSH

“Mum and Dad taught us to have fun, be gracious in defeat and humble in victory.” with many victories but injury got the better of him and he missed selection for the 1992 Olympic Games. It was devastating as it would have been excellent to have both of us there in Barcelona. Dean, closest to me in age, was a national medallist and a very good cyclist, but starting a family and new priorities slowed him down. Unlike me, who enjoyed the sprints, Dean was more of an endurance cyclist. Track cycling was summer and road was winter. You did both growing up in the country as a kid but there comes a time when you must pick one over the other and, for me, track was where it was at.

My Dad coached me until I was seventeen. As a kid, I remember the excitement I felt when I received a phone call from Charlie Walsh, the national Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) coach based in Adelaide. He offered me a scholarship to the AIS. This meant moving to Adelaide full time but I didn’t hesitate. I took up the offer, moved to Adelaide and did not look back.

I had seen Charlie in the distance at national championship events, but the phone call was our first conversation, so when I met him, it was like meeting a childhood hero. I was a quiet kid from the bush and, to be honest, I was pretty nervous. One thing that Charlie has always said was the way my parents presented me to the national program deserved credit.

I found it a huge change working with Charlie compared to Dad. As a child, I had devoured cycling magazines and videos of my Australian and international idols and dreamed of being one of them. Suddenly, I was amongst it - travelling overseas and racing in world championship events.

I trained with Charlie from the ages of 18 to 28. We did three Olympic

campaigns, two Commonwealth campaigns and nine world championship events together. I think I was his longest serving athlete but I wouldn’t say we were ever friends. We worked well as coach and athlete, so that is where our relationship stayed.

Charlie was all about character building. He was out to build toughness and resilience by challenging you. One of the biggest tests was in the lead up to the 1992 Olympics. We were in Mexico. My training schedule had me doing 200 kilometres as a sprinter while the endurance guys were doing 250 kilometres. It was the biggest ride I had ever cycled and, as I watched the bike speedo click over to 200, I dropped back to the van - spent, with nothing in the tank. Charlie said, “Kel, I want you to ride back to the group and continue back to the hotel.” I was in tears, but thankfully I had glasses on so he couldn’t see. That was what I needed to do to make it to Barcelona.

With the program then, you had to be tough and survive.

ATLANTA 1992 When my foot pulled from the pedal in Atlanta, Charlie said that it was just one of those freak things that happens.

Some people expected me to smash things in the in-field, but to be honest, I was too shocked and couldn’t believe

Mum and Dad taught us to have fun, be gracious in defeat and humble in victory.

My dad taught me everything that I knew about cycling up until that point the skills and basic training principles that set up my cycling career. From a young age, I learnt how to be gracious in defeat and humble in victory. This has been an invaluable tool and is the key lesson I pass on to kids today. www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 9

SPORT

what had just happened - that, and the fact that my whole life, I had been taught how to be gracious in defeat.

The hardest thing was going to the stands where my Mum, Dad and family were. My Dad was quite teary but I remember saying to him, “If this is the worst thing that happens to me, then I’m not going to have a bad career”.

Even though we were all in shock, we had to move on, which was what we did. We immediately reset our goals and focused on the World Championships that were in five weeks’ time.

Five weeks later, I was in Manchester for the World Championships. I won the time trial and team sprint event with a world record. I could have easily retired after Atlanta but that wasn’t what I was about. I love to challenge myself and push the limits and competing at the World Championships was just another step towards the next Olympics in Sydney.

COACH 3 - MARTIN BARRAS Sydney 2000 was my last competition with Charlie as coach. After Sydney, I had a year off with deep vein thrombosis before starting with the new AIS coach and National Team coach Martin Barras. Charlie and Martin were very different coaches. Charlie was all about the quantity approach - the old

10 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

Eastern Bloc philosophy of doing huge volumes of training. As a sprint cyclist for a 1 km race, I was doing 30,000 kilometres a year. That would be like a sprinter training by doing marathons.

Even with that, we were still successful.

That was all I needed to hear. That was the catalyst that spurred me on and I gave more effort to that Olympics than I had to the previous four. In the end, I only got two fourth places, but I don’t think I could have done more.

Martin preferred the sprint, power, speed approach. We cut the distance by a third but spent more time in the gym and on the velodrome going fast.

Martin was about the quality of training from day one. If your first attempt was a PB, then he would send you home.

His approach was backed by sports science. If you put in 100% then he was happy. This meant that I had to reinvent myself, as I hadn’t been in the gym or done any specific speed training, but the gains I received were huge. I was a beginner again but it reignited my passion and love of the sport.

As a 36 year old, at the top of his game and still doing PBs, it was a tough decision to retire. Martin was happy that we had done everything we could and knew there was a chance I could continue, but when you are at the pointy end, you become very selfish.

You want to win; you want to be the best so we both made the decision to move on. I had given my best and I decided it’s better to finish at the top rather than fading away.

After the Commonwealth Games in 2006, I had some time off. My mind wasn’t there. I was physically and mentally exhausted but I still hadn’t won the gold that I had set as a goal when I was an eight year old.

In the lead up to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, people thought that 36 was too old to be competing. My team mates were a lot younger but I was still doing PBs in the gym and on the track. I had had four attempts to win gold and thought number five would be it.

Then I was told I was too old.

Going to the Olympics is a very addictive thing to experience. When you are there, you are in the Olympics Club; if you medal, then you are in an even more elite group; and if you win gold, you are remembered forever. As a kid, I counted the years, worked out my age and I knew that 1992 was going to be my year. I was going to be there.

Competing at five Olympic Games was definitely not part of my plan, but coming so close on my first attempt, unknown, unseeded, a young fella from the country, I realised that I was capable of winning and I became addicted. It’s hard to describe just how www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

I left school and went straight into the sport, so I didn’t really know anything else. I loved cycling and working with kids, so coaching them appeared to be a perfect fit, but it wasn’t easy. special it is to wear the green and gold on the biggest sporting stage in the world. I would have gone on to six but good sense got the better of me.

A NEW COACH Once I retired in 2008, I didn’t really know what to do next. I had competed and been with the national team for nearly 20 years. I left school and went straight into the sport, so I didn’t really know anything else. I loved cycling and working with kids, so coaching them appeared to be a perfect fit, but it wasn’t easy.

As an athlete, it becomes instinct to get on the bike and go. So, transitioning to a coach, I had to really think about that process. As a mentor, I started by working with the schools each summer

with up to 200 kids competing in an event. Then I moved into more specific coaching programs. Now I am working more with the Victorian Institute of Sport elite cyclists and am currently head coach of the Scotch College Cycling Team in Melbourne.

There are definitely ideas, strategies and processes ingrained in me from all of my coaches but it is all about communicating and working with what you have. You have to have fun but still be truthful to yourself. It is not easy. If you want to be the best, you have to commit and sacrifice. You have to be selfish and want it, but I also tell kids, “You’re not going to race forever, so have something else to work with down the track”.

From his silver medal at the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games to multiple World Championships, Commonwealth Games gold, top world rankings and awards both in Australia and internationally, Shane has had an amazing career in competitive international cycling.

At the conclusion of the Beijing Olympics in 2008, Shane Kelly finally announced his retirement from international competition.

Now, raising twin daughters, Shane is facing his next challenge; that of being a coach.

Achievements

Australian Teams

Awarded an OAM in 2004 for service to cycling as a competitor and through support for the development of junior riders.

2008 Olympic Games CHN

1998 Commonwealth Games MAS

2008 Track World Championships GBR

1997 Track World Championships AUS

2006 Track World Championships FRA

1996 Olympic Games USA

2006 Commonwealth Games AUS

1996 Track World Championships UK

2005 Track World Championships USA

1995 Track World Championships COL

2004 Olympic Games GRE

1994 Track World Championships ITA

1995 AIS Athlete of the Year

2004 Track World Championships AUS

1994 Commonwealth Games CAN

1995 Young Australian of the Year (Sport)

2003 Track World Championships GER

1993 Track World Championships NOR

2002 Track World Championships DEN

1992 Olympic Games ESP

2000 Australian Sports Medal

2001 Oceania Championships AUS

1991 Track World Championships GER

1995, 1996, 1997 Governor’s Award

2000 Olympic Games AUS

Named in AIS 25 Best of Best.

1999 Track World Championships GER

1990 Junior Track World Championships UK

Awarded Paul Harris Fellow (Rotary)

1998 Track World Championships FRA

1996 Australian Cyclist of the Year 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Australian Male Track Cyclist of the Year

www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 11

SPORT

DAVID PARKIN

WHAT I KNOW AT 73 AFTER 73 YEARS OF WALKING PLANET EARTH, DAVID PARKIN KNOWS A THING OR TWO ABOUT STUFF. BUT DON’T LET HIS AGE DETER YOU FROM READING FURTHER. YES, WE’VE ALL BEEN BAILED UP BY OUR PARENTS AND/OR GRANDPARENTS WHO GENERALLY HAVE AN OPINION TO SHARE ON FASHION, PARENTING AND POLITICS AND WHO LIKE TO START CONVERSATIONS WITH “BACK IN MY DAY…” OR “WHEN I WAS A YOUNG WHIPPERSNAPPER…”. CUE THE EYE ROLL.

12 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

D

avid, however, has well and truly earned the entitlement to impart his inspired wisdom on Australia’s younger generations. A legend on the AFL field since 1961, his sporting achievements include 220 senior games throughout the 1960s and 70s, and captaining Hawthorn Football Club to their 1971 premiership win. David went on to coach Hawthorn and the Carlton Football Clubs to four premierships and was named Carlton’s Coach of the Century. Being in an elite group of just six coaches to have coached more than 500 AFL/VFL games and labelled “super-coach of the 1970s and 80s”, David earned his place in the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 2010. In 1977, long-time sports journalist and author Jim Main named David in his list of the 100 Greatest VFL/ AFL Players and when asked to revisit and tweak that list 30 years later, David still made the cut.

By Belinda Glindemann

Aside from all the football-related credits, David holds a Bachelor of Education and a parallel career in primary, secondary and tertiary education. He developed Deakin University’s Sports Coaching Degree and, as an Adjunct Professor, still lectures at the university. In 2013, David was presented with a Medal of the Order of Australia. He is a prostate cancer survivor, a modern-day television and radio commentator and has authored more than a dozen books. David has written and presented extensively on the topics of children in sport, men’s health, coaching, leadership/ management, motivation and teams.

Among all the articles you’ll read about David, the common thread that makes this man’s approach to sport and coaching so significant is innovation. It’s clear that he looked at his teammates, his players and his life thus far through creative, original and inspired eyes. www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT On the eve of his 73rd birthday, it was only appropriate that in this, the launch edition of Coaching Life magazine, we cornered the man behind the premierships and the myriad of coaching credentials for his take on sports coaching and modern life.

“Well, yes, there are 12 key things I know at 73 that I wished I’d known at 30!” David laughs. “The first thing would be just to be yourself.”

1. BE YOURSELF AND KNOW YOURSELF John Kilpatrick, David’s fitness advisor at Hawthorn, visited him during his first year of senior coaching at Subiaco, WA. On John’s departure, his succinct advice to David was to “stop trying to be (fellow AFL coach) John Kennedy and start being David Parkin.” The words resonated with David.

“Quickly I got better and so did the team,” he says.

“Whilst we are often the sum total of the people and coaches who have influenced us significantly, we should not ape others. It’s imperative to remain true to the values and behaviours that are integral to our character and personality.”

“Know your own strengths and weaknesses and surround yourself with others who you cannot only work with, but who will also bring experience and skills sets you don’t have. It’s important to know who you really are. Selfawareness is essential.”

commitments, became a key factor in my coaching life,” David recalls. “I met every player and coach, every six months, one-on-one, away from the club.”

3. IF IT AIN’T BROKE – SMASH IT! David admits that this may sound like a “stupid philosophy”, especially if you and your team are having success, but too often the attitude is focused on just repeating what has been done well previously. He says what people forget is that there is always a better way of “doing tomorrow what we have done effectively today.”

“If you just repeat tomorrow what you did successfully today, someone will add something different and better, which means all you can do is come a good second. Challenge your staff and players to provide those new and better inputs.”

4. LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES AND EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE ARE BOTH LEARNED “We all know you don’t get to choose your parents, but while good genetics does have significance, it’s not fundamental to developing strong leadership or emotional intelligence.”

David says both these personal attributes are a direct result of a person’s experiential pathway.

“It is, though, critical to provide those who aspire and exhibit the potential

“Know your own strengths and weaknesses and surround yourself with others who you cannot only work with, but who will also bring experience and skills sets you don’t have”. to lead, the opportunities to take responsibility and become accountable for their own and others’ performance.

Along with effective leadership, emotional intelligence usually takes decades of life’s learnings to become a powerful individual attribute.”

5. GREAT LEADERSHIP While there are many, many factors that underpin effective leadership along with a multitude of publications about the topic, David says three critical components are evident to him.

“Firstly, without a real passion for the outcome or what I term ‘professional will’, your leadership can’t be really effective. People must see, hear and feel your genuine emotional commitment to achieving the task. Without that you are nothing!”

“Secondly, the best leaders really care

2. UNDERSTAND THE MOTIVES AND DRIVES OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS David says there are the three basic questions that you must continue to ask yourself and ask of your players: Why am I/you here? Where am I/are you going? And how will I/you get there?

“This is the best platform for building empathetic relationships and working to achieve mutually agreed outcomes.”

“These conversations, with both support staff and my players, in relation to both their on- and off-field www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 13

SPORT about their people in an holistic sense - that is, an interest in and concern for them well beyond the role or position they are employed to do. Football, like most institutions, is a people business and that element must be your key focus.”

“And thirdly, having a flexible approach or style to the role is another crucial element. Leadership is situational specific. Your ability to understand the circumstances, the person or people you are dealing with, and acting appropriately, is extremely important.

To say this is my personality, experience and leadership style, and apply it to all people in all places at all times, is fundamentally flawed.”

6. TEAMS AND TEAMWORK David says an essential element of good leadership or coaching is in developing team-oriented attitudes. This attitude needs to be evident in your own behaviours as the leader and continually reinforced and affirmed in others. He says the critical attitudes centre on two

basic inputs: team members need both a ‘with’ and ‘for’ orientation.

“A ‘with’ person does what they are supposed to do, when they are supposed to do it – all the time,” David explains.

“From this, they build a predictability about their performance and in the finish – trust. Trust is the foundation block of all teamwork. Without it, effective and consistently high-performing teams can’t exist.”

“A ‘for’ person not only is accountable and responsible for their own performance but constantly makes sacrifices for their teammates’ benefits. It’s vital that both these team orientations are reinforced for individuals, as often as circumstances allow.”

7. LEARN TO ENGAGE David says that most coaches are very good at telling, however, effective communication starts with real engagement. He suggests leaders become expert in asking good questions and get better at listening and really

VFL COACHING GREATS

hearing the answers to those questions.

The final crucial element in all of this listening is actually acting upon the replies you receive from your questions.

8. BECOME AN EXPERT TEACHER As David explains, all coaches are, in reality, teachers. But it’s not just a matter of instructing one’s students, it’s a twoway process where the learner is the key focus.

“As Al Clarkson (former AFL player and current coach of Hawthorn) would recommend, know what ‘fun’ really is for the learner. This assists you in setting up an appropriate learning environment for all those involved. These well-structured environments can then satisfy the basic reasons for the participants being there, however they define ‘fun’.

“Understand the theories of how people learn and the difference between teaching techniques and game sense.

If possible, take courses in teaching pedagogy. The competencies learnt are very transferable across numerous vocational pursuits.”

TOM HAFEY – 10 Grand Finals, 4 Premierships

JOCK McHALE – 17 Grand Finals, 8 Premierships

FRANK HUGHES – 11 Grand Finals, 5 Premierships

James (Jock) McHale coached Collingwood for 38 seasons across an astonishing 714 games for eight premierships (including the standing record of 4 in a row) and 27 finals series.

With 467 wins and 10 draws, he won 65% of his games and for the last 66 years, premiership coaches have been awarded the Jock McHale Medal in his honour.

After coaching Richmond for 5 years, winning the flag in 1932, Frank (Checker) Hughes had two stints as coach of Melbourne, from 1933 to 1941, for flags in 1939-40-41, and from 1945 to 1948, eliciting a fourth flag in his final season in charge. His overall success rate of 65.1% shows his ability as a VFL coach to match the greats.

Tom coached Richmond through the late 1960s and early 1970s, making the club the most feared of the era. Always keeping himself fit, he channelled his own belief in hard work and physical fitness into his teams. He won four flags as coach of Richmond and then lifted Collingwood from the bottom to a Grand Final in 1977.

He took the Magpies to Grand Finals in four of his five completed seasons — for four losses and a draw. He then coached at Geelong and Sydney before retiring.

Had an incredible 70% winning record at Richmond, and 64% overall.

JACK WORRALL 5 Premierships

ALLAN JEANS – 9 Grand Finals, 4 Premierships

NORM SMITH – 7 Grand Finals, 6 Premierships Norm Smith played in 5 grand finals, winning 4 and was awarded best and fairest in two of them. He then went on to win an incredible 6 premierships with Melbourne. A stickler for team discipline, many sought to emulate his methods and create a similar atmosphere for their own clubs. Today the Norm Smith Medal is awarded to the best player in the Grand Final.

14 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

As the first officially appointed coach in 1902, Jack Worrall is the grandfather of VFL/AFL Coaching. He coached the Blues to three successive premierships (190608) before moving to Essendon where he won two more flags. Prior to Jack’s appointment, teams prepared in their own way as official payments were officially outlawed but still paid anyway.

Allan managed to lift the bottom dwelling St Kilda to the giddy heights of success and remains the only man to have coached the Saints to a premiership, in 1966. His players at both St Kilda and Hawthorn revered his style. In 1981 he went Princes Park and coached the Hawks to three flags, firstly in 1983, then again in 1986. He was on the sidelines in 1988 due to a brain haemorrhage but returned in 1989 to win again.

www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

9. MANAGE WELL According to David, another very important set of competencies required to be an effective coach are the skills of management. He suggests leaders or coaches be ultra organised - planning and preparing stringently.

He also suggests reviewing, evaluating, measuring and validating wherever possible while also providing immediate and accurate performance feedback constantly.

10. COMMITTED LEARNER If you’re serious about continuous improvement, David is an advocate of scheduling education programs at 12-24 month intervals.

“The AFLCA in Australia underpins a standard contract with ongoing personal and professional development for all senior and assistant coaches,” he explains. “This includes short and longer-term courses in-person, online, overseas and across other sports experiences. AFL, being an indigenous game, meant my learning often came

from other sports like hockey, soccer, basketball, lacrosse and rugby for example, and from coaches like Ric Charlesworth, Brian Goorjian, Wayne Bennett and Tom Landry among others.”

he wished he’d known at 30, there are

11. REGULAR PERFORMANCE REVIEW

your employment obligation is balanced

“Firstly, work/recreation. Make sure with an involvement that allows you to

“The most significant changes and improvement during my 28-year coaching career came on the end of a very stringent review. It was in 1994, 22 years into my career. Using an independent agency, with the players central to the feedback process, we provided the coaching staff with a clear picture of their/my effectiveness in servicing the needs of the players. The 1995 Carlton Premiership was a direct result of the review and the changes implemented.”

same time, I read about people, their

12. STAY BALANCED

have multiple pursuits that are very

And finally, in David’s list of 12 key things

three consecutive flags before just missing out on a fourth successive flag.

Tom Hafey’s most famous coaching graduate, Sheedy’s football brain and his ability to think outside the football square saw him spend 27 seasons as coach of Essendon. He then became the inaugural coach of Greater Western Sydney which hurt his winning percentage. He won four premierships for the Bombers over three decades. He demanded his players be more versatile, opened the recruiting lines to indigenous Australians and adapted to change quickly.

DAVID PARKIN – 5 Grand Finals, 4 Premierships

www.coachinglife.com.au

game.

recreate in whatever form you love.

KEVIN SHEEDY 7 Grand Finals, 4 Premierships

One of the game’s greatest players became one of the game’s greatest coaches.

Matthews’ four flags as coach were even more remarkable because of the degree of difficulty. The first came with Collingwood in 1990, after a 32-year drought. Then he helped the Brisbane Lions take the flag to Queensland for the first time, but more than that, he engineered a dynasty of

lists as crucial to keeping ahead of the

David also suggests a yearly performance review is essential for keeping goals on track.

AFL COACHING GREATS

LEIGH MATTHEWS – 5 Grand Finals, 4 Premierships

four ‘balances’ required in life that he

David Parkin coached the Hawks to the 1978 flag before gaining back-to-back premierships at Carlton in 1981-82.

Then, like Sheedy, he was able to win a flag in a third decade, when in a second stint with the Blues, he helped them win the 1995 flag. He took three different clubs to finals series and had a 59% winning record.

MICK MALTHOUSE – 7 Grand Finals, 3 Premierships Mick Malthouse coached to only three premiership flags (1992, ‘94 and 2010) but took all four of his clubs (Footscray, West Coast, Collingwood and Carlton) to finals series. In his 29 completed seasons, he has played in 20 finals series. At 718 games coached, he passed Jock McHale’s record in 2015.

“Secondly, mental/physical. I work out in various ways almost every day. At the experiences and impacts, almost every day too.

“Then there’s self/others. Whilst most of my endeavours fulfil selfish needs and desires, I try every day to do something for others who may need my support and encouragement.

“And lastly, stress/stress-free. I deliberately choose to pursue challenges that place me under reasonable stress levels. But at the same time, I meaningful and stress-free.”

RON BARASSI – 8 Grand Finals, 4 Premierships Ron Barassi coached Carlton to 3 Grand Finals, winning 2 flags before moving to North Melbourne where he won another 2 Premiership flags from 5 Grand Final appearances. Drawing from his own experience under Norm Smith, Barassi forced his Carlton squad to become more disciplined, committed to the club, and their career. He coached a tough brand of football and expected his players to show a selfless, team-oriented style.

ALASTAIR CLARKSON – 5 Grand Finals, 4 Premierships In 2007, Hawthorn made the semi-finals under the guidance of coach, Alastair Clarkson. A fiery coach, Clarkson demands as much from himself as he does from his players. After the decisive victory on October 3rd this year, he has the record for the most Hawthorn premierships of any coach. Contracted until the end of 2016, Clarkson faces the challenge of a new season and another record to beat.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 15

SPORT

COACHING TRANSCENDS BEYOND THE FIELD OF PLAY REGARDLESS OF WHETHER YOU’RE A HIGH PERFORMANCE, AMATEUR OR GRASSROOTS COACH, WE ALL SHARE THE SAME RESPONSIBILITIES. AS HEAD COACH OF THE RECENTLY CROWNED WORLD CHAMPION AUSTRALIAN DIAMONDS, MY JOB AS A LEADER REQUIRES MANY OF THE SAME SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES AS A GRASSROOTS COACH OR BUSINESS LEADER IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

C

oaches learn a lot about themselves as they develop their coaching skills and the great thing about this is that it can be related to any area in your life.

and belief in our great game. Coaches are leaders and are looked up to by their players. They are encouraged to embrace this leadership position and inspire their players to do great things.

To become a good coach, you’re going to become a better person and that contributes to your family life and your professional life in many different ways.

Providing leadership and direction in any walk of life is not easy and requires a selfless attitude. Our coaches display this in netball and their commitment to teach the skills and tactics of our game to those in their teams and squads, to the best of their ability, is a credit to their love of the game and dedication to their sport.

I’ve broken down leadership into five categories I believe are important in being a successful coach – Athlete Wellbeing, Social Responsibility, Continuous Leading, Support and Outcomes.

Whenever I am speaking and educating netball coaches around the country, I am always struck by their passion

16 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

ATHLETE WELLBEING The mental and physical health of athletes is paramount. I firmly believe in taking a holistic approach to wellbeing and argue that the mental condition of athletes is just as important as having strong, fit and capable bodies.

Physically preparing our athletes for competition with training is the www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

Regardless of whether you’re a junior coach or an international head coach, it’s important to continuously develop your skills. This can be through reading books, speaking with other coaches or leaders, and observing coaches in action. strategies and tactics to achieve goals, they will also play a significant role in the overall development of individuals.

As the largest female team participation sport in Australia, netball coaches have the opportunity to develop important life skills with their players, especially our youngest players. Coaches have a responsibility to demonstrate respect, tolerance, leadership, empathy, encouragement, sportspersonship and other important values that develop good people as well as good players.

norm, but supporting mental health is more important than ever, as the prevalence of anxiety and depression has sharply increased in today’s society. Many people are increasingly carrying the burden of family, financial hardship, employment and educational pressures, all of which can significantly impact performance.

As a head coach and leader, the most important skill is to get to know your athletes on and off the court and treat everyone as individuals. This will help you to get the most out of them.

I know that whenever I present coach education to grassroots coaches, they want drills and skills and ideas of what they can put into their sessions.

I believe the most important step www.coachinglife.com.au

is to get to know the players they’re coaching as people. Understanding what makes them tick means they’ll be able to provide them with the best and most suitable coaching sessions.

A foundation to success, whether it’s on court or in the office, is to create a culture where individuals feel supported and knowing your players is vital to this.

Three keys to creating a high quality environment are; communication between coach and athlete, setting goals and healthy relationships.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY The impact of a coach on individuals is often underestimated. While a good coach can effectively communicate

Additional responsibilities come with being the head coach of the Australian Diamonds. Duties that I don’t take lightly or for granted. Having begun my coaching pathway in country Victoria, I understand the important role netball plays within the community so I take great pride in maintaining my connection and engagement with country communities.

I have a chance to influence, whether it’s to help clubs create more inclusive environments through the Australia Post One Netball program, supporting Netball Australia’s Reconciliation Action Plan or raising awareness about the prevention of violence against women and children via our partnership with Our Watch.

As coaches we have a wonderful opportunity to be a positive impact on society in general.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 17

SPORT

CONTINUOUS LEARNING One of my favourite sayings is “The only coach you need to be better than, is the one you were yesterday.”

in supporting and enhancing the participation experience as well as developing players to progress along the athlete pathway.

Regardless of whether you’re a junior coach or an international head coach, it’s important to continuously develop your skills. This can be through reading books, speaking with other coaches or leaders, and observing coaches in action. Netball Australia strongly encourages coaches to be resourceful and engaged in their own learning and seek opportunities to build on their coaching knowledge and skills.

Netball Australia has done a great job in producing resources to support and assist coaches as they progress through the ranks from the ANZ NetSetGO junior introductory program to elite high performance programs. As soon as an individual decides they want to coach, we’ve got online resources, including a recently launched Coaching Blueprint, which talks about the Australian netball coaching philosophy.

Legendary netball coach Joyce Brown has been hugely influential on my coaching career. I started as her apprentice coach over 20 years ago and she remains a close mentor.

Another coaching resource of mine is former Australian swim coach Bill Sweetenham.

The Coaching Blueprint is an important resource that will continue to support netball participation at all levels of the sport, ensuring that the coaching community is empowered and well supported. The Blueprint has been developed as a tool for coaches to help understand the national approach to coaching and the strategy and vision to support the development of coaches across the country.

SUPPORT Coaches play an important role

The document and e-learning resource encourages coaches to understand themselves, their athletes and how to get the best out of both. It articulates a clear direction and philosophy and is intended to be a resource that coaches can utilise at any stage to support their development and improve their coaching. The Coaching Blueprint will allow coaches to employ strategies that will enhance their application existing netball specific knowledge and continue to improve on this.

Each of our state and territory Member Organisations have Coaching Coordinators that help run the coach accreditation system. All you need to do is contact your local organisation and they can put you on the right path on how to become a better coach in netball.

OUTCOMES The result of quality coaching is not all about gold medals and wins. As previously discussed, a coach can have a significantly positive influence

DIAMOND HISTORY IT ALL STARTED BACK IN 1934 WHEN THE FIRST AUSTRALIAN TEAM DEFEATED VICTORIA IN A GAME MARKING THE CITY OF MELBOURNE’S CENTENARY. FOUR YEARS LATER THE AUSTRALIAN TEAM PLAYED THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL GAME (WOMEN’S BASKETBALL) AGAINST NEW ZEALAND WINNING A DECISIVE VICTORY.

Australia went through undefeated with ten consecutive victories, including a thrilling 37-36 victory over New Zealand.

Despite a decade between the first international Test and the maiden Tour of New Zealand, Australia continued its winning start to international netball by claiming victories in all three Test matches in Dunedin (27-26), New Plymouth (44-13) and Auckland (44-22).

Over the next five years, legends of Australian Netball were inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame with former captain Margaret Caldow OAM BEM the first in 1985. Iconic names such as Jean Cowan MBE, Anne Sargeant, Joyce Brown and Deidre Hyland would follow.

In 1956, the Australian team travelled by ship to England, the birthplace of netball, stopping on the way to defeat the Sri Lanka, then winning 54 of 57 games despite having to adapt to different rules.

25 years after Australia’s first international netball match between against New Zealand, Australia won the 1st World Tournament at Chelsea College PE, Eastbourne, England. Coached by Lorna McConchie,

18 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

In 1984, Australia continued its early dominance over New Zealand when the first 21/U national team, the Young Australians, won all three matches on the tour.

Nearly 80 years after the birth of Australian international netball, the team was finally given its current name when Netball Australia unveiled the Australian Netball Diamonds. With only 163 green and gold representatives, winning 10 of 12 World Championships and three Commonwealth Games gold medals, the Diamonds continue to strive for excellence both on and off the court.

www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT on individuals and athletes both on and off the court. I think it’s important to keep perspective when coaching.

If you know the children are Under-10s and they primarily want to have fun, then it’s really important to make sure the training sessions are fun and engaging.

The children are getting a lot out of learning new skills and enjoying themselves while they get their first experience at netball.

We need our current players, past players or people involved in netball to take up coaching and pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation, otherwise our sport will not be able to function effectively.

The greatest gift in coaching is actually going and running something at training and seeing that happen, whether it’s Under10s or the Netball World Cup final. You get a real thrill out of that and so do the players.

A good Head Coach teaches the players more than just tactics!

Lisa Alexander has led the Australia Diamonds in 46 Tests since taking over as head coach in 2011. After guiding Australia to its first Commonwealth Games gold medal in 12 years at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, Alexander guided the Diamonds to the 2015 Netball World Cup title on home soil in August. The Victorian-native was recently re-appointed Diamonds coach for the next four years which will take her through to the 2019 Netball World Cup in England.

DIAMOND RESULTS

www.coachinglife.com.au

NETBALL WORLD CUP RESULTS – AUSTRALIA

2003, Kingston, Jamaica – Silver

1963, Eastbourne, England – Gold

2011, Singapore City, Singapore – Gold

1967, Perth, Australia – Silver

2015, Sydney, Australia – Gold

1971, Kingston, Jamaica – Gold

1975, Auckland, New Zealand – Gold 1979, Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago – Gold

COMMONWEALTH GAMES RESULTS – AUSTRALIA

1983, Singapore City, Singapore – Gold

1998, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Gold

1987, Glasgow, Scotland – Silver

2002, Manchester, England – Gold

1991, Sydney, Australia – Gold

2006, Melbourne, Australia – Silver

1995, Birmingham, England – Gold

2010, New Delhi, India – Silver

1999, Christchurch, New Zealand – Gold

2014, Glasgow, Scotland – Gold

2007, Auckland, New Zealand – Gold

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 19

SPORT

SIMON CUSACK

ELITE COACH - PLATINUM COACH ACCREDITATION

SIMON IS THE COACH OF CATE CAMPBELL, BRONTE CAMPBELL AND CHRISTIAN SPRENGER; ALL CURRENT OR FORMER WORLD CHAMPIONS AND HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL TEAM FOR THE LAST 6 YEARS.

S

imon was born into swimming royalty, being the son of a Mexico Olympic medallist, Robert Cusack, and great nephew of the Olympic gold medallist coach, Arthur Cusack. His coaching career started in 1999 when he accepted an assistant coach role at Indooroopilly Swimming Club in Brisbane under the guidance of the head coach who also happened to be his father.

Simon’s understanding of high performance, technique and speed development has seen him progress rapidly through Australia’s coaching ranks. He has coached swimmers to gold medal performances at the Olympic Games, World Championships, Commonwealth Games and Pan-Pacific Championships.

In 2013, Simon was awarded the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) Coach of the Year, the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS) Coach of the Year, the Swimming Australia’s Coach of the

20 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

Year, and the Australian Swimming Coaches and Teachers Association’s (ASCTA) Coach of the Year in 2014.

Back in Grade 11 at high school, I was a swimmer at the Indooroopilly Swimming Club and my father was the coach. We would train in the morning, then head straight to school. After school, it was straight back to the pool and to fill in time, I would help him with the Learn to Swim Program and junior squad work. My father was my coach until I broke my leg and finished swimming in Grade 12. Even though I didn’t believe I had very much talent, I worked hard and, by that time, I had been a national age finalist for a number of years.

I came from three generations of coaches with uncles, cousins and even my great uncle Arthur Cusack coached my dad to the Olympics. My father swam in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, winning a bronze medal in the 4x100-metre freestyle relay. In www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

1979, he got his first coaching job at the Indooroopilly Swimming Club. Back then it was an unheated pool, so he would coach six months of the year and, during winter, he would work as a handyman.

When I left school, I completed a four year carpentry trade. On its completion, I took off to North America for a year and worked on a cattle ranch in the Rocky Mountains, Montana.

Then I did another year contract as part of a mustering team up in the Gulf of Carpentaria.

In October 1999, as I was just about to head back to Brisbane, my father called and said that there were a record number of bookings for the upcoming season. With his assistant coach off having a baby, he asked if I would give him a hand. Now, it was never my plan to be a coach. It was the last thing I wanted to do. But he was desperate, so

When you start with a new swimmer, because of the class sizes, you have to pitch to the middle of the road. Then if one or two miss the point, you can work with them on the side without boring the rest of your group.

I said I would give him three months, one school term. Within those three months, I was bitten by the bug and have never looked back.

CLUB COACHING VS HIGH PERFORMANCE COACHING In 2001, my father handed over the senior swimming to me. I wouldn’t have

call it high performance, but it was up to a national age standard.

Coaching at the club level is very different to being a high performance coach. I spent thirteen years coaching at Indooroopilly and, even at that level, I had swimmers on the Australian team for the 2008 Olympics. By the time I got to coach my high performance swimmers in the afternoon, I would have already dealt with 50 to 75 junior swimmers. You see, Junior and State Development squads generate the income at a club level. High performance is seen as a luxury: you did it because you were passionate about it.

It has always been part of the swimming culture in Queensland that the high performance coaches are willing to share. People would turn up on their pool deck and spend a week or so being mentored by them. Even

COACHING ACCREDITATION AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING COACH’S GAIN THEIR ACCREDITATION THROUGH A MULTI-LEVEL COMPETENCY BASED TRAINING SYSTEM THAT RECOGNISES ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE AND COACHING PERFORMANCE (IN THE CASE OF ‘ADVANCED’ QUALIFICATIONS).

Swimming Australia, as the National Sporting Organisation (NSO) responsible for swimming, belongs to the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) of the Australian Sports Commission. The NCAS sets general guidelines for the development of course structures and pathways for recognition of coaching qualifications.

BRONZE COACH This is the ‘club coach’ standard in Australia. A Bronze Coach has been trained to plan, conduct, evaluate and modify swimming programs that will enable swimmers to compete at club / district and State level competitions.

The Bronze Coach will work with a wide

www.coachinglife.com.au

range of ages and abilities within a club or squad environment.

SILVER COACH

levels, Swimming Australia present the following qualification to our medal winning national team coaches:

This is the ‘performance coach’ and is the first coaching level where ‘swimmer performance’ is evaluated. The Silver Coach must complete an advanced course covering the theoretical aspects of coaching and athlete performance. The Silver coach will have demonstrated the ability to coach swimmers competing at State and National age competitions.

PLATINUM COACH

GOLD COACH

Coaches having entered the accreditation scheme are eligible to complete additional courses for coaching Open Water Swimmers or Coaching Swimmers with a Disability to gain knowledge and have their expertise in these fields recognised through accreditation in these specialist areas.

This is the ‘high performance coach’ and is an advanced coaching qualification that includes a theory component, independent study and research, as well as demonstrated coaching performance. The Gold Coach will have demonstrated the ability to coach swimmers competing successfully at National open championships.

Additional to the above accreditation

This is the Gold Coach that has demonstrated competency to undertake coaching duties as a member of an Australian Team.

Performance standards required of the Platinum Coach will include; medal-winning performances at World Championships and/or Olympic Games.

See the Swimming Australia website www.swimming.org.au for more details.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 21

SPORT

now, with the Queensland Academy of Sport and Swimming Queensland, there are lectures every two months and the lecture room is filled with about 40 National Age or State Level coaches.

This is one of the great things about Queensland swimming. We share our secrets rather than hiding them.

When I attended my first workshop run by a high performance coach, I was told that if your coaching life was in order then your marriage wasn’t. Back then, this was the accepted norm for high performance coaches. You were expected to spend more time with your swimmers than your own family.

That has changed now with a lot more professionalism and longevity coming into coaching. When not coaching our high performance athletes, we are often at the home office where emails and technology allow a much better balance with school drop-offs, concerts and ballet. There is a lot more emphasis on coach well-being than even a few years ago.

Moving from club to purely high performance was a massive, but welcome change. Since 2013, I have been in a purely high performance setting and currently I coach six

22 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

swimmers. Five of them are Olympic athletes and the other an emerging swimmer. I can put all my energy into high performance without being tired or losing focus. When it comes down to a hundredth of a second, you need to be as fresh and analytical as you can be to get the most out of your athletes. We all know that driving tired can end in tragedy. Coaching tired is basically the same – it’s unproductive and wastes both yours and your athletes’ time.

Club level coaches have to be careful as they can be less balanced. They are hungry for their first star; they are probably inclined to train their athletes harder and push themselves as well. I like to think I have been balanced throughout my career, giving me a longer span of coaching with my athletes.

AS A NEW COACH To get started in coaching, you need to be passionate about working with young people. We all start our working with children and teenagers and that is where most people will spend their whole careers. You need to be a good communicator and passionate about educating. A coach is simply delivering a curriculum - no different to a school

teacher other than it is in the training pool. Each lesson we are educating, selling a step-by-step process and getting skills engrained within the young people before moving onto more complex movements just like a maths teacher would start out simply and move through more complex problem solving.

When you start with a new swimmer, because of the class sizes, you have to pitch to the middle of the road. Then if one or two miss the point, you can work with them on the side without boring the rest of your group. If you always pitch to the lowest common denominator, then you lose the focus of your higher performers.

Personally, I think that kids learn implicitly. I speak less and have the kids do more right through to the elite level. If you explain things in too much detail, then you can risk losing your audience.

Three tips for dealing with challenging parents.

1. Know more than your parents. You have to be the expert that they can trust.

2. The coach needs to stay one step ahead of their athlete, and their www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT parents, or they will move on. Make sure you are putting in as much effort as you expect from your athletes.

3. You need a belief in your own skills and knowledge. If people want to challenge you, try not to take it to heart. Some parents will step over the line from time to time. The best option is to ask the parents to let you do the coaching and if they don’t operate within the guidelines, they can find another program where the water is bluer.

As a coach, you cannot be too hard or fast when dealing with a human. You have to be a little bit flexible but not to the point where you break. Don’t get stuck blaming the parent if you are not giving as much as you would expect.

Tip to Parents Find a coach who you trust and then back the coach. If you can’t back them, leave and find one that you can. The athlete needs to form a good trusting relationship with their coach and the

worst thing for that relationship is to have parents in the background undermining the coach’s decision or planning.

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY When I was coming through as a coach, I was often doing things that went against the grain. There was not a lot of acceptance by my peers as my program was centred on quality and skill rather than just mindless miles in the pool.

It was aimed at more productivity and I was probably the laughing stock of parents and other coaches initially.

I believe that you have to follow your instincts. We were given instincts for a reason so go with your gut feeling.

If you are getting results, there is a reason you are getting them. You have to find your own style and work with it. If you try to coach how you have seen someone else coach then it may not work for you. Learn from the mentors you are operating under

but don’t be afraid to develop your own style and prepare to be knocked.

I have continued to learn from other coaches, but have developed my own philosophies and ideals. Coaching in Australia gets its fair share of knockers, so be prepared to stand your ground.

I still follow my gut instincts today, even when professionals come in telling me to change things. It is my result and the result of my athlete that I am responsible for and I can live with making a poor decision if it is my decision. However, I would take it to the grave if I let one of my athletes down because I was coerced into making a decision that was against my better judgement.

The challenges I have faced, from troubled parents to swimmers leaving to go to another coach in the district have made me the coach that I am today. It even gave me more satisfaction and made my first Olympic medallist all the sweeter.

AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING HISTORY AUSTRALIAN SWIMMING HAS A PROUD OLYMPIC HISTORY AND IS WITHOUT DOUBT AUSTRALIA’S MOST SUCCESSFUL OLYMPIC SPORT. SWIMMERS HAVE REPRESENTED AUSTRALIA AT EVERY SUMMER OLYMPICS SINCE 1900 IN PARIS, AFTER ONLY SENDING A RUNNER, EDWIN FLACK TO THE 1896 ATHENS OLYMPICS. Frederick Lane was Australia’s sole swimming representative at the 1900 games, winning two individual gold medals. Women’s events were added at the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, with Fanny Durack and Whilhelmina ‘Mina’ Wylie being Australia’s first female representatives, winning gold and silver in the 100m freestyle, which was the first women’s event on the program.

In total Australia has won 58 swimming gold medals at the Olympic Games, second only to the United States, who have won massive 217. In comparison, the third place goes to East Germany with a very respectable 32 gold medals.

www.coachinglife.com.au

Swimming is Australia’s most prolific Olympic Games sport, having been responsible for 58 of Australia’s 135 Olympic gold medals in the Olympic Games. In addition, a list of the top 100 Australian Olympians of all time, compiled by the Australian Olympic Committee, named 35 swimmers in the top 100, more than any other sport.

Swimmers have been given the honour of carrying the Australian flag six times in twelve at the closing ceremony, which is traditionally reserved for the most successful athlete of the delegation.

Australia’s strongest ever performance in swimming was at the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne. Australia claimed 8 of the 13 gold medals available, including both relays and a clean sweep of the medals in the 100m freestyle. This is the only time that Australia has topped the medal tally in swimming and the tally of gold medals has not been surpassed despite the expansion of the swimming program to its current 32 events.

Australia has been most successful in the freestyle discipline, with 37 of the

58 gold medals coming in the stroke.

Eight of the gold medals have come from the men’s 1500m freestyle, the most victories in the event by any country.

Australia’s first medal outside of freestyle did not come until Los Angeles in 1932 when Clare Dennis and Bonnie Mealing won gold and silver in the 200m breaststroke and 100m backstroke respectively. It was not until John Davies’ victory in the 200m breaststroke in Helsinki in1952 that a male swimmer had won a medal outside of freestyle.

CURRENT AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIC EVENTS 50m, 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m (w), 1500m (m) Freestyle.

100m, 200m Backstroke, Breaststroke, Butterfly.

200m, 400m Individual Medley.

4 x 100m Freestyle, 4 x 200m Freestyle, 4 x 100m Medley relays.

10km Marathon Swim.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 23

SPORT

COACH EVALUATION AND THE TEAM MODEL

By Sean Douglas National Head of Coach Education at Football Federation Australia

THAT WAS THE HEADLINE IN A MAJOR AUSTRALIAN NEWSPAPER HALFWAY THROUGH THE 2013-14 SEASON. AVAILABLE STATISTICS FROM BOTH THE A-LEAGUE AND THE ENGLISH LEAGUES (KINDLY PROVIDED BY THE LEAGUE MANAGERS ASSOCIATION) MAKE FOR GRIM READING IF YOU ARE A FOOTBALL COACH.

T

here have been 46 permanent A-League coaching appointments (excluding interim stints), with an average lifespan in the job of just 44 games. So forget all those proclamations of five-year plans and long-term philosophies. If you’re appointed head coach of an A-League team, your job security is roughly a season and a half.

The statistics for the Football Leagues in England do not make much better reading, so your life expectancy as a coach in either the A-League or the Football Leagues is a roughly one and a half seasons. With the professionalization of the game comes the notion of accountability and evaluation of coaching work.

BUT HOW ARE PROFESSIONAL COACHES EVALUATED? Typically we default to win loss records because it is easier. The following questions may provide a rationale for looking further than win-loss statistics.

24 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

What contribution does a coach make to the performance of a team? How do we know if a team would have performed better under a different coach?

Unfortunately, research into how teams perform after a change of manager shows no difference between teams that experienced an early-season slump and changed their manager within-season and the win ratios of a control group that experienced a similar slump but kept their manager. The recovery pattern following the initial slump was very similar in both groups.

In fact, some studies show that teams who changed their manager after a slump actually took longer to recover than teams who didn’t.

Although winning is dependent largely upon the talent, skills, knowledge and performance of players, coaches are currently evaluated primarily on this singular outcome measure which is neither completely controllable by coaches nor reflective of their ability to develop players. www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

“HALF THE SEASON GONE, HALF THE COACHES GONE; FORGET THE TASMANIAN DEVIL - THE A-LEAGUE COACH IS AUSTRALIA’S MOST ENDANGERED SPECIES” WHAT IS COACHING EXPERTISE/EFFECTIVENESS?

other two components of coaching effectiveness.

How do you evaluate the performance of the coach given that each coach is working with different squads, different support staff, different budgets and even different facilities?

1. COACH KNOWLEDGE

Côté and Gilbert (2009) proposed an integrated definition of coaching effectiveness and expertise that focuses on the integration of coaches’ knowledge, athletes’ outcomes, and the different contexts in which coaches typically work The literature outlines four coaching contexts that are defined by two factors: • Competitive Level – Participation or Performance • Major life periods – Childhood, Adolescence, Adulthood This results in the following contexts: • Participation coaches for children (sampling years 6-12) • Participation coaches for adolescents and adults (recreational years 13+) • Performance coaches for young adolescents (specializing years 1315), and • Performance coaches for older adolescents and adults (investment years 16+).

It is this last category that we are interested in, when considering the www.coachinglife.com.au

Research (Jones, 2007; Becker, 2009; Jowett 2007; Gilbert and Trudel, 2001) has identified three forms of coaches’ knowledge that underpin coaching effectiveness and expertise. These are:

Professional Knowledge Sport-specific knowledge including understanding of the sports sciences (psychology, physiology, biomechanics, etc), sport specific demands and techniques, and the pedagogical knowledge used to teach sport skills

Interpersonal Knowledge Understanding that coaching is essentially about the relationships developed with players/athletes and that these relationships are based primarily on social interactions (coach to player, player to coach, and coach to other stakeholders involved in supporting performance. This may be best summarised as a combination of emotional intelligence and transformational leadership

prepared to act on insights gained (continual learning/development). The development of this awareness occurs through constant reflection about current and past actions.

2. ATHLETE OUTCOMES As mentioned earlier, the role of the coach is central to performance. To improve performance, the coach needs to apply his/her knowledge (professional, interpersonal & intrapersonal) to help the players/team perform to the best of their ability. The 4 C’s is a concise yet comprehensive framework to measure performance (competence) and the psycho-social outcomes (confidence, connection, and character) required for elite team sport.

Competence Competence can be broken down into general dimensions – such as the teaching of Technical, Tactical, Mental, Physical skills – in such a way that they can be reproduced in competitive situations where decision making and positive responses to pressure are of the essence.

Intrapersonal Knowledge

Confidence

This is most aligned with the concepts of self-awareness and reflection.

Effective coaches have a keen sense of self-awareness, are aware of their strengths and limitations and are

Performance coaches should try to instill the belief and confidence in their players/athletes that they possess the capability to be successful and compete in the sport they practice.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 25

SPORT

Connection Performance coaches must also develop their players’ connection with others because elite sport is a social venue that requires interactions with a broad range of individuals for optimal performance. Performance Coaches need to foster a climate in which their players engage in meaningful and positive relationships with their teammates, staff and others involved.

Character It is important for coaches to promote the development of character so that athletes make appropriate and ethical decisions regarding their training and their overall involvement in sport.

From this framework we can see that the ultimate role of a Performance coach is to develop their players competence, confidence, connection and character so that they can compete at their highest level of performance on a consistent basis.

In sum, a coach’s ability to maximise athletes’ outcomes rests not only on being able to consistently apply extensive professional knowledge and interpersonal knowledge, but also on constant introspection, review, and revision of one’s practice.

The current emphasis on only professional knowledge appears to guide both traditional coach education and coach recruitment around the world. For example, it is extremely rare for a professional sport team to hire a coach who is not a former elite athlete. The assumption here is that the primary requirement to become an effective coach is an extensive knowledge of the sport (professional knowledge). Based on experience, unfortunately this same trend is pervasive across all levels of sport.

Seldom is consideration given to how well an individual connects with others (interpersonal knowledge) or their openness to continued learning and self-reflection (intrapersonal knowledge). This myopic view of the

26 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

requisite knowledge for coaching effectiveness may in part explain the high turnover rates of professional coaches, where research has shown that previous athletic ability is not correlated with coaching success [54].

You only have to look at the numerous real-world examples of coaches who “lost the dressing room” to realize that Interpersonal knowledge is crucial to being an effective coach. A coach can only be effective over time if there is a two-way relationship built on trust and respect. If this relationship breaks down (for example, the Matilda’s), then performance will drop.

How do we measure coach expertise?

Effective coaching is the achievement of goals that are shared by all stakeholders, and which are bounded by time and place (i.e. the context the coach is working in, for example, the quality of players or available resources). Therefore Lyle (2002) proposes that: • Coaching effectiveness should be judged by evaluating instances of specific coaching performance; • The effective coach is one whose capacity for coaching effectiveness has been evaluated over time and circumstance; and • The effective coach will acquire and display expertise and may in time be

termed an expert and in appropriate circumstances, may be successful (in terms of win-loss).

What does the research say about evaluating high performance coaches?

There have been several attempts by researchers to produce a tool to measure coach effectiveness. Most of them have looked at specific contexts or individual settings (e.g. training only). Gilbert and Trudel (1999, 2004) identified this and produced an instrument to comprehensively evaluate a coach’s work.

The Coaching Behaviour Scale for Sport (CBS-S) is a tool that offers seven dimensions of coaching behaviours that have been identified both by coaches and players as being important aspects of high performance coaching. These are preferable coach behaviours (that are underpinned by the three forms of knowledge outlined earlier) to improve player’s competence, confidence, connection and character.

The 7 dimensions of coaching behaviours that have been identified both by coaches and athletes as being important aspects of HP coaching: (Players rate their coaches on each of the items on a 7 point likert scale) • Physical Training and Planning (items about the coach’s involvement in www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

the athletes physical training and planning for training and competition) • Goal setting (items assessing the coach’s involvement in the identification, development, and monitoring of the athlete’s goals) • Mental Preparation (MP; five items focusing on how the coach helps the athlete to perform under pressure, stay focused, and be confident) • Technical Skills (TS; eight items about coaching feedback, demonstration, and cues) • Personal Rapport (PR; six items assessing the approachability, availability, and understanding of the coach) • Negative Personal Rapport (NPR; eight items examining the coach’s use of negative techniques such as fear and yelling) • Competition Strategies (CS; seven items focusing on the coach’s interaction with the athlete in competition).

The CBS-S is designed to evaluate the coaching that athletes received from one coach or a group of coaches. It is psychometrically sound because it has been grounded in coaches and athletes experiences.

Some coaches may be concerned that player feedback is involved in their evaluation. But given that the coach’s role is to get the best out of the players, the players need to feel confident and trust in the coach. The perceptions of the players in evaluating the quality of the work performed by high performance coaches are critical to the understanding of the quality of the player-coach relationship. If the relationship is poor and the players do not trust the coach, or do not feel that the coach can help them or the team improve then individual and team performance will not improve.

Coaches should be evaluated on how well they develop the 4 C’s and their

Team Model, taking into account the resources available (financial, facilities, staff, players), to achieve the result on match day in a manner that entertains the fans.

It should be noted that any single assessment of coaches work is problematic, so this should be taken into account with this instrument. Here are some guidelines when interpreting players’ evaluations of their coaches’ work through questionnaires: • Complement results from athlete evaluations with data from other sources such as objective indicators of performance (e.g. win-loss records, annual progression over the past 3 years) • Use more than one set of evaluation results before making decisions about competencies.

• Ensure that sufficient numbers of players have responded to the evaluation of a coach - the absolute

FFA COACH EDUCATION FOOTBALL FEDERATION AUSTRALIA RECOGNISES THAT COACH EDUCATION IS A KEY COMPONENT OF AUSTRALIA’S FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT PLAN. COACHES AT ALL LEVELS PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ENSURING THAT FOOTBALL IS AN ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE, AS WELL AS LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF BETTER PLAYERS. One of the identified weaknesses of Coach Education in Australia prior to 2007, was that there was only one stream of courses available. It didn’t matter whether you were coaching a social team of amateurs once a week or Head Coach of a State Premier League team and the courses were too short to deliver enough long-term learning or produce enough elite Australian coaches. It was clear that two pathways were required, especially when one accepts that players can

www.coachinglife.com.au

generally be divided into two streams: those that play for Participation, and those considered Performance players.

Since 2007, the FFA has divided footballers into two streams: those that are playing for fun, and those that are playing to reach the highest level possible. These are often referred to as ‘participation’ and ‘performance’.

The FFA call these two streams as Community Courses and Advanced Courses and have divided the Education Programs accordingly.

The Community Courses are short, affordable and locally available courses for those coaching local amateur teams whereas the Advanced Courses are long, intensive courses aimed at those who intend to become Professional Coaches.

Read more at http://www.footballaustralia.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 27

SPORT number and the proportion of athletes responding are both important.

• Consider the contextual factors that can affect the sport program as well as the athletes and coaches characteristics • Remain open to situational explanations when using specific results to make decisions about coaching competencies (e.g. low scores on mental preparation but coach has limited or no access to a sport psychologist) The data provided by the CBS-S presents a comprehensive profile of coach behaviours, which can be useful for consultants or administrators in reviewing coaches’ performances and competencies. Progressive coaches may also use these data as a means of getting feedback on their own coaching practice and identifying areas where improvement is required.

Although the primary focus of CBS-S is to provide criteria other than “winning” and “losing” to evaluate the work

28 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

of professional football coaches, it can also be used as an intervention tool. The data provided by the CBS-S presents a comprehensive profile of coach behaviors which can be useful for consultants or administrators in reviewing coaches’ performances and competencies. Progressive coaches can also use this data as a means of getting feedback on their own coaching practice and identifying areas where improvement is required.

The following principles should guide any coaching evaluation process: • Coach evaluation should be based on the effectiveness of the coaching • Any evaluation is understood within the operating context (e.g. support, time, resources etc) • Effectiveness is measured against both outcomes (win/loss) and processes (coach behaviours) • A professional coach cannot control the outcome of the match. He can only control how he prepares his team. Focusing on developing a player’s competence, confidence,

connection and character (4 C’s) within a clearly articulated playing style and tactical framework (Team Model) will give the team the best opportunity to win the match.

• A club-centered philosophy has a number of advantages over a coachcentered one.

• The club knows the type of coach they are looking to appoint/retain with coaches.

• Player purchases should that fit the club model, so a change of coach is unlikely to require a clean-out of players. This means finances are used to strengthen the squad instead of replace existing players.

• A clear development model for younger players can be put in place Fans generally become/remain fans because of the philosophy.

It is important for a coach to implement and execute a Team Model that fits the club. This ‘philosophical fit’ between coach and club should be the main reason why the coach is contracted.

www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

NEW COACH TIPS

By Mitchell Hewitt

MITCH IS THE NATIONAL COACH EDUCATION COORDINATOR AT TENNIS AUSTRALIA. HIS ROLE INCLUDES A VARIETY OF CURRICULUM, CONTENT DEVELOPMENT AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVES DESIGNED FOR TENNIS COACHES, PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOL TEACHERS AND TERTIARY STUDENTS. MITCH HAS COACHED TENNIS ACROSS ALL LEVELS FOR OVER 27 YEARS AS WELL AS WORKING AS A PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHER. WITH A BACHELOR OF APPLIED SCIENCE (HUMAN MOVEMENT) (HONS), GRAD DIP ED. (TEACHING) MASTERS IN EDUCATION AND A PHD IN PEDAGOGY, HE CONTINUES TO COACH IN THE FAMILY TENNIS COACHING BUSINESS.

THE EARLY DAYS

FAMILY BUSINESS

It all started back in 1976 when my mother, brother and sister all moved from a small country town, 330 km north-west of Melbourne to Caulfield, Victoria to be near my grandparents.

Mum was a very good tennis player and had won a mixed Australian junior title. Back then, country Victoria had a very strong tennis culture so we would travel around to tournaments watching Mum play. There are many photos of us running around at tournaments with tennis balls in our hands. On moving to Melbourne, Mum continued her love of tennis by establishing a tennis coaching business that still operates today.

When we first arrived in Melbourne in 76, Mum started a coaching business on a couple of local council courts with just four ladies. Mum’s parents, our Nana and Pa, helped out as assistant coaches and I have very fond memories from these early years. Mum would start coaching in the morning from 9 – 12 while my sister was being looked after by the grandparents. After school, I would walk home past the tennis courts as mum worked until 7pm. Occasionally I would jump into a lesson but mostly it was home to the grandparents with instructions on what to cook for dinner.

www.coachinglife.com.au

From about 9 years old I was answering the phone and taking bookings for coaching. I guess you could say I was bred into the profession.

During the school holidays, mum ran coaching programs and we were expected to assist where needed. From early in the morning, we would jump in and play or act as assistant coaches, filling the ball machine, cutting fruit for COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 29

SPORT

The life of a coach is challenging with lessons often commencing early in the morning and ordinarily not finishing until late at night - but I wouldn’t change a moment of it.

the other kids or just being a general assistant for mum, grandparents or other coaches. We would still have a family holiday in the second week of the holidays but coaching tennis was the family business and we all loved it.

Pa went on to become a participant in a program the over 50’s Tennis Group. Many were over 80 but they got together once a week for a 2 -3 hour session to keep Nan and Pa active and it still goes on today. We are attached to the Glen Eira tennis club for returned serviceman with many over 90 players.

Hewitt Tennis Coaching has been running for 38 years and is now coaching the third generation of players. With around 500 students, it is still a family business today that I am very proud of.

Although tennis was the family business, like every other boy going to school at Caulfield Grammar, I wanted to play AFL. When I left school I went to University and studied teaching, Bachelor of Applied Science in Human

30 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

movement but I never stopped coaching.

After gaining my teaching degree I travelled to Japan with the intent to teach English but naturally ‘fell’ into coaching tennis as well. Some of my students invited me to go down for a hit and started coaching very quickly on Saturdays and Sundays. We had a fabulous cultural exchange with a background of sport.

The aspects of silence and listening are very important. The pedagogical significance of demonstration instead of lengthy explanations was something that I didn’t really appreciate then.

After Japan, my wife and I spent eighteen months in Singapore where I was Head Tennis coach at the American Club. Working in the American Club in Singapore was very demanding in terms of customer service and long hours. I would often work from 6 am until 11 pm but I look back on those times fondly although they were challenging.

STUDY TO BE THE BEST Once I had travelled, I then launched into the academic pathway all centred around coaching.

I coached full time through my Honours degree (aspects of coaching), my Master’s degree and my PhD (study in coaching methodologies and tennis teaching styles). I would coach seven days a week all the way through my academic pathway which all focused on coaching.

Even through all of this, I imagined that I would only do Tennis Coaching as a part time job until I identified a ‘real’ career. I was, of course, unaware at the time that coaching would become my career. If there was anything I could change, it would be to recognise and appreciate that coaching is a very ‘real’ career pathway. That’s part of what we do at Tennis Australia now to get young coaches to recognise that it can be a long term, genuine vocation with fabulous rewards. www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

If you are going to be a great coach these days, then I think you are someone who cares about the holistic development of the person. We look at the physical, psychological and affective aspects of the person and each means different things to individuals. You may deal with students with less physical capacity or natural inclination but you will might enrich them in other domains. All domains now fit into the job of coaching.

Specifically you need to be patient, creative, energetic and respectful for the profession of coaching. There is a huge responsibility to the individuals who are paying for your service. You are a custodian of the profession of Coaching and your influence is significant and needs to be respected.

When the kids run out of the gate at the end of the lesson, regardless of their differing abilities, you want them to experience a sense of success, fun and enjoyment.

Since I started coaching, I’ve seen the certification and accreditation pathways become far more rigorous.

Tennis accreditation is now nationally recognised and attached to Certificate III and Certificate IV qualifications which I feel are far more comprehensive and relevant for younger people.

Our programs are aligned and share many complimentary features within the Australian Sports Commission philosophy of “Playing for life” which is underpinned by the Game Sense approach which integrates technique, tactics, maximum participation, inclusion, problem solving and inquiry. www.coachinglife.com.au

Tennis coaching methodology and teaching styles have also changed.

I started coaching using traditional methods where tennis was taught very didactically with a central focus on isolated skill practice limited to the psycho-motor domain. With the implementation of Tennis Hot Shots we now also focus on the cognitive and affective domains as well as the physical aspects. This immensely successful tennis development program sees kids as young as five playing with modified racquets and balls. This innovative initiative also extends into schools with the Tennis in Primary and Secondary school programs in addition to introducing the program to pre-service undergraduates at various Universities across the country. All designed to impact positively on the physical activity levels of children, adolescents and young adults.

Integrating the technical elements of the game within the tactical objectives while engaging students in the affective domain is essential for relevancy, retention and success.

As for mentors, I have been lucky enough to have had many – all from various educational and sporting disciplines. I recall, many years ago, having David Parkin as my lecturer at Deakin University for a unit on Children in Sport. I also garnished a variety of skills from the Physical Education teachers who worked in our tennis coaching business.

For new coaches starting out, I would offer the following • Invest in your craft. Being a prolific reader and seek out the knowledge you need. Don’t be afraid to go outside your own discipline and learn from other perspectives.

• Attach yourself to a good mentor, then be a good listener.

• Experiment and take risks when you are coaching. What works for one

person may not work for another. You have a choice to progress or regress.

• Check your ego at the door. You will never know everything so keep an open mind.

• Don’t teach idiosyncratically. It’s not about what you know or necessarily what you think is right or the ‘best’ way, it’s what the student needs.

Be flexible, and always reflect and consider the developmental readiness of your students • Most importantly, love what you do.

THE FUTURE I am often asked when I will transition off the court but to me, the hours of a tennis coach together with the physical demands are natural. I recently took 2 weeks leave from Tennis Australia and ended up working back in the family business. I couldn’t help myself.

After all these years, mum is still on the court. In fact, we still even coach together, so I see that I will always be on the court. In my role at Tennis Australia, maintaining relevance and currency is critically important but at the end of the day, my reasons are also a little selfish - I just love being on the court and engaging with the students In the future I want to continue to integrate the practical elements of the profession with the theoretical aspects of pedagogy An area, I believe, coaches need to further explore.. I think Judith Rink explains it best when she says “You don’t want to know that something simply works, you want to know why and how it works in different conditions. This allows you to develop a pedagogy that is constant with the why. Only then you can be creative and innovative.”

The life of a coach is challenging with lessons often commencing early in the morning and ordinarily not finishing until late at night - but I wouldn’t change a moment of it.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 31

SPORT

By Michael Smith

THE BENEFITS OF A COACHING METHODOLOGY KARATE, AS IT EXISTS TODAY, HAS BEEN AROUND SINCE THE LATE 1800S AND THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT STYLES. THESE MAY HAVE SOME TECHNIQUES PERFORMED DIFFERENTLY, SUCH AS THE POSITIONING OF THE HAND, LOW TO THE HIP IN SHOTOKAN OR HIGH AGAINST THE RIBS IN GOJU, BUT THE PRINCIPLES OF KARATE REMAIN THE SAME IN ALL THE SYSTEMS.

32 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

T

eaching Karate is not just about the style but how we pass on this information in a way that each level of student can understand and retain.

Although the Martial Arts, specifically Karate, have been around for many years, it was in the late 1970’s that the Federation of Australian Karate Organisations (FAKO) members were introduced to the coaching methodology set down by the Australian Coaching Council. Before this coaches, or instructors as we were known then, taught as they learnt from their Japanese mentors, basically ‘Monkey see Monkey do’. We stood out the front and performed to a count along with the students with little or no correction offered for improvement. From that

position, very little assessing of the students’ performances could be done.

I was first asked to take a class in 1977. With just over two years of training, it was a scary experience as I really had no idea what to do. I knew the techniques of Goju but couldn’t think how to present them to the students. To this day, I still remember how I felt and it took several years and many mistakes before I felt competent in my coaching ability.

Thirty-eight years later I am still coaching. I have produced many black belts but I continue to access new ideas provided by experts to assist me to bring out the best in my students.

I tell my new coaching students that it took me four to five years to be www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

Thirty-eight years later I am still coaching. I have produced many black belts but I continue to access new ideas provided by experts to assist me to bring out the best in my students.

comfortable with my own coaching ability but, by attending and completing the National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) Bronze course for beginner coaches, their time to be comfortable with their coaching can occur within 18 months.

As Karate coaches, we have a duty of care to our students to ensure that we are teaching correctly, in a safe manner, in a safe environment. By definition, Martial Arts mean ‘War Like’. Our techniques have the ability to cause serious injury or even death. This is what sets the Martial Arts apart from other sports. Although all sports have possible dangers - athletes have died or received life-changing injuries playing sports that seem safe - we need to be aware of the inherent dangers in Karate and ensure our students remain safe at all times Coach education plays an important role in coaching today’s students.

Juniors, especially, are more familiar with sourcing information on their computers and want to know why things are done a certain way. Gone are the days when a student blindly followed the Master. Personally, I believe having students that don’t follow blindly challenges the coach to become better and this ultimately produces better students. Our novices, adults and children, are our future www.coachinglife.com.au

black belts, our grassroots students our future competitors and we need to give them a strong foundation on which to grow. By being the best coaches we can, we can help the students be the best they can be.

We know from experience and from information from the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) that children who want to play the game are not necessary in it to win at any cost.

It is more the parents and coaches that want children to win, sometimes putting too much pressure on the children therefore causing them to quit. Some years back, as National Secretary to the Australian Karate Federation (AKF), I attended a seminar hosted by the Australian Sports Commission (ASC). They presented a survey to a group of Queensland school

children regarding playing sports. The consensus was that being involved with their friends, having fun and doing their best outweighed winning.

Ten years later, the ASC conducted the same survey with another group of students in Queensland and they received the same results. This means developing team work and helping them be the best they can in a stressfree environment is important in how we coach our children.

Back in the day, if a child acted up in class then push-ups were given as a punishment, resulting in them hating an effective fitness exercise.

Thanks to new adolescent coaching programs, we now know how to handle those situations without the class being disrupted and the student being inappropriately punished.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 33

SPORT

Children have a shorter attention span than adults and this can cause its own challenges. We know that continuous training without a fun break or quick changes will cause some children to act-up. So instead of 100 punches, 100 kicks, and 100 blocks, we do ten of each and then either go back to the start or put a karate game into the mix - a game that develops a skill or team work. It also means there is less likelihood of repetitive injuries in children. Breaks are important for the children in their recovery, even though, when they tell us they are tired and need a break, they usually run around like crazy anyway! We can’t stop them, but at least their minds are rested and ready to be filled again.

In the past for some coaches, experience was a learning curve regarding why we taught exercise and techniques using a specific method as well as why we didn’t do certain exercises such as bunny hops. Now, through coach education and attending refresher and update courses provided by the various State Government sporting organisations, we can gain access to a variety of up-to-date material and research that can assist coaches in understanding the dangers that can happen if techniques are not executed correctly. The coach now learns to assess individual students and adjust their exercises to suit. We learn what is unique to our sport, how different body shapes may need addressing and the importance of warm-ups and stretching.

34 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

Like with bunny-hops, there were things in the past we got wrong. Gone are the days when push-ups from a kneeling position were called ‘Girl Pushups’. In fact, I have found that when my students have had back injuries or discomfort doing push-ups, the kneeling position is useful as it does not put as much stress on the lower back. Unfit students may begin this way and work their way up. Knee problems?

Then use the wall for push-ups. The use of technique based warm-ups can then help the student to gain competency in a much shorter time, reducing the risk of injury.

also cost you students. I now know that corrective feedback should be positive and immediate and that praising a student when a technique is achieved results in a better, more motivated student. It is also crucial that, through understanding the learning abilities of a student from beginner to advanced, we can identify the use of key points suited to their level of understanding in terms they can easily accept.

Karate coaching today involves the clear explanations of key points, effective demonstration of techniques, careful observation of performance for correct technique and immediate positive feedback. While using today’s coaching methodology has reduced the time for coaches to become competent, we should continue to challenge ourselves to become better at what we do.

I first started Karate after arriving from England back in November, 1965.

In those days, if you had an injury of any sort, you didn’t dare go to training as you were expected to perform as usual. Today this does not happen. If one of my students comes to me at the beginning of class and says that they are carrying an injury or returning from an injury, they know they can train at their pace without fear of their injury getting worse, and they maintain their standard while they continue to learn.

In some cases, recovery is faster if they get back to training.

Communication, verbal and non-verbal, is the biggest part of coaching and our best tool to pass on the knowledge of Karate. The old system of showing a technique, having a student repeat it and saying “that’s wrong” without correcting or even explaining why it is wrong is extremely ineffective. It can

MICHAEL SMITH Chief Instructor Goju Karate Australia NCAS Gold Coach

www.coachinglife.com.au

SPORT

BUSINESS COACHING » CALLAN McDONNELL Head of Coaching, Suncorp Insurance JOHN RAYMOND Principal at IECL TARRAN DEANE Corporate Cinderella and President Professional Speakers Queensland ANTHONY DAVIS Brightwater Business Consulting

www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 35

BUSINESS

STARTING A COACHING SERVICE INSIDE AN ORGANISATION DURING MY FIRST EXPERIENCE OF COACHING, I BECAME ACUTELY AWARE THAT MY THOUGHTS ABOUT MY PARTICULAR SITUATION WERE FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORMED AS A RESULT OF THE QUESTIONS MY COACH ASKED ME. IT’S AS THOUGH SHE HAD CHANGED MY BRAIN AND I COULD NO LONGER THINK ABOUT MYSELF OR MY SITUATION IN THAT OLD WAY. I THOUGHT, “THERE’S MAGIC IN THIS.” I WANTED TO LEARN THE SKILLS AND TRY AND GIVE THIS EMPOWERING SKILL SET AND SERVICE OFFERING TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.

36 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

A

n organisation is, in some ways, a collection of people who have adopted a certain mindset about how work happens and how business relationships need to occur. Habits and patterns of thinking form that influence the organisational culture. How we approach business problems and how we think about future business opportunities is largely dependant on our ability to flex our thinking. I can think of no better way to cause this behavioural flexibility than through coaching.

At Suncorp Commercial Insurance, we have been building a coaching culture for the past five years. We decided that coaching needed to form part of our leadership and technical specialist tool kits. Establishing a coaching mindset has been a significant pillar in our capability plans for the last four

By Callan McDonnell

years. We partnered with an external provider to support us in building up a set of coaching skills and chose to focus our development on our middle management level initially.

The coaching capability has now been expanded into our senior leadership area and all our Firstline leaders.

Approximately 70% of our leaders have now received formal training in coaching skills and are on the whole using coaching techniques in their conversations with their direct reports, manager and colleagues.

All our staff members have the opportunity to book a coach through an online booking service. Our qualified coaches can load up their e-bios indicating their areas of specialisation and staff members can book a coaching time and run through their www.coachinglife.com.au

BUSINESS

An organisation is, in some ways, a collection of people who have adopted a certain mindset about how work happens and how business relationships need to occur area of focus. The conversations are often themed around career progression; challenges with leaders, direct reports or colleagues; work-life fit and struggling to find meaning and purpose in the work they do. The coach will typical have 5-6 coaching sessions of an hour duration each and within a matter of months coachees are able to make new choices about their future goals.

We have set up an internal community of practice to ensure there is support provided to our coaches and cocoaching opportunities are made

available to keep skills current.

Coaching techniques are refreshed and general conversations unfold that allow the coaching community to see and hear the similarity of the themes that emerge in coaching conversations.

Occasionally we get external specialist to come in and present on topics, like narrative coaching or laser coaching.

An internal coaching service fosters a culture of possibility. Coaches ask the questions that cause people to consider new ways of thinking about old problems. Coachees get clearer about what matters and what should

matter. There is a gradual maturity of thinking, problem solving and connection happening between people.

We have seen a steady increase in our coaching measures as reflected in our annual engagement survey. Apart from the anecdotal feedback from both coaches and coaches, we are able to measure how we are doing in relation to coaching through our annual survey.

All employees are asked the following question: ‘Rate your leader in coaching you in your development’. Our results are shown below:

YEAR

FAVOURABLE

NEUTRAL

UNFAVOURABLE

AUS/NZ NORM

GLOBAL HIGH PERFORMING NORM

2011

63%

24%

14%

+3

0

2012

69%

22%

9%

+14

+6

2013

75%

17%

8%

+20

+10

2014

72%

20%

8%

+16

+9

2015

72%

20%

8%

+16

+9

Callan McDonnell heads up the Commercial Insurance Learning Campus for the Suncorp Group. A qualified Executive Coach himself, he has been instrumental in establishing a coaching culture across the Commercial Insurance business.

www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 37

BUSINESS

AN EXECUTIVE COACH IS NOT A FANCY BUS THAT DRIVES EXECUTIVES AROUND… SO WHAT IS IT?

COACHING THE BOSS (AND THE BOSS’S BOSS)

By John Raymond

WHEN YOU WERE A KID YOU PROBABLY HAD A COACH, WHETHER IT WAS A SOCCER COACH, A TENNIS COACH OR A FOOTY COACH. HOPEFULLY, THAT COACH WAS ENCOURAGING, CHALLENGING AND HELPED YOU PERFORM BETTER AT WHATEVER SPORT YOU WERE PLAYING. OR MAYBE YOU HAD A MATHS COACH OR AN ENGLISH COACH, WHO HELPED YOU TO GET BETTER RESULTS AT SCHOOL AND IN YOUR EXAMS.

S

ports coaching has been around for a long time and is what most people think of when you say “coach” – the sports coach is highly visible, whether it’s someone pacing the pool beside an Olympic swimmer, or sitting with his head in his hands when his team makes an “own goal”.

WHAT ABOUT EXECUTIVE COACHING? This is a much-misunderstood term and it only really emerged and evolved in the 1990s – just about 20 years ago now. The term “executive coach” can

38 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

also be described as an “organisational coach” and is someone who helps people at all levels in organisations to improve their performance, by helping them eliminate whatever it is that interferes with high performance at work. Executive Coaching is often said to have been influenced by the work of Timothy Gallwey, an author who wrote a series of books in which he set forth a new methodology for coaching and for the development of personal and professional excellence in a variety of fields. He called this “The Inner Game” and wrote The Inner

Game of Tennis and The Inner Game of Golf before going on to write The Inner Game of Work to help people be better performers at work. Many see Gallwey as the founding thinker in the field of modern Executive Coaching.

SO, HOW DOES A COACHING CONVERSATION WORK? A coaching conversation should never be anything like the friendly chat you might have with a mate over coffee.

That kind of conversation usually has no specific outcomes, no actions and creates no real change; it’s usually not www.coachinglife.com.au

BUSINESS

A good coach does not suggest strategy or dwell on “the story” (what happened next?) and does not (well, hardly ever) give advice. challenging in any way. At IECL we like to say that “a good coaching conversation will get you thinking differently and acting on that new thinking.”

The GROW model is commonly used to structure a coaching conversation and is a good foundational model, especially for the beginner coach.

There have been many claims about GROW’s authorship and while no one person can be clearly identified as the originator, Graham Alexander, Alan Fine, and Sir John Whitmore all made significant contributions. Max Landsberg also describes GROW in his very readable book about coaching in organisations; The Tao of Coaching.

A good coach does not suggest strategy or dwell on “the story” (what happened next?) and does not (well, hardly ever) give advice. A really good coach builds rapport to provide a safe space for open discussion, ensures they have trust and then challenges their client through insightful questioning. They may also - through asking the right questions - hold up a “mirror” for their client to observe and reflect on their own behaviour and actions, and how these relate to the “interferences” in their lives.

THAT SOUNDS LIKE LIFE COACHING! ISN’T IT THE SAME THING? Executive or organisational coaching differs from life coaching in that the www.coachinglife.com.au

organisational coach usually has two clients; the organisational sponsor of the coaching (who is often authorising the payment of the coach’s bills) and the person being coached. This creates a triangular relationship which can mean a quite different coaching environment to life coaching (where usually the client is also paying the bill).

Often the two “clients” in the executive coaching triangle have differing agendas and may even have a different understanding about why the coaching is happening. A good organisational coach will ensure they have a robust discussion about the confidentiality and ethical issues around this three way relationship before they start the coaching engagement. They will also ask both parties to sign a “coaching agreement” that outlines the terms of the ongoing engagement. With this in place, everyone can relax, knowing that most of what is discussed in the coaching room is confidential and what is shared with the company is only whether the coaching goals have been met.

AH, SO IT’S BUSINESS COACHING IS IT? Well, no, not really. Business coaches tend to have previous experience in the client’s industry (or something closely related) and they regularly use their subject matter expertise in their discussions with clients. For example, they may use the coaching session to

review the business plan, talk about how things are going with various personnel, look at a potential changes of strategy etc. A business coach also gives advice to their client, based on their business experience. They often tell the client what to do. In many ways, a business coach is similar to a management consultant. A good executive coach will never tell you what to do, but they may well ask you the most important question you need to answer, or the question that nobody else has dared to ask…

HOW DO YOU BECOME AN ORGANISATIONAL COACH? Good organisational coaches often have a background working at mid to senior management (or higher) levels in organisations. While this is not entirely necessary, it is common, and it helps if the coach understands the culture and politics of organisations in order to coach successfully. However, we COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 39

BUSINESS

have seen many great coaches come from industries as varied as education, psychology, television and the health sector. What is important is the ability to be present and listen fully, a curiosity about people and the capacity to think on your feet and follow the coaching conversation wherever your client takes it (they set the agenda, not you). Having a genuine interest in organisations, and how they operate also helps; if you dislike the corporate world, it’s probably best to stay away from organisational coaching.

WHAT’S THE FUTURE OF EXECUTIVE COACHING?

At IECL we train our organisational coaches in all the complexities of coaching within an organisation. The methodology learned can also be used to coach anyone, about anything, but a certain level of understanding of organisational context is necessary for an executive coach. For this reason, we ensure that our coach trainees understand that an executive must be coached holistically. They need to understand that their client exists,

While executive coaching has been popular in Australia since the late 1990’s, it is in more recent years that it has become a fairly common and positively regarded intervention (or even reward) for executives with a wide variety of performance related conundrums. As an industry we are increasingly seeing highly informed purchasers of coaching - some who are trained as coaches themselves - and most demand that the coaches they

and must survive and hopefully thrive, within a complex landscape which includes their own personal goals, values and beliefs, and also includes the organisation’s culture, systems, processes, and politics. There’s no point in coaching an executive to “follow their heart” if the company culture doesn’t reward that kind of behaviour. (Unless they want to leave the company, and that’s another story). hire be certified or accredited by an International Coach Federation (ICF) approved educator.

Some of this change in attitudes can be attributed to the 2011 Standards Australia publication: Coaching in Organizations. This handbook was written by a group of coaching training organisations (including IECL), as well as providers of coaching, and client company representatives. It is a world first, in terms of an entire industry agreeing on the parameters and putting them in writing, and sets

A 2008 WORLDWIDE STUDY FOUND THAT...

43% OF CEO’S AND 71% OF SENIOR EXECUTIVES

REPORT WORKING WITH A COACH

63% OF CONTACTED ORGANIZATIONS PLAN TO INCREASE THEIR USE OF COACHING OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS 92% OF LEADERS BEING COACHED SAY THEY PLAN TO USE A COACH AGAIN

AN EARLIER STUDY REPORTED AN AVERAGE ROI OF OVER 520% FOR MANAGEMENT AND LEADERSHIP COACHING INITIATIVES. THAT’S $100,000 FOR EVERY $20,000 SPENT ON COACHING. 40 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

www.coachinglife.com.au

BUSINESS

out the expectations you should have of a coach and what all organisations should understand before purchasing coaching.

At around the same time the International Coach Federation (ICF) started to raise the bar in terms of what they expect from coaches wanting to become members, and/or gain ICF credentials. This increase in basic standards has contributed towards an increased professionalisation of the industry. However, we believe that it’s unlikely that coaching will become an official profession (with all that entails) any time in the next five or so years.

SO, HOW DO ALL THESE TYPES OF COACHING FIT TOGETHER? In the organisational coaching area there is increasing understanding of what a coach should and can provide.

Most purchasers of coaching are now clear about when they need an executive coach, as opposed to a mentor, a business coach, or a life

coach. Sports coaching is often far more directive (“you need to kick the ball like this”) and in many ways, can be closer to mentoring (especially if the coach is an expert or former champion in that sport). However, Gallwey would say that anyone can get better performance out of a sportsperson; it’s all about the “inner game”!

How do I get more information?

See the reading list below, and if you want to learn more about executive coaching, come to a free introductory session at IECL in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne or Perth. Or take a look at our website: www.iecl.com Reading List • The Tao of Coaching, Max Landsberg (1996) • The Inner Game of Work, Timothy Gallwey (2001) • Coaching for Performance, John Whitmore (2002) • Coaching in Organizations, Standards Australia (2011)

JOHN RAYMOND, Head of Coaching, IECL John is a Senior Executive Coach and Facilitator, and a Principal at IECL, Sydney www.iecl.com

TRAIN WITH THE INSTITUTE OF EXECUTIVE COACHING AND LEADERSHIP We are Australasia’s premier organisational coaching and coach training company. In business since 1999, we have trained over 4,500 professionals via our Accredited Coach Training Program (ICF ACTP).

We also offer: • • •

One-on-One Coaching (in all locations, and virtual coaching).

Organisational Coach Training in-house for organisations wanting to build a coaching cohort.

Leadership Development (coaching skills for leaders, high performance teaming, conversation skills training, and many other bespoke solutions).

We are headquartered in Sydney and offer coaching and coach training throughout Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

For more information: www.iecl.com +612 8270 0600 coach@iecl.com www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 41

BUSINESS

THE AUTHENTIC BUSINESS COACH:

By Dr Dion Klein, CEO of iPledg.com

A PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTION HAVE YOU EVER TALKED YOURSELF UP TO A POTENTIAL CLIENT IN ORDER TO GET BUSINESS? HAVE YOU EVER HAD A CLIENT ASK ABOUT YOUR SUCCESSES IN BUSINESS? WHEN THE CLIENT ASKED ABOUT YOUR SUCCESSES, DID YOU SAY, “YA’KNOW, I CAN SHARE WITH YOU MY SUCCESSES, BUT I’D RATHER SHARE WITH YOU MY GREATEST DISASTERS FOR THAT IS WHERE I CAN HELP YOU THE MOST OF WHAT NOT TO DO?”

42 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

I

come across so many business coaches who, when asked about their worst business decision, they are hesitant to share. It is either because they are insecure to reveal how they got their scars or they are just embarking on their journey as a business coach with no business experiences to share.

Anyone can be a business or life coach nowadays as there are very few, if any, enforced regulatory guidelines to practice here in Australia. To a certain extent, the success of a ‘coach’ relies on your marketing strategies, the promotion of your book (since a #1 best seller on Amazon apparently makes you an authority), and the SEO of your website. The consumer does not really know the difference if you are

qualified, the ‘real deal’, or just a great marketer.

Being an ‘authentic coach’ is NOT a marketing issue; if anything it is the farthest from marketing. Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau stated that authenticity is derived from the natural self, whereas inauthenticity is a result of external influences. That being said, especially in today’s society, the challenge of being a truly authentic coach is quite high due to the plethora of external influences impacting one’s practice. A ‘truly authentic coach’ would not be impacted by external influences such as competition from other business or life coaches; one’s own grounding and integrity would surface and be expressed without a marketing ‘push’. The potential client www.coachinglife.com.au

BUSINESS

“To Thine Own Self Be True.”

would recognise your authenticity and naturally ‘connect’.

Grimmett (1994) defines that authenticity as “to draw on a ‘body’ of knowledge and to speak and act from those moral spaces with a confidence that is rooted in a conscious, collective understanding.” (p. 209). Based on this definition, as a truly authentic coach, you would share your insights based on your own first-hand experiences and reflections. Unfortunately, there are many coaches that work outside of their capacity based on this perspective.

A classic example of an inauthentic business coach is one who had a long “successful” career working in corporate or government organisation as a manager. He used to have a “consultancy” business many years ago which he closed after one year due to a lack of on-going clients. Either through redundancy or quitting the job, he now has decided to make a career change and help people in starting and growing their business. He creates a good story, goes out and markets himself pretty well by attending many networking functions and gains a few clients. Very few will find out the truth that he has very little business owner experience.

An authentic coach is one who is vulnerable with their client and honest when they are entering into an experience that hasn’t been encountered in their career. For example, if you have experiences in having businesses that averaged $250k turnover per annum, that is a great market to service for I know many micro- to small business owners who aspire to attain that goal. Now, if you start targeting those clients who have www.coachinglife.com.au

POLONIUS IN HAMLET

over $1 million revenue per annum and want to export and grow into a multi-million dollar enterprise, you may be working outside your capacity. You haven’t gone through the mindset shift and emotional rollercoaster of that journey.

Many years ago when I was teaching small business management as part of a government program. One of my students made an observation when she said, “When you teach you tell stories; you wear your experiences on your sleeve. The good, the bad and the ugly. The ugly ones were the best.

I learned a lot from them.” I never had given it much thought until then.

As coaches, dare to be vulnerable and honest about your experiences as well as the ones you have not had.

By taking on the responsibility of business coaching with integrity, your authenticity will rarely be questioned.

Authenticity consists in having a true and lucid consciousness of the situation, in assuming the responsibilities and risks that it involves in accepting it in pride or humiliation, sometimes in horror or hate. ~ Sartre

References: Critchley, P. 2003., Autonomy, Authenticity and Authority: The Rational Freedom of Jean-Jacques Rousseau. [e-book] Available through Academia website <http://mmu.academia.edu/ PeterCritchley/Books Grimmett, P. and Neufield, J. (1994).

Teacher Development and the Struggle for Authenticity. Teachers College Press: New York.

Nafstad, Peter. Rousseau: Authenticity or Narcissim? [ONLINE] http:// septentrio.uit.no/index.php/nordlit/ article/viewFile/2078/1936.

Dr Dion Klein is an entrepreneur, business developer, educator, and speaker. He has had brickand-mortar and web-based businesses in Australia and the USA. He is the Director of The WISE Academy, a Registered Training Organisation specialising in small business development. He recently acquired and stepped into the CEO position of iPledg.com, an Australian-based crowdfunding platform.

Contact: www.drdion.com or + 61 409 817 584

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 43

BUSINESS

DESIGNING YOUR COACHING BUSINESS YOU’VE GOT THE LATEST IPHONE, THE BRIGHT SHINY IPAD, THE FUNKY SHIRT AND POLISHED SHOES, THE RUNS ON THE BOARD AND NOW YOU’RE READY TO TAKE ON THE WORLD!

W

hether you’re new to the coaching profession or taking a fresh new look, check out my FIVE key questions to stay at the top of your game. Together with some bonus resources and links

1. What Makes YOU Tick?

The skills that got you the job or brought to you to this point in your career, won’t be enough to sustain you into the future. You’ll be questioned, challenged, pressured and outmanoeuvred on more than one occasion. Change will come at

44 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

you rapid fire and with more and more employees leaving the workforce to become small business owners, you and I need to be extra clear on why we do what we do and how we’re going to do it.

Start with these: • What are your values? Once reaffirmed, use them as the foundation for your business decisions.

• Consider at least 10 objections you think potential clients will have about working with you. Address them, write them down and make a note to develop your FAQ page.

• Who do you picture yourself working with? More than a marketing avatar and the problems you’ll help solve, unpack the positive and negative behaviours you imagine these people will demonstrate while you’re working together. This exercise helps you to build stronger professional boundaries and equips you for better negotiations. Say no, when

by Tarran Deane

it’s appropriate as not everyone who wants to work with you should.

• Examine your ideal working hours in light of what it’s really going to take to grow your business and serve your ideal client. A four hour working week? Hang on while I stop laughing and pick myself up off the ground.

If building from scratch, be realistic.

This baby is going to take some time unless you can employ a team and leverage like crazy.

How did I become a coach?

I was inspired to become a coach through my first client Antonia and my own past coach Phil Daly from Pinnacle Business Solutions in northern NSW. Phil gave me incredible perspective while I was in my role as senior executive of a $55 million company and it was here I experienced personally the very real difference a coach can make in complex environments.

Antonia, walked across the room at the end of a speaking event I’d presented www.coachinglife.com.au

BUSINESS

My husband is an advanced care paramedic. A day in the office can be pretty rough for him and his colleagues.

I knew at Corporate Cinderella that combining structure with flexibility was a priority for me so we could enjoy our downtime, while honouring my speaking, coaching and consulting schedule.

at in Brisbane, 5 years ago. Neither of us knew at the time her simple question, “How can I work with you one on one?” Would lead me to expanding our suite of services to include executive coaching and represent close to 45% of our company revenue stream

by June 30 this year.

BONUS TIPS Find out who’s doing what you aspire to be doing and sit at their feet, humbly learn and soak up their knowledge and the way they engage with their markets.

Often more is ‘caught’ rather than taught’. It’s called ‘impartation’. If it’s virtual learning, pace yourself. It’s easy to regard the internet, and professional development generally, as a buffet and over eat. Pace yourself. Learn, process, implement, review and consolidate before racing out to do another course.

2. What are the tools you have to work with and how do you stay ahead of the pack with your knowledge of emerging trends and technologies?

Time to do an inventory! Take a look at those devices you’ve got in your hot little hand. Your iPad, smart phone, laptop or desktop and consider what are the apps are serving you or is it just more white noise. How are the tools that you currently have going to serve your future?

I knew I didn’t want to become a slave to follow-up notes and activities. I’d learnt how to be effective in meetings during my executive roles and took action there and then, before leaving a room. As an entrepreneur I have the same focus. Deliver great value there and then, before distraction gets in the way.

BONUS TIPS Want to know my favourite iPad app?

It’s called NoteShelf. The Pro version costs around $10 from the app store. I can use a stylus or keypad. I can email a single page or the whole coaching journal to my client. I can insert files, photos or draw models to highlight points. www.coachinglife.com.au

Every day of the week is themed and each day, two hours are focused on one of my core seven leadership elements.

I stay true to these whether I’m in Australia or travelling internationally for work or play. You’ll also see it reflected in my social media postings and conversations. Every action is ‘on purpose’.

Check out the Apps on my iPhone Home Screen today. It literally is my mobile office. You might find one you like. (see image above).

3. What is your strategic framework for success?

If you’ve elected to embark on coaching as a business through franchising, you’ll have a model to follow. But what if you don’t? What if you’re a pioneer, a renegade, an innovator and you’re leading the charge?

You might want to sit down with your life or business partner, a mentor or your financial advisor and answer some of these questions: • Have you considered exactly what success looks like to you?

• Have you conducted market research?

• What financial constraints will you be operating under?

• Exactly how does your business structure look? Are you working for someone else and sub-contracting?

How long will it go on for?

• What is your rainy day fall back?

• What financial platforms will you be using to manage your business?

• What risks exist for you in your business, in the niche that you’re planning to operate in?

• Who could be a potential strategic partner?

WHAT I DID FIRST I leveraged opportunity, refined my process and continued my professional development by sitting at the feet of some terrific coaching leaders. People like Dale Beaumont of Business Blueprint and his community including, Taki Moore, James Schramko, Greg Cassar, and Chris Ducker.

BONUS TIPS Investigate whether one-to-one coaching or one-to-many coaching (group coaching) is your thing. Both have benefits including speed of change, active participation, peer support, sustainable community and revenue forecasting. Consider joint ventures or strategic alliances in this space or you’ll be putting in a ton of energy by yourself!

Consider how you can schedule each day of your week so you can stay in your groove and not be blindsided by pressing distractions or people that drop in to your home office.

4. What culture / experience you would like your clients and strategic partners to have working with you?

From start-up to multi-million dollar companies, from the lunchroom to the hallways of politics, workplace culture and brand perception run hand in hand.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 45

BUSINESS

Your brand experience is the sum of all the little things. Quality of products, beauty of design, the written word, the issued accounts, the nature of engagements, the people you work with, how you receive feedback, your follow-ups and promises kept. We can’t do everything or be everything to everyone. Just do what you can, be aware of perceptions, and embrace continuous improvement without becoming a slave to it.

Participating in a professional community that shares many of the same cultural values and behaviours has been a vital part of our success at Corporate Cinderella: inspiration, accountability, development, and from time to time, referrals from like-minded individuals. I’ve been volunteering at Professional Speakers Australia since 2009 when I left my executive role.

They are my tribe. As an entrepreneur who speaks, coaches and consults, this group has helped shaped my success.

Do you have a peak body that you’re contributing to?

It’s all about building your business with the end in mind. In our Corporate Cinderella world, we set the culture through our Client Qualifying Sheet. It applies to our customers, suppliers and internal colleagues. You may consider designing your own one page Client Qualifying Sheet.

BONUS TIP Identify your preferred industry niche.

Consider three providers - small, medium and large. Map your current budget and resources against the most relevant one. Zappos and Google are inspiring, but you may not have their budget. What lessons can you learn and apply to your business in designing the customer service experience? Who do you need to engage to support you with this process?

5. What’s your communication strategy for staying connected with opportunity?

In a world of hyper-connectivity, building considerate, mindful relationships

46 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

that add value will help you stand out amongst the white noise of notifications, social postings and the barrage of newsletter subscriptions.

I received some moving feedback after

Finding a method that suits your personal style and professional objectives isn’t always easy. Some of the clients we work with are juggling big issues, full inboxes and rapid change. We found a few ways to reach our audience that’s a good fit for us.

One is adapting email auto-responder programs to consistently engage and deliver value with people we meet at events. They haven’t opted into the website, but we’re using the same features of these auto-responder tools to support our database and community.

me hope for the future.” That was a

spending time the United Nations Director for the Office of Outer Space Affairs. She said to me “You have given powerful conversation that could only have happened in person.

“If content was King, then connection is now Queen”.

BONUS TIP Here are a few suggestions to help you build your communication strategy: • Speak Up - Do a professional speaking course with members of Professional Speakers Australia and begin sharing your message through your website with videos and

It starts with gathering the contact information and honouring these three rules: • Don’t hoard business cards. Tag them, enter them and bin them.

Honour the giver when you receive it of course • Never spam people. Enter the contact information into the correct TAG sequence e.g. business card contacts should never be placed in the same tag sequence as someone who opts in via your website and signs up for your newsletter.

• Step out of the box and do something in real life - pause and spend time with people.

podcasts.

• Utilise an email auto-responder program to execute on your good intentions: Active campaign, Constant contact, Infusionsoft, Ontraport, MailChimp, LinkedIn Sales Navigator • Schedule your social media content a month in advance for a specific time of day using Hootsuite or Buffer. This will leave plenty of space on the clock for you to add spontaneous posts and contribute to discussions in groups on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Coaching should always be about connection.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Tarran Deane is a Ducati riding, CEO of leadership transformation company “Corporate Cinderella”, wife, Mum & Step Mum to 4 amazing young women.

An Innovative Business Award recipient, Tarran is also President of Professional Speakers Australia - QLD NT, and serves as a Non-Executive Director of Newlife Care. With more than 24,697 audience members and 43,000 hours in leadership, Tarran works with executives from mining, academia, health, government, aged care, disability and accounting.

www.coachinglife.com.au

BUSINESS

IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS EVEN MORE COMPANIES REPORT THE SAME CHALLENGES

Support for ‘flexible working’ in

93%

of companies reported employees

waste 2+ hrs a week* on manual or repetitive tasks in the last 12 mths

This is a huge increase from the 67% who felt the same way 12 months ago.

* Research conducted by Tech Research Asia, 2014-15

Our latest research across Australia’s major industry sectors reveals that organisations are struggling with automating manual tasks and digitising paper based processes. Plus the need to address Mobility has become more pressing than ever.

STAY AHEAD WITH WORK 3.0 Canon has three clever solutions that enable your staff to work in a more engaged, productive and mobile way.

M A

D

www.coachinglife.com.au

Mobility Send, retrieve, print, collaborate and share information remotely and securely from anywhere – in real time.

Automation Automating manual tasks, like invoice processing and data entry will free your staff to get on with growing your business.

Digitisation Electronic and paper-based information can be digitally captured, processed and stored, for everyone to share securely.

Call 1300 363 442 or visit canon.com.au/stayahead Follow us on Twitter @CanonBusinessAU

STAY AHEAD Canon WORK 3.0 COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 47

BUSINESS

WHAT PEOPLE EXPECT FROM A NEW COACH

by Anthony Davis

IN MOST SPORTING ENVIRONMENTS, IT IS ACCEPTED AND EXPECTED THAT IF YOU WANT TO BE THE BEST YOU CAN BE, YOU WILL USE A COACH. OFTEN THAT COACH COMES ATTACHED TO THE TEAM OR THE CLUB TO WHICH YOU BELONG.

A

s you excel at your craft or sport, you might identify additional coaches who will further support your development. A conditioning coach, a style coach, a nutrition coach and the list goes on.

Because sport coaching has been an accepted part of industry for a long time, it is easy for a successful coach to attract more clients. They are often sought after, based on the level of achievement of their charges.

When it comes to Life and Business Coaching, there are many other concerns and the primary one centres on trust. The thought goes something like this, “If I put my life or my business in this person’s hands, how will they make me feel? Will I have to reveal all of my innermost secrets? What will I become?” While most coaches know that this is not how coaching works,

48 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

the potential client has these fears and for them those fears are real. So here is how you can go about setting a platform of trust for your future clients.

As a business coach, I will bring to the table a number of issues that all coaches need to consider and I will do it from a business perspective. Your first step is to determine whether what you are creating is a job or a business A simple rule of thumb is that for a job you get paid for your effort. I often say, “With a job, if you don’t turn up, you don’t get paid!” On the other hand, with a business, you get paid to manage resources: other people’s time; and materials. “With a business, you get paid whether you turn up or not!” How you apply basic business principles to your coaching will determine whether you have a job or a business. www.coachinglife.com.au

BUSINESS

As a coach, you must also remain coachable. You will then recognise that everyone you meet has something to teach you and that when you learn, you grow. When you grow, you take yourself, your team and your clients on the “success journey”.

COACHING BENEFITS Having a coach should be a rewarding experience. Trust and belief are two very strong emotions that you will want to bring to your coaching engagement.

The other benefits your clients will experience should include the following.

Development A coach’s role is to share their skills and experience. This is designed to help your clients grow, develop and improve. If the coach has little or no real life experience, how can they share their skills and experience? A good coach in any field will want their ‘charges’ to perform better than they ever have. Development is about identifying and removing any selfimposed boundaries and developing the student for the outcome they want.

Relationship Coaching, in any area, is about communication. Without a solid relationship there will be very little chance of ‘true’ communication. In a relationship your clients are happy to ask for help and willingly accept help when it is offered. This relationship provides a sounding board and the support they need.

Direction A coach helps set a direction. As it is likely you have ‘been there before’, you can assist them to identify and then www.coachinglife.com.au

select a path that will get them to their goals sooner. You can identify what they might expect, which can smooth their journey.

Accountability To hold someone ‘accountable’ to their dreams and aspirations gets them there sooner. They can do it on their own but the possibility of success expands exponentially with a coach.

Constructive feedback, critiquing, not criticism, is the hallmark of accountability.

Results For those that want to WIN, their chances are greatly enhanced when they have a trusted coach on the journey with them. When they get caught in the minutia of the day-to-day, a coach is there to keep them focused on the results they desire.

I suggest to clients “Be cautious. If you are ‘not sure’, then that should be sufficient warning!”

Experience What experience do you bring to the table? Have you achieved success with others? How many years have you been in your chosen profession? What experiences led you to the profession?

Specificity Has your experience been broader than their specific need? For example, a business coach doesn’t need to have detailed experience in the client’s specific ‘industry’. Often a broader base of knowledge and experience brings about a much better outcome for your clients.

SOME KEY POINTS TO CONSIDER …

The following list identifies the type of relationship your new charges will be looking for. What you need to do is determine how you express these to your existing and your prospective clients:

Simpatico Do you resonate with them? If they trust their ‘gut instinct’ will they choose you?

Ignore this point if you are happy with short-term, fast turnaround clients.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 49

BUSINESS

Walk Your Talk Are you a business that advises others about being in business? If you are a life coach, is your life in order and an example that others will aspire to emulate? If you are a sports coach, are you fit and healthy and a good example for others to follow?

I am often amazed at the low level of fitness I see in a number of the high level swimming coaches. Many achieved greatness in the pool and now spend all of their time ‘out of the water’ so that their weight and fitness level is a liability.

Activity What will your clients be required to do?

Are they prepared to commit the time that will be needed? Coaching is a twoway street; the more they put in to it, the more they get out. In most coaching relationships, your client is looking to you to hold them accountable to a level of activity.

System Can you show them the system that you will use to get the outcomes they desire? Not just the initial enquiry parts, the system that they will be engaged in for the entire period?

Timing How long is the engagement for? If you want it to be a long-term relationship, will it be 1 to 2+ years. How will they progress in the system or program?

Value for money Are you able to convince your prospects that their investment in engaging you as their coach, will give them the return greater than their investment.

Your Support System What is your support system? Will your clients have someone to talk to, if they need to, when you are busily engaged with another client.

References Are you able to allow them to check your references? Of course you will give them referrals to satisfied clients. Do

50 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

ANTHONY DAVIS Anthony Davis has a lifetime of experience in business. His earliest was in the family clothing manufacturing business. In his multiple roles over 22 years he gained invaluable insights into manufacturing, marketing, selling, financials and general business management.

It was from his experiences of engaging consultants in the family business and believing there had to be a ‘better way’ that led his 1993 creation of the Brightwater Partnership in 1993. The partnership between business owners looking for different outcomes and a team of experienced advisers delivering a range of workshops, courses and Business Development Programs.

Anthony brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his presentations, workshops and role as business coach. He has presented to Clients and Members of such diverse organisations as Westpac, Master Electricians, National Institute of Accountants and Swim Australia to name a few.

you have a range of references that enable a client to identify someone that has experienced the outcomes that they desire?

Guarantee Are you able to offer a Guarantee? Be sure that your systems are sufficient to ensure that you are able to fulfil on your guarantee. At Brightwater Business Coaching we offer this guarantee: “You are satisfied that your Brightwater Program adds value to your business or it’s free!”

ARE THEY COACHABLE? Now that you have established your coaching systems to ensure a level of satisfaction for your clients, you need to determine if the people you are about to engage with, are coachable?

For anyone who aspires to be even more successful in their chosen area, there is a great lesson to be learned from true champions; coachability.

Whether it is by engaging a coach, surrounding themselves with people who have special talents or a

combination of both, all champions understand that they “don’t know what they don’t know!”

With that perspective, coachability refers to their ability and willingness to remain open to new and ongoing learning and to action whatever is needed to accomplish their goals.

If you and your client look at your engagement with a “beginner’s mindset”, you will realise that every day is a new day that will present new challenges and new learning opportunities.

Beginners are aware that they do not know it all and thus are open, humble and lacking in the rigidity that quite often accompanies success and achievement. Beginners often believe they lack the resources to engage in coaching though they desperately know they need to be coached.

The best way to coach is to encourage your clients to ask questions. If they approach every day with the attitude that they will learn something new then they are coachable. www.coachinglife.com.au

BUSINESS

JENNY DEVINE President International Coaching Federation Australasia NANETTE IRVINE CEO EQ Women ROBERT HOLMES Founding Partner of Frazer Holmes Coaching

LIFE COACHING » www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 51

LIFE

NUDGING THE DIAL OF HUMAN CONSCIOUSNESS: THE PATH AHEAD FOR COACHING?

By Jenny Devine

AN ARTICLE ABOUT A GP/POET/ WRITER WHO HAS RECENTLY WON A PRESTIGIOUS BOOK AWARD CAUGHT MY EYE THIS MORNING. DR GLENN COLQUHOUN COMMENTED THAT HE HAD “FALLEN IN LOVE WITH MEDICINE LATE IN LIFE AND IT’S ALL THE SWEETER FOR IT”.

E

arly in his medical career he describes the pressure to get everything right and the resultant noise in the head. But with time he has learned “If you just sit (with the patient) and let the story unfold you start to see the shape in things and you can use intuition to ask the right questions.

All of a sudden medicine went from being this thing that frightened me to something full of beauty and poetry.”

Colquhoun understands connection and the need to ‘bear witness’, he says “They (patients) want you to be in their moment and truly listen to them and see them without judgement.”

It is interesting that this GP, who may know nothing about professional coaching, has captured the essence of it. The presence. The non-judgement.

The listening. The intuition. The “right” questions. The beauty and poetry.

52 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

www.coachinglife.com.au

LIFE

I relate so well to this story because I can remember a time, earlier in my coaching career, when my head was also full of noise, meaning the ability to be present for my clients was completely sabotaged. I had all the right things going for me; sound and thorough coach training, part way through a masters degree in an associated field; even a health background that was about connecting with people in times of vulnerability.

But as a coach, I didn’t have it. It wasn’t for lack of trying. I tried so hard! I was determined. I learned all the “powerful” questions. I had a great structure to work from. I thought I was beautifully prepared for my clients.

But for all of that, the sessions were little more than functional. They delivered something for the client, I am sure, but the process was about shifting the “what”, never the “who”.

Unsurprisingly this was an accurate reflection of my life at the time. I was deep in intellectual learning about human consciousness and therefore, my application of the coaching process was intellectual; a problem solving process heavily reliant on IQ and significantly lacking in EQ or heightened self awareness.

There was functionality, but no beauty, no poetry, no dance and no magic.

With the gift of hindsight, however, I now understand that the presence of these four “alchemical” aspects represent conscious coaching and hold, what I believe, is the key to coaching’s future.

Let’s consider for a moment the world we live in. Though few of us need reminding, nationally and internationally we face critical issues including non-adaptation to climate change, profound social instability, food crises and instability created by imbalanced population and economic activity. These highly complex and inter-related issues are providing the greatest challenges for human kind. www.coachinglife.com.au

Socrates, sometimes described as one of the earliest coaches, declared that he could not teach anybody anything; he could only make them think.

But if, as Einstein reminded us, problems cannot be solved with the same mindset that created them, it begs the question, are coaches capable of catalysing mindsets that are significantly different across all levels of society? And if coaches were capable of facilitating such a transformational shift, what would be required to fully prepare them for the task? How could they be in a place of such attentive presence that they could influence their clients to offer creative and innovative solutions to a complex world?

The International Coach Federation (ICF) has, for many years, advocated a very conscious approach to the coaching process via their Core Competencies. An online ICF document I was perusing recently outlines the skill requirements for an MCC or Master Certified Coach (the highest of the three credentials) around the competency of Coaching Presence.

I noted how ICF provided, quite successfully I believe, guidelines for senior coaches at an advanced level of conscious coaching.

Socrates, sometimes described as one of the earliest coaches, declared that he could not teach anybody anything; he could only make them think.

“The connection is to the whole of the client, who the client is, what the client wants, how the client learns and creates, and what the client has to teach the coach. The coach evidences a complete curiosity that is undiluted by a need to perform. As with trust and intimacy, the coach is in a complete partnership with the client where the client is an equal or greater contributor to the conversation and direction of the coaching than the coach. The coach is willing to let the client teach the coach and is unafraid to be a student of the client.”

This was the philosopher’s gift. To stimulate human enquiry, curiosity, reflection and exploration. Not only of the external world but also the internal world of human consciousnesses or self-awareness. Many of the early philosophers knew the dangers for humanity when this essential work was lost and how critical it was for them to continually explore and evolve their own consciousness. Thus the inscription above the Temple of Delphi in Ancient Greece, “Know Thyself”.

To be more conscious is quite simply to be more self-aware of our inner world; that which we believe, feel, understand, know, intuit, perceive, react to, choose, create, experience etc. It is what the philosopher Teilhard de Chardin referred to as the “whatitfeelslike from within”. It is also, what I have come to recognise, that which truly defines human intelligence.

Research conducted recently

by Kimberly Perry explored the developmental consciousness of a sample of credentialed ICF coaches, using Harvard academic Robert Kegan’s theory of adult development/ consciousness as its foundation. Perry argued that in order to facilitate the transformation of clients, professional coaches arguably need to be, at a minimum, at Kegan’s fourth order of consciousness.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 53

LIFE

Kegan believes that around 70% of adults function at what he terms level three. They are well functioning in society but remain culturally conditioned. Around 20% of adults reach level four where they are no longer confined by cultural expectations, are exploring their own path and accessing inner creativity.

Kegan believes only about 5% of the adult population reach level five. At this level the adult is more deeply engaging their shadow aspects and moving to a place of holding all of who they are, both dark and light. Kegan argues that, given the complex demands of work and life, adults need to be at least at the fourth order of consciousness.

Of 36 coaches interviewed, Perry found a correlation between Kegan’s order of consciousness levels and their style/ philosophy on coaching. Specifically, the higher the level of consciousness: • The less concerned the coaches were about credibility and success in other’s eyes; • The more courageous and vulnerable they were while being able to create and hold a point of creative tension with clients; • The more likely they were to be ok with either perceived “success” or “failure”; • And, finally, they were comfortable being in the “not knowing”.

One of the key recommendations of the research was that all coaches must continue the “Know Thyself” process. A reminder that there is no “getting there” for coaches. Or as the contemporary teacher of consciousness Eckhart Tolle states, “When we get there, there’s no there there!”

It was Socrates who declared “I know that I am intelligent because I know that I know nothing.” Paradoxically, I have learned, it takes years, even decades, of emotional and psychological maturation to get to the sublime place of entering into the client

54 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

relationship knowing nothing. Enabling the extraordinary curiosity about that human to human interaction, that emanates.

The path of evolving our consciousness, however, is not marked with individual signposts. Compounding the challenge, there are endless distractions for our busy human minds, particularly in this digital world with its explosion of information. The pull to exercise the intellect is always, it seems, stronger than the pull to reside in quiet reflection. Neuroscience and its exciting discoveries about the brain and nervous system is a case in point. Many of us would rather read about or attend workshops on neuroplasticity than do a bit of self-reflection about why we may be resisting change and the creation of our own new neural pathways!

Deepak Chopra has expressed his “sadness” that many scientists think that philosophy has no place, because the role of reflection, contemplation, meditation, self inquiry, insight, intuition, imagination, creativity, free will, is, in a way, not given any importance, which is the domain of philosophers.

This view tends to be mirrored in society where the work of developing one’s conscious is often considered, ironically, as “new age”, with the various, usually negative, connotations that accompany that. But at some point there is a call from within that becomes hard to ignore. It demands a deeper understanding and exploration of the “I” and our place in the world, paradoxically, so that we can ultimately let go, emotionally, of that same “I” and enter more fully into the collective “We”.

move upwards for us, the more beauty, poetry, dance and music is catalysed in our client interactions and the more we, concurrently, invite our clients into that same space.

A gentle warning to our egos. There will be no orchestra playing for us as we, collectively, begin to wake-up. Rather, from this quiet and unassuming place, coaches will find themselves uniquely placed as a profession to contribute more fully to the human journey and, ultimately, to the evolution of human consciousness.

Jenny Devine, an Auckland based leadership and executive coach, is the President of the International Coach Federation (ICF) Australasia Chapter. She is credentialed by ICF as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC) and has an M.A. Consciousnesses Studies (USA). Her background is in management and consultancy in the New Zealand health sector.

Email: president@icfaustrlasia.com ICF is the leading global organisation dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high standards, providing independent certification and building a worldwide network of credentialed coaches. ICF has over 23,000 members in 134 countries including over 1150 in Australasia. www.coachfederation.org

If we truly want to be transformational change agents at every level of society, then this is our challenge and the first and most critical step to nudging that dial of consciousness. The more that dial of consciousness begins to www.coachinglife.com.au

BUSINESS

Sports Community’s vision is to help build stronger communities by assisting ‘grass roots’ sports clubs to succeed through the empowerment of club volunteers. We believe healthy local sports clubs play a vital role within the community so we passionately endeavor to empower volunteers, around Australia, through the provision of information and training to help them achieve their objectives.

At Sports Community we offer support in all areas of grassroots sports including to, club volunteers, association volunteers, council and government staff and peak body staff.

WE ARE EXPERTS IN: Fundraising and Sponsorship Club and Committee Leadership Websites, Social Media and Communication Sports Club Financial Management

VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR FREE RESOURCES FOR YOU AND YOUR CLUB: The Latest Grants Resources, Worksheets and Templates for Club Volunteers Podcasts Fundraising Ideas Fortnightly Newsletters Packed with Great Information Club Support Help Desk

www.coachinglife.com.au

WE ALSO OFFER: Training - Live, Webinar and Video on Demand.

Strategic Planning Support Email Newsletter Development Content Development Social Media Monitoring Ebooks Consulting Keynote Speaking Telemarketing/Survey Services

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 55

LIFE

KNOW YOUR PASSION ~ IDENTIFY YOUR NICHE

By Nanette Irvine

ONCE CLARIFIED, PASSION DRIVES PEOPLE TO LIVE LIFE WITH MEANING, EXCITEMENT AND ENTHUSIASM. WHEN PASSIONATE PEOPLE TALK ABOUT WHAT THEY DO, IT RADIATES OUT OF THEM. FOR SOME, THERE IS A QUIET INTENSITY ABOUT THEM, FOR OTHERS; THERE IS AN AURA OF ENERGY AND EXCITEMENT. THEIR SPEECH SPEEDS UP AND THEIR EYES LIGHT UP.

W

e’ve all seen really passionate people.

Remember Laurie Lawrence and his “Kids Alive – Do The Five” program. His passion and enthusiasm is infectious. Being a coach means bringing your own passion to your work.

One of the most exciting things about coaching is helping someone clarify the changes they want to make and supporting them to take steps towards their goal. If you’re going to help someone else develop in some way, what could be more important than taking the time to really be clear about what excites and drives you?

CLARIFY YOUR PASSION Who will be your client and how you will work with them? These are the keys to identifying your niche, that special area of life where you can give your best to another who is seeking guidance

56 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

and clarity. Use what you know about yourself and your life experience to define your area of interest. Knowing what has meaning for you and finding where that fits in the world is a great way to define your coaching niche.

You may have had specialised training, giving you technique and skill which is highly valuable to others who are seeking to improve their own expertise and outcomes. Or, through your work, you may have gained some commercial knowledge that will assist others in their endeavours. Coaching is now used in many varied and different areas of life: sport, business and personal development to name a few.

We will look at three coaches who each in their own way have used their own passion and knowledge to develop careers coaching women. www.coachinglife.com.au

LIFE

One of the most exciting things about coaching is helping someone clarify the changes they want to make and supporting them to take steps towards their goal

at its best. In our program we strive for continual improvement of each individual player and how they work together as a unit.” However, men and women are physiologically different and he says, “Understanding the hormonal differences between men and women can alter the way you program the physical training to optimise the development of female athletes.”

ADAM COMMENS Head Coach Australian Hockeyroos The specialised training that Adam Commens has received throughout his very successful hockey career makes him highly qualified to be Head Coach for the Australian Hockeyroos Team.

It would be fair to say that Adam is passionate about hockey. After all, he started playing hockey as a boy, went on to international success as an adult, culminating with a Bronze Medal in the 2000 Olympics. Adam went on to become an international coach prior to undertaking the role of Head Coach for the Australian Hockeyroos.

Gender is not the motivating force for Adam. He coaches a hockey team of women that plays at the highest level.

“Ultimately, as a coach, your job is to get the best out of each individual within a team as well as attempting to get the team as a whole to perform www.coachinglife.com.au

Coaching within any discipline often encompasses multiple areas of life and Adam says, “It is also important to be aware or the social pressures on females with regards to body image and the associated disorders that go with this.” He is clearly aware of coaching his team members as whole individuals rather than just hockey players and says the coaching program provides education and both psychological and medical support to the athletes.

Adam has used his training and expertise as a hockey player and developed his coaching skills to become a highly successful coach at the international level. The current success of the Hockeyroos’ is testament to his knowledge and skill.

As Head Coach he works at a very high level of coaching, however doesn’t lose sight of the individual differences of the players and the group he is coaching.

Knowing who your client is and the complexities of their lives will enhance their coaching experience.

SALLY-ANNE BLANSHARD Director - Nourish Coaching Passion pours out of Sally-Anne Blanshard when she starts talking about her coaching business, Nourish Coaching. “I could talk for days about this stuff,” she says with a laugh. Sal, as she prefers to be known, says she was “crystal clear” about who and how she would coach when she started out but, interestingly, since she has been in business, a niche has developed.

Sal has previously worked both in financial planning and recruitment and after becoming a trusted advisor in the recruitment industry, said she consciously thought about how she could capitalise on her experience and make a career out of her advisory role.

She then went on to develop a coaching practice.

As a direct result of her workplace experience, Sal says, “My business straddles two areas: Career Coaching – a legacy of my recruitment work and Micro-Business.” She says she tells her clients, “I help people get better in their jobs, to seek out new jobs or if they want to create their own jobs, then I am skilled in helping them develop their own business.”

A typical client for Sal is now the working mother who has developed an idea or a product during their maternity COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 57

LIFE

Self-awareness is a significant factor in developing emotional intelligence and emotional intelligence is recognised as a vital element in being an effective leader. leave. “We basically turn that hobby into a business,” says Sal. She helps them to, “commercially understand what they’re offering, how to amplify their brand and amplify their revenue.”

She says that she didn’t expect her business to go this way but she is very passionate about helping women to create those businesses. Sal says, “I tell my clients I am a silent business partner, but very vocal.”

Sal emphasises the importance of flexibility in your business. She says it has helped her to recognise the emerging niche as her business developed. She reinforced the need for clarity around who your client really is.

Her suggestion for new coaches is to create a storyboard defining your client.

Then you can direct all your marketing messages to your intended client and the audience that client represents will become your market. Finding a voice for your own passion will help you to define the client and your niche.

NANETTE IRVINE Professional Coach EQ Women My own passion is to help women successfully develop leadership skills.

My business, EQ Women, focuses on coaching working women 30-45 years old, to build the knowledge and insight to become successful leaders in their workplace. The development of EQ or emotional intelligence is widely recognised as a key component in becoming a successful leader. Some

58 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

Nanette has a BScHons from University of Southern Queensland. She has worked in private practice as a counseling psychologist for 6 years and now has a dedicated coaching practice, coaching women in leadership development. Her varied career includes experience in small business, marketing and sales, corporate management and human resources.

people have an innate ability to be great leaders, but many don’t. However, leadership skills can be developed and my niche is coaching women to develop those skills.

Why am I passionate about coaching women to develop this insight and skill?

My own career path has been varied with broad experience in numerous areas. I have a background in small business, marketing and sales, corporate management, human resources and as a psychologist. Along the way, I learnt a lot about EQ through hands-on experience that took time and significant personal development.

My developed skill and knowledge allows me to help other women develop themselves in a safe, supported and learning environment.

When working as a counselling psychologist, I realised that many women presented not as a result of an organic mental illness but because of a lack of confidence, self-belief and insight. With the development of insight and confidence, personal growth can be remarkable. Self-awareness is a significant factor in developing emotional intelligence and emotional intelligence is recognised as a vital element in being an effective leader.

I support women who would like to achieve more in the workplace and that’s my passion.

It took me a while to define my niche and it was only when I started reflecting on my own journey that I was able to clearly define who I wanted to coach.

It is clear from the three stories that each coach has drawn on their own life experience and adapted it to their coaching practice. Defining your niche may take a while. It doesn’t always jump out at you. But as Sal says, “You have to start.”

Once you know where you want to work, invest in a recognised training program to develop your coaching skills. SallyAnne Blanshard, who completed a coach-training program says, “If people were going to pay me to give advice, then I should invest in myself to give the appropriate level of advice.”

When I decided to close my psychology practice and focus on coaching, I also completed a coach-training program. Ongoing education is a part of professional development, an investment in yourself and your business as well as giving your clients a best practice service. ■ www.coachinglife.com.au

LIFE

SO, YOU GOT A NEW CLIENT YOU JUST LANDED YOURSELF A BRIGHT, SHINY NEW CLIENT. THEY CAME TO YOU FROM A REFERRAL OR YOUR GREAT LOOKING WEB SITE, BUT YOU’VE NEVER MET THEM BEFORE. SO YOU LOOK AT THEM LIKE THEY’RE THE NEXT IN LINE TO BE REWARDED AT THE LOLLY SHOP AND THEY LOOK AT YOU MORE LIKE A BULL STARES AT A NEW GATE. YOU PUZZLE OVER EACH OTHER FOR A MOMENT. WHERE TO START? WHAT’S GOING ON INSIDE YOUR CLIENT’S HEAD?

F

irstly, although they are willing to spend a goodly sum on seeing you, they don’t know much about what coaching is or what might happen. They have expectations that are probably not based on coaching reality. I had one client who, as a result of Chinese whispers, thought I could read his mind! You don’t want them getting buyer’s remorse because of false expectations.

Secondly, although they think they know what their problem is, you can bet they don’t know what the real problem is. It’s going to be your job to help them dig deeper and find the source. Not understanding the coaching process, they may think you are going to play the role of a good counsellor who listens to their problems. So now we have a process clash.

Thirdly, they don’t understand what’s causing their issues and their problem

www.coachinglife.com.au

By Robert Holmes

feels “honest to God complicated” to them; quite the puzzle. You don’t see it that way, you’ve seen a hundred just like this before. But don’t make the mistake of making them feel second rate or cheap. Doctors never do this to you and when they do, you never go back to see them.

Fourthly, they don’t have a clue how to get out of the issue. It’s a forest, an uncharted wilderness. You can see a clear path and whilst the answers are not easy, they are usually pretty simple.

Helping the first time client see this is quite the challenge and they are going to have to trust you or you are going to need to lead without taking over.

Lastly, they’ve come to you hoping you know what to do. This last one is a pickle, because they don’t understand the coaching process yet and they may expect you to fix it like a good consultant. You’re not going to do COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 59

LIFE

that. But getting this client to disavow overreliance on props, supports, experts and consultants is part of the first conversation.

THE KNOWLEDGE TRAP So let’s talk about you for a minute.

You’re the consummate professional.

You’ve been in the game a while and you know the ropes. However the problem with knowledge is that you forget what you know and you forget what it’s like not to know. If you have kids you might have watched them struggle to walk, but you cannot recall learning to walk yourself. You listen to them do their times tables but you find numbers easy now and cannot recall the sick feeling of embarrassment when you couldn’t do those tables in class.

This is your client’s very first encounter with coaching. The curse of knowledge is that you carry a lot of assumptions around: language, metaphors, insights,

You’ve done all this before and your client hasn’t. Be aware of the knowledge trap – you’ve forgotten how much you know.

Avoid buyer’s remorse by establishing expectations.

frameworks, experience and stories.

They have none of that. This means you’re going to need to generate a lot of that information for them, at least once but probably two or three times.

This is a pattern that will repeat itself over and over for each new client or team or group you coach. So let’s talk strategies…

GET YOURSELF A FRAMEWORK Maybe you’re the kind of person who takes each conversation as it comes, spurning hard coded format because it squashes creativity. If that’s true you’re going to be spending quite a lot of energy recreating some form of the first coaching conversation again and again.

This is actually a creativity drain, so the strategy may be working against you.

Structure in this case sets you free.

Create a spiel you can run for each new client A spiel or run sheet ensures you explain everything highlighted above.

Run it at the start of at least the first two sessions. This will address their unfamiliarity - putting them at ease.

In order to address their fear of the unknown, develop a standard coaching contract and explain what the process is all about. Talk about the number of meetings, the overall cost, payment plans and anything else they need to know.

Coaching for Lasting Change a well framed conversation plus the best available tools provides the greatest possible leverage for change

FREE Transformational Coaching RESOURCES www.frazerholmes.com/coaching-tools

Frazer Holmes Coaching personal development experts

60 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

www.frazerholmes.com Ph: 1300 132 544

www.coachinglife.com.au

LIFE

EXPLAIN THE COACHING FRAME Coaching really is quite different. It is a no judgement space, a co-created conversation between the two of you and assumes they are the experts in their own lives. Contrast it with counselling, psychology and consulting.

Field their questions for clarification.

From here, putting the client’s brain at rest and stilling their concerns can continue to be done throughout the session using the following three procedures:

1. Facilitate safety and control When faced with the unknown, our brains tend to do something called downregulation. Operation of our rational brain, (the prefrontal cortex) reduces and the operation of our emotional brain, specifically the traffic controller (the amygdala) ramps up. The more confused, concerned, worried and anxious the client becomes the closer they get to having rational thought hijacked by their emotions. You don’t want that.

This is normal. So to address this issue we give the client more choice and more control; thus ensuring your www.coachinglife.com.au

client feels known, understood and safe. This might be as simple as a hand shake, using their name, giving your name, offering water and asking them where they would like to sit instead of dictating it. We facilitate a secure environment, make sure the place is comfortable and ensure the conversation is confidential. We also allow the client to guide the conversation as much as possible.

2. Build a coaching alliance As we go through the first conversation there will be moments when we might trigger a threat response. Perhaps your question digs too deep, too fast; perhaps they saw a frown on your face when their phone beeped. This can set off a freeze, flee or fight response (in their brain stem) and all coaching related learning ceases.

This can be overcome by building rapport and establishing trust. Match body language, use the clients’ own words, understand what the client is really saying, repeat some of the key things back to them and so forth. Think about how people have established trust with you, especially people selling you something. It will have involved them putting aside their pre-prepared

questions and listening to you. They would have tried to figure out what you were really saying and clarified it with you. They probably gave before asking you to receive. Coaches can and should do the same.

3. Establish and use empathy Whilst, in the truest definition, empathy means to walk in someone else’s shoes and that skill is more a counsellor’s job than ours, empathy gives the coach incredible power and stickability when used appropriately. The client has two types of mirror neurons.

There is a react system which says “I understand!” It stirs us to become involved in the action when you’re at a sporting match and you join the roaring crowd. The coach can enable this system by being present and calibrating the client’s state. There is also a respond system that says, “I am understood!” It stirs the feeling that we are together and you ‘get’ me. For the coach, pacing with the client plays to the respond system. Let’s discuss these two approaches.

In this first session, and of course for great coaching, in all sessions, really practise being present. Be right where the balls of your feet are. Lean in, be COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 61

LIFE

nowhere else. Focus on them. Next, practise really acute calibration of their breathing, their cadence of speech, their vocal volume, body language, eye movement patterns and so forth.

Be delicately attuned to their state and watch for changes. Finally match yourself to their speed, a process which is called pacing. You must both move at the same pace if the client is to feel you are ‘going there together’.

Once you do, they will feel strangely at home and comfortable.

You’ve done all this before and your client hasn’t. Be aware of the knowledge trap – you’ve forgotten how much you know. Avoid buyer’s remorse by establishing expectations. They think they know what the problem is, but that’s not the problem and you are not a counsellor. They do not know that issues have deeper causes. You can see the path out, it’s not so clear to them. They may want you to fix them, but you’re not a consultant. Ensure the client has a great first session by

62 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

1. Avoiding amygdala hijack: facilitate safety and control, 2. Stop brain stem threat response by building rapport and establishing trust and 3. Ensure empathy and engage the mirror neuron system by being present, careful calibration and pacing.

ROBERT HOLMES PCC, CALC, MAIMC, MPSA. B.Comm, P.G.Dip.Acc., C.B.Fac., M.Div., Th.D

Robert an expert in the science of human behaviour and high performance. He is a Founding Partner of Frazer Holmes Coaching, www.frazerholmes. com who specialise in personal development. As the Director of Marketing and Brand Development for the International Coach Federation Australasia (ICFA) he oversees the promotion of the Coaching Industry in the Asia Pacific. As the Research Fellow

at the NeuroCoaching Institute, Robert is undertaking his Ph.D in the effectiveness of coaching on trauma and PTSD in the Army.

He is an international journalist (Inc. Magazine, HR Monthly, Brain Speak, Flying Solo, Coach World, Carol Roth), and has authored six books on leadership, coaching, business, fiction and theology.

www.coachinglife.com.au

LIFE

SPECIALTY COACHING » MELISSA MEAGHER CEO Talking Money LISA LOCKLAND-BELL Keynote Speaker and Vocal Coach, Vocal Giant Program

www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 63

SPECIALTY

WHERE IS YOUR MONEY GOING?

By Melissa Meagher

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD SOMEONE SAY “WE ARE ON GOOD INCOMES, DO NOT LEAD AN EXCESSIVE LIFESTYLE, BUT HAVE NO IDEA WHERE OUR MONEY GOES EACH MONTH.”?

THERE IS USUALLY A RESOUNDING NODDING OF HEADS AROUND THE ROOM AND SOME EVEN DARE TO SAY “THAT IS US – WE COULD USE SOMEONE LIKE YOU”.

64 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

T

hat is the fundamental reason I started my financial coaching business, Talking Money. I believe there is a huge need to provide individuals and couples with guidance and support around their personal financial situations. Many people are looking for a framework and structure to help navigate their way out of their current financial situation and start moving toward achieving their financial goals and aspirations.

After nearly 20 years in the financial services industry, predominantly in financial planning, I decided to leave employed work and look at my options.

I had always had a yearning to start my own business, but there is always that small point of what business should I start! I kept reflecting on the areas of financial planning that I was passionate about – empowering clients about their financial situation through knowledge and education – both via individual consultations and through presenting seminars. I got a great deal of pleasure out of being able to alleviate some

of the stress for people around their finances, and hopefully allow them to sleep a little better at night!

My business idea was staring me straight in the face. As far as I could determine, no one was providing this service for individuals and couples, so that is where it all began. Another contributing factor - I was also very motivated to have a flexible work/life balance, a high priority for me was being available to my 2 young children.

So if I could establish a business doing something I was passionate about, be around for my children and make some money along the way, I really had struck gold!

That was nearly 2 years ago now and it had been a very steep learning curve, understanding everything about starting a new business from scratch.

I have been extremely fortunate to be surrounded by some wonderful people, who made the journey much easier and cheaper than if I had tried to navigate the way myself. I worked www.coachinglife.com.au

SPECIALTY

with a wonderful business coach who introduced me to many concepts I didn’t know about, but also connected me to the right people to help and guide me through. Being exposed to the self-employed/small business environment was like entering a whole new world for me. I was surrounded by like-minded people, always so willing to share and support. I had definitely found my tribe!

I have been exposed to many different facets of coaching throughout my life –being both the coach and the coached. I have been coached to compete in triathlons and various aspects of the Health and Fitness Industry. I completed a Certificate IV in Workplace and Business Coaching a number of years ago and coached Financial Planners to present seminars for a large superannuation fund. The one underlying theme that I have taken from all those experiences into my business is that a coach is not there to tell people what they should and shouldn’t do, or what is right and what is wrong for any given situation.

A coach is there to provide a framework, to guide and support clients towards ultimately uncovering the solutions for themselves. That said, an extremely important aspect of coaching is also keeping people accountable and committed to whatever it is they have implemented to get them to the end goal. Whether it be completing a triathlon or being able to stand up in front of a room full of people and present a seminar.

To a certain extent, if you have done your job effectively, you will be making yourself redundant as a coach. You have to empower clients to a point that they feel confident they have the skills and knowledge to go it alone, always knowing that you are there if further support is required. www.coachinglife.com.au

As a financial coach, I aim to provide my clients with a solution to their current relationship with money and spending. I usually find they struggle with: • Living pay cycle to pay cycle or not even making it and having to rely on credit cards for fundamental living needs • Being totally reactive to ongoing financial commitments and • Feeling out of control of their financial situation.

I aim to provide individuals and couples with access to financial confidence, through empowering them with knowledge and education around clearing the space in front of them. Once they know their current financial position, they are able to start working towards achieving their financial goals and aspirations.

A very successful and important mentor said to me on a number of occasions that when he thinks about my business and what I achieve with clients he is reminded of the saying - “The best map in the world is no good if you don’t know

I aim to provide individuals and couples with access to financial confidence, through empowering them with knowledge and education around clearing the space in front of them. where you are.” My aim is to assist clients to know where they are now and then work with them to develop that map to financial empowerment and confidence.

Another wonderful aspect of coaching is that you don’t always know where it is going to take you. It can morph into different areas that may need attention and provide solutions to problems that the client wasn’t aware existed or COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 65

SPECIALTY

Not everyone in your circle of family and friends are going to be on board with your business idea. You need to surround yourself with “like-minded” people that will support and understand your dream.

hadn’t recognised as an issue. I have experienced this a number of times with my clients and think it is due to the very fundamental essence of what coaching is all about - listening, guiding and supporting.

who have no wills and very little life insurance in place. Quite frankly, this keeps me awake at night! I am able to facilitate meetings with the right people to remedy these situations quickly and with little fuss.

One particular client that I dealt with last year initially engaged me to help sort out her finances and put in place a spending plan – let’s call her Pam. Through getting to know Pam, listening and spending time with her, I realised the issue was so much more than implementing a budget. The eventual outcome was that I helped Pam get a Carer’s Pension from the Government, which meant she did not have to go back to work and was able to stay at home and care for her mother, who had early onset dementia. This was a fantastic outcome financially, but for me it was more about the peace of mind that this provided Pam, who was feeling very torn between having to generate an income for the household, whilst knowing her mother needed fulltime care.

Someone asked me the other day if I would do anything differently if I was to start this journey again. I think I can honestly say I am happy with how I have gone about putting in the foundations of my business. What I would like to share is some of my learnings along the way.

As well as a financial coach, I also see myself in the role similar to a triage nurse. I assess and assist clients in my area of expertise but also uncover many other gaps that need attention to get proper financial foundations in place. I have built a network of wonderful professionals that all have the same common goal. We provide the best possible outcome for the client. I work in conjunction with these referral partners to ensure that the client’s bases are completely covered.

One example of this that I continue to experience is couples with young children and significant levels of debt

66 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

Everything always takes a lot longer than you think. I underestimated the time it took to have a fully functioning business up and running and ready to go to market.

There is never a perfect time to get started. If you wait for that elusive moment it will never happen – paralysis by analysis!

Don’t get in the way of yourself. If there is a block to getting something done, don’t ignore it and hope it will somehow miraculously fix itself. Give it to someone else that can do it!

Not everyone in your circle of family and friends are going to be on board with your business idea. You need to surround yourself with “likeminded” people that will support and understand your dream.

Find your passion! I have read about this a number of times over the years and never understood it. Now, when I am leaving a client appointment and know I am changing their lives, I get it.

Melissa has over 18 years’ experience in the financial services industry, having worked predominantly as a Financial Planner, but also as a Stockbroker and Seminar Delivery Specialist.

Melissa has worked with a variety of different employers, from large financial institutions such as Sunsuper, Suncorp, and Westpac to small boutique financial planning firms.

Melissa holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) and is also a Certified Financial Planner (non-practising category).

Melissa likes to keep fit and healthy and enjoys spending time with her two children.

Good company, food and wine are essential!

www.coachinglife.com.au

SPECIALTY

Diploma of Life Coaching 5 Incredible Qualifications in One Program

Practitioner of Life Coaching

Practitioner of Matrix Therapies

Practitioner of Life Coaching

Practitioner of NLP

Diploma of Life Coaching

Our Diploma Course Includes: least 100 Hours of ü At‘in-room’ Training Our diploma program includes 11 days of ‘live’ training in a room with a real life person!

Step Personal ü12 Coaching Program All TLCC Coaches are taught how to Coach and market our Trademark 12 Step Personal Coaching Program.

Therapies Training ü Matrix Learn to clear the negative influences of people and events in your client’s past.

Recognition ü International Our Diploma of Life Coaching course is recognised by the International Coach Federation.

NLP Practitioner ü 7OurDayDiploma Course includes the 7 Day NLP Practitioner Certification.

Detailed Personal History

6 Core Needs

Wheel of Life

Time Management

Vision Boarding

Values Elicitation

Values Realignment

GROW Model

Fear

Beliefs

4 Levels of Experience

A Compelling New Vision

build you a Website ü We If you want to build a coaching business then you need a website! We register, host and build your first website for you.

Support ü Incredible Our students are a close family and we have a dedicated online group for support through your Coaching journey.

ü Mentoring You will be assigned your very own mentor to help you grow your Coaching business.

At TLCC we teach you your very own Coaching System.

We call it the personal Coaching Program (PCP) and it gives you the first 12 coaching sessions (scripted) for you to have with your clients. This gives you a systemised product that you can take to market complete with marketing to support you. We have found over the years that this system is the best way to assist coaches to build their coaching hours and experience as they grow their Coaching Business.

12 Modules individually valued at $28,100

Get qualified - your way - for only $4,997 Order your Information Pack today! www.TheLifeCoachingCollege.com.au

Call 1800 424 556 and mention Coaching Life to receive a further 10% off. www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 67

SPECIALTY

Make the most of your vocal abilities by connecting with your breath, projecting your hard-earned authority and strengthening your tone in every situation and you too will be a Vocal Giant.

THE POWER OF VOCAL COMMUNICATION. FROM GROWING UP IN COUNTRY VICTORIA TO STUDYING VOICE AT THE QUEENSLAND CONSERVATORIUM OF MUSIC AND THE NEW YORK JULLIARD SCHOOL, TO SINGING PROFESSIONALLY IN AUSTRALIA, ITALY AND ARMENIA MY LIFE HAS ALWAYS RELIED ON MY ABILITY TO USE MY VOICE.

A

s a child, I drove my mother mad, wanting to be hoisted up on top of the concrete water tank in the back yard. The tank was set with props, costumes and a trusty tape recorder as my orchestral backing.

Hours of repetition, technique, and self-expression passed as I sang out to my audience, the world (actually it was usually just the dogs and horses).

These idyllic years saw the beginning of my career, perfecting the art of vocal communication.

My greatest teacher was my father but he was a man who suffered from bipolar disorder. To an over-sensitive and creative little girl who loved to express herself, this was a tragedy. Having an opinion, let alone a voice in my family home was forbidden.

My singing was the only form of expression I was allowed. In reflection, those moments when I sang allowed me to bypass his mental condition, tap into the part of his soul that was pure and unaffected. At the age of eight, I had learnt how to give the greatest

68 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

By Lisa Lockland-bell

sensory pleasure – The Goosebumps – a cellular memory that literally gets under your skin so you will never forget me. By manipulating my vocal chords, I knew I had the power to break a heart, seal the deal or change the world. In this case, I could resonate my truth and make a deeper connection with my hero – my Dad. How did I measure this?

He was left crying like a baby.

While finishing my final year as an honours student at the Conservatorium, my years of repressed emotions, poor self-esteem and stifled creativity had finally caught up with me: I was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. I had lost the connection with my inner voice. For six months I received the strongest treatment they could administer without killing me.

And yet, I refused to be knocked down. I continued to train my voice. In song, on stage I had the ability to rise above my pain. Little did I know at that stage that cancer was still waiting in the wings for its encore performance. At the age of 34 I was diagnosed with cancer of the cervix. www.coachinglife.com.au

SPECIALTY

In July of 2006, I had the choice to live or die! It was clear that something I was doing was not working. So I got serious about my health, dealt with my demons and took responsibility for my destiny.

How? Followed my intuition and created a team of people to coach me back to perfect health: a balanced lifestyle, physical fitness, mental health and business plan for the future.

Today I am a passionate vocal coach and mentor, on a mission to inspire, propel and elevate professional performance through vocal communication. As coaches we are constantly using verbal and non-verbal forms of communication.

Our voice is our most powerful form of communication. We spend so much money on all different forms of communication, but who do you know that invests time and money into their voice?

COACHING THROUGH VIBRATION As a vocal coach, I frequently train coaches from varying fields on how to effectively communicate to their clients, teams, management and athletes.

Have you ever thought about what you are actually doing when you are talking? Your voice is literally the vehicle to conveying your inner thoughts, knowledge, beliefs and desires. You achieve this through a complex combination of breath, energy and vibration. As your voice leaves your body it is transmitting a vibration which is then received by the listener. Once the listener receives this information, they interpret it into their own language.

inspiration we must be connected to our breath.

Breathing controls everything: The power and the quality of your voice.

Strong, controlled breath: • Gives your words power and freedom.

• Fuels your words with inspiration.

• Allows your brain to accommodate larger thoughts.

• Creates authority.

• Connects to your emotions.

To strengthen your breath: Ensure you are taking a low breath, allowing your diaphragm to move down into your abdomen. A shallow breath creates tension around your shoulders and neck, causing your vocal chords to become stressed as they attempt to re-align themselves. With tension, your voice will become tight and high pitched: sending the message that you are highly strung and nervous.

Once you have a nice low breath, hum a note, gently allow your breath to exhale as you blow your lips (blow a raspberry) or roll your tongue. This is a great exercise for encouraging breath control, while relaxing the larynx and gently warming your voice up, ready for a day of coaching.

Today I am a passionate vocal coach and mentor, on a mission to inspire, propel and elevate professional performance through vocal communication.

2 - AUTHORITY People come to you as a coach because we are known to be a voice of authority within your chosen field. Your clients want to feel safe and supported with you as they go through their growth and transformation: therefore they need to hear a tone that is confident, educated and knowing.

Take some time to think about your own mentor and coach during your career.

That one person that you respect and aspired to be like. Almost always that person has a voice that matches their training, calibre and abilities. Does your voice match your abilities as a coach?

I cannot change the physical structure of your resonating cavities, or the length of your neck, but I can help you change how you control and manipulate your tone.

My 3 Top tips on Vocal Control for Coaches 1 - BREATH As coaches we are constantly looking for new ways to inspire. The word inspiration comes from the Latin word “in spirare” - To Breath. So to be an www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 69

SPECIALTY

To create a more authoritative tone:

3 – TELECOMMUNICATION

• Keep your voice balanced - There are 3 layers within your voice. The top (head voice), Middle voice (Throat) and Low (Chest voice). An authoritative tone comes when you sit in the middle layer of the voice. This gives you flexibility to move higher in tone when you need to motivate and lower voice when more focus is needed.

It is possible that your voice is not converting effectively across the airwaves? As your primary form of communication, it is beneficial to know how your voice is landing when you are making phone calls and recordings.

• Lower your tone at the end of phrase.

A confident tone doesn’t end with an upward inflection that is asking for acceptance and approval. Unless of course you are asking a question.

• Confident Articulate flow – Keep the content of what you are saying consistent. Avoid the dreaded Um and Ah Syndrome. This will create a feeling of instability in your client.

• Clear Articulation – Ensure your articulators are fit and healthy. Your lips, tongue, teeth, hard and soft palate are integral to you forming your words effectively. Especially focus on creating strong, crisp consonants to avoid mumbling.

• Keep your sound forward. The natural embouchure (mouth shape) of the average Australian is very backward.

Therefore the sound we produce can sometimes drop into the back of the throat, making it difficult to project your voice.

Did you know, the voice you hear when you speak is not the same as what the world hears? There is no direct line for the sound to travel from your mouth to your ears. As you talk you feel the vibration of your voice passing through your skull, so you interpret your tone as being richer and warmer than it actually is.

Are you inspired when you hear your recorded voice or does the sound leave you cringing with embarrassment?

The good news is there are reasons why you may not like your recorded voice. When speaking on the phone or recording your voice, you lose some of its frequency in the upper and lower partial. This changes the structure of your sound.

The simplest way for you to make change today, is to smile. A smile will open your soft palate, allowing the sound to enter your resonating cavities; creating a fuller and friendlier tone.

It is imperative while speaking on

the phone to be as physically relaxed as possible. Avoid having the phone tucked under your ear while working on the computer and drinking your morning coffee, this causes tension and higher pitched tone that can resonate an unintended message to the listener.

To strengthen your vocal tone: • Know what the intention of your call is, ensuring confidence and clarity.

• A naturally low set, monotone voice will come through the phone as dull and lifeless. Try walking as you talk to lift your voice and make it more engaging.

• A high pitch tone can convert as being very young, unprofessional and sometimes “shrill”. For a more authoritative tone try lowering your voice at the ends of phrases. Relax your body and lower your chin, allowing those dulcet tones to flow.

In between Keynote presentations and vocal coaching, Lisa facilitates the Vocal Giants Program. A self-development program aimed at individuals and business groups eager to improve their vocal image and reach optimal business success.

The Vocal Giants Program is the culmination of a 30 year career as an Opera Singer, life experience, professional knowledge and international skill based education.

For more information – www.lisalockland-bell.com

70 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

www.coachinglife.com.au

SPECIALTY

REVIEWS » COACHES BOOKSHELF

What Every Body Is Saying – Joe Navarro (2008) The Charisma Myth – Olivia Fox Cabane (2012) COACHES PANTRY Kapai Puku – Tropical Blend Amazonia Raw Protein Isolate: the all natural protein powder

www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 71

REVIEWS

COACHES BOOKSHELF WHAT EVERY BODY IS SAYING – JOE NAVARRO (2008) Reading body language is an essential skill for any coach and there are many books written on the subject. The difference here is that Joe Navarro has been using the art of reading body language as a FBI Counterintelligence Officer for 25 years. This book aims to teach you, a mere mortal, how to speed read body language, decode sentiments and spot deception. While much of the work focuses on the uses for law enforcement officers, there is much here that can be applied to sport and business coaching.

We all know the human body gives off thousands of signals at any given moment but learning how to read these signals can give an advantage in all areas of life. Joe outlines his ten commandments for observing

and decoding nonverbal communications. These 10 ‘Commandments’ help lay the foundations for the rest of the information provided in the book.

Since reading the book, I more aware of people’s small signal movements.

This heightened awareness has helped my business and I also started monitoring the movement/placement of my own feet and legs to watch for small levels of discomfort. This is an excellent book for any coach with examples that can be used both internally and externally.

THE CHARISMA MYTH – OLIVIA FOX CABANE (2012) As a coach in any field, having charisma can really work in our favour. Whether it is business, sport or life coaching, being charismatic opens doors and gives us the ability to be who we need to be.

The charisma myth extends the work of the author, Olivia Fox Cabane who has spoken at the Harvard Business School on the subject of Charisma. Charisma, as defined by the author, is a skill which can be developed and improved over time.

Improving these skills involves developing behaviours that express the three core qualities.

72 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

These are presence, power and warmth. The key is in the body language which in turn, requires the correct mental state.

Since reading the book I have been more conscious of the projection of the 3 core elements of Presence, Power and Warmth, practicing more consciously to bring all the elements into play and varying between warmth, presence and Power. Personally, I already have strong skills in Visionary and Authority charisma, with moderate skills in Focus charisma so I am practicing more of the Kindness charisma to round out the ability.

www.coachinglife.com.au

REVIEWS

COACHES PANTRY KAPAI PUKU – TROPICAL BLEND GRAEME JOHNSTONE IS A VICTIM OF HIS OWN SUCCESS AND THIS IS A REALLY GOOD THING. The first Kapai Puku product was developed after Graeme had a worrying medical experience. In researching possible remedies, it soon became apparent just how many people take little or no care in looking after their minds and bodies – the very vehicles that transport us through our lives.

Once you meet Graeme, his passion for his product and your health become very apparent. For him, the best motivation is in helping people help themselves by becoming happier and healthier. Rather than using pills and fad diets, he recommends eating unprocessed foods. Seeds and grains are what our ancestors lived on for generations, well before obesity and diabetes were issues.

Graeme is so passionate about getting his product to as many as possible, he will visit 3-4 markets in Vic, NSW and Qld each week and spend the day, telling people about his wonderful product.

You have almost eight metres of intestinal tract – that’s the length of two small cars! Dough, pastry, coffee, alcohol, and other indulgences can block your body leaving you feeling tired and run down. The Kapai Puku range can help exfoliate and clean your intestinal tract, increase your metabolic rate, and suppress your appetite. It’s simple, unprocessed food – medicine the way Mother Nature intended.

“You are perfect the way you are, but to really shine on the outside, you need to shine on the inside.” – Graeme Johnstone

AMAZONIA RAW PROTEIN ISOLATE IS THE WORLD’S FIRST PREBIOTIC, RAW, ORGANIC PROTEIN, BY THE GUYS BEHIND THE ACAI BOWL REVOLUTION. It’s made from bio-fermented peas and brown rice, along with prebiotics and live digestive enzymes. I picked some up online while searching for an effective organic protein powder for myself and my clients.

AMAZONIA RAW PROTEIN ISOLATE: THE ALL NATURAL PROTEIN POWDER

Amazonia Raw Protein Isolate is available in natural, vanilla and cacao coconut flavours.

I tried the vanilla one and it tasted delicious; the real vanilla flavour (made from organic vanilla bean) shines through with each mouthful. With its natural ingredients it feels gentle on the stomach too - it supports digestive balance, which has the added benefit of helping the body break down and absorb the protein.

A single serving contains 24.3 grams of protein, 1.8 grams of carbohydrates and just

www.coachinglife.com.au

The verdict We love the tropical blend which is the only local product containing Tiger Nuts, black sesame seeds, chia seeds, linseeds, sunflower kernels, puffed quinoa and much more. We have it with milk or yogurt in the morning and it has become a regular choice in our home.

Because we have three teenagers in the house, we buy the 3Kg bags from the website but you can also find it in many health food stores. Thanks Graeme.

Visit www.kapaipuk.com for more information

108 calories, making it perfect for working out or adding to breakfast smoothies or protein balls.

If you’re vegan or lactose-intolerant, this protein will be of particular interest to you, as it contains absolutely no whey.

The verdict Even though it may not be quite as potent as some of the more well-known protein powders on the market, I’m still a huge fan of Amazonia Raw Protein. The fact that it’s all natural, with no nasty additives, made my workout feel much cleaner. It’s an effective protein powder and it’s actually good for you - unlike the chemical-ridden proteins many people consume. Overall, I’m pleased that I discovered Amazonia, as their products allow me to still have a productive workout and build muscle mass while shopping ethically and eating sustainably.

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 73

SPORT

www.coachinglife.com.au

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 37

“Make sure you are putting in as much effort as you expect from your athletes.”

Simon Cusack

“Corrective feedback should be positive and immediate and that praising a student when a technique is achieved results in a better, more motivated student.”

Michael Smith

“Connect with your breath, strengthen your tone and project your authority.”

Lisa Lockland-Bell

“Surround yourself with “likeminded” people that will support and understand your dream.”

“Know your own strengths and weaknesses and surround yourself with others who you cannot only work with, but who will also bring experience and skills sets you don’t have.”

Shane Kelly

David Parkin

“A good coach does not suggest strategy or dwell on “the story” (what happened next?) and does not (well, hardly ever) give advice.”

“The best way to coach is to encourage your clients to ask questions.”

Anthony Davis

John Raymond

THE LAST WORD “An internal coaching service fosters a culture of possibility.”

Callan McDonnell

Melissa Meagher

“Coaching should always be about connection.”

“Have fun, be gracious in defeat and humble in victory.”

“A good Head Coach teaches the players more than just tactics!”

Lisa Alexander

“Experiment and take risks when you are coaching. What works for one person may not work for another.”

Mitchell Hewitt

“The path of evolving our consciousness is not marked with individual signposts.”

Jenny Devine

“Be aware of the knowledge trap – you’ve forgotten how much you know.”

Robert Holmes

Tarran Deane

“Dare to be vulnerable and honest about your experiences” Dion Klein

www.coachinglife.com.au

“Invest in a recognised training program to develop your coaching skills.”

“The ‘philosophical fit’ between coach and club should be the main reason why the coach is contracted.”

Sean Douglas

Nanette Irvine

COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

// 75

SPORT

FEBRUARY EDITION FOCUS ON FOCUS – GETTING FOCUSED ON RESULTS. February’s theme is all about focus. How to get it, use it, measure it and impart it when necessary.

plus so much more!

www.coachinglife.com.au 76 // COACHINGLIFE

LIFElL

www.coachinglife.com.au