As well as providing business coaching and executive coaching to those who require the services of an experienced and external business coach, at the BCF Group we also offer a number of business coaching courses and qualifications which will enable managers to effectively coach those in their team to improve their performance and help them to maximise their potential.
Providing effective coaching for your team will help to build commitment amongst them. Not only will this assist in attaining high levels of performance, but will likely lead to a raising of overall morale and a subsequent reduction in staff turnover, as workers stay with your company and do not seek alternative career opportunities at other companies. These other companies may be competitors, who would welcome the inside information these former employees could furnish them with! This is just one of the reasons why many managers and businesses today are so keen to create a coaching culture within their organisation.
Before looking at becoming a coach, first things first, just what is business coaching?! The definition of business coaching and its numerous benefits can be found here, and while there are almost too many definitions and explanations to count, there is certainly no doubting one thing... the positive impact that it can have on people and a business as a whole.
There are many elements and components of being a successful business coach. The skills needed to be a coach - some of which the individual concerned may already be good at, and others which will require a significant amount of time, dedication and practice in order to develop - will be crucial when it comes to providing business coaching services to paying clients in the future.
These skills include becoming an effective motivator, giving constructive feedback, setting performance plans, delegating, empowering others and many more.
In fact, the best coaches and managers in the world never stop learning; refining and even acquiring new skills in order to be the best that they can possibly be.
For managers, business coaching is often combined with management training courses to develop their talents and make them more effective managers, who can complete projects and overcome challenges as they present themselves.
These two terms are often used interchangeably, but business coaching and mentoring are different things. For this reason, it is crucial that the differences - as well as the benefits - of each approach are understood, so leaders are clear on the best way to develop their people.
For a detailed discussion on the differences and similarities of coaching and mentoring, please read our blog post on the subject by clicking here.
Becoming a business coach and mentor to others can not only be financially lucrative, but also extremely rewarding too, and we offer a number of different options for those looking at how to become a coach.
The courses below will give you the skills required to start or develop your journey as a business coach. They include accredited business coaching qualifications by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM), one of the leading accreditation bodies in the UK - and indeed the world - along with our own courses which can be tailored to your specific requirements.
Business coaching, management training and leadership development programs accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM). For those desiring an accredited business coaching qualification, an ILM Diploma or Certificate course is the ideal option.
We currently offer the following ILM accredited coaching courses. Please click on a qualification title to find out more about each one including scheduled open course dates and booking information.
The BCF Group have evolved from the Business Coaching Foundation, which was established in 2001. We have leadership development and business coaching at our core. Having representation from global learning leads, executive coaches and talent development specialists, we deliver accredited people development programs.
Find Out MorePlease see below for some related courses and qualifications which you may be interested in:
The ILM Level 7 Qualifications for Senior Level Coaches and Mentors are designed for senior leaders/managers (or those working in a training and development role) who are regularly coaching or mentoring at a senior level.
It is for those executive coaches who wish to accredit, validate or enhance their skills with an internationally-recognised executive coaching qualification.
Based on our extensive work and experience with leaders, both in the private and public sectors, this ILM Level 5 Coaching and Mentoring program has been designed to develop the capability of leaders to positively impact the performance of individuals and teams.
This program has been created to sharpen a leader's skills - enabling them to balance control, commitment and empowerment through productive conversations with individuals and teams.
Are you sat there thinking "I need a business coach"? Or simply wondering what positive impact having a business coach might have on you and your work life? Find out more about what business coaching is all about, or click on the button below to visit our main business coaching page to find out more about how we can help.
Not necessarily. But if you do you should look for an accreditation like ILM or CIPD. ILM stands for The Institute of Leadership & Management. This is who our courses are accredited by.
But it won't inhibit or disallow you to coach if you don't have an accreditation and have only gone through the training – as long as this training was through a reputable training organisation that has an accreditation value.
If preferred, we can offer advanced or masters training programs that cover all the accredited course content but that excludes the ILM work-based assignment section.
Two essential ingredients for becoming a good business coach are theory and practice.
Without practical coaching experience, no amount of theory will enable you to go straight into the world of coaching and mentoring. There is only so much you learn from textbooks and course tutors.
Similarly, trying to conduct a business coaching session without a thorough grounding and teaching of how to conduct a high-quality coaching meeting will likely end up in wasted time and frustration for all parties concerned.
Coaching theory is essential. But it is experience and practice that transforms a business coach and turns them into one who can help bring about a significant increase in performance and overall contribution to the business from both managers and employees alike.
Absolutely. Business coaching sessions help people overcome barriers and problems that are holding them back, help them fulfil their potential, and provide significant benefits in terms of career development and advancement.
Life coaching is a separate area. But there will be elements of business coaching which can also have a positive impact outside the workplace.
Improving communications skills, for example, can change the way you communicate in your personal life as well as in the workplace.
And, if people become better equipped at overcoming problems and dealing with change at work, they will be able to do these things more easily outside of work too.
Coaching can bring up a range of issues and it can be tough and even distressing.
But whereas counselling aims to deal with and reconcile problems from the past, business coaching usually tries to leave the past in the past and focus on future targets and ambitions.
So, coaching is not counselling, even though it's therapeutic knowing that you're tackling your business challenges head-on by taking action.
Training and coaching are similar in some ways, but vastly different in others. Both are concerned with the development and improvement of individuals in the workplace. Whilst mentoring and business coaching typically involves a manager and an employee taking part in a fairly informal meeting in order to resolve issues, training normally refers to an employee being taught a new skill or information which they do not currently possess.
To find out more, please click here.
Providing mentoring will allow an employee to begin working and solving problems by themselves in a much shorter timeframe. This is usually highly desired by managers as they do not want to be bogged down and have time taken out of their busy daily schedule to answer questions about every minor detail of the task which the employee is currently engaged in.
Remember, managers do not have to provide all of the coaching, mentoring and training to their employees themselves. In fact, hiring an external business coach who has no preconceived ideas or familiarity with anyone at the organisation can often be a tremendous benefit.
To find out more, please click here.
Instead of a manager simply deciding upon training needs at random, or signing off the same training programme because that is what they have always done at the firm over the years, it will nearly always be far more beneficial both for the company and the individual employees themselves if the manager uses business coaching to identify specific training needs.
By talking to employees directly and discovering which areas they are proficient in and, more importantly as far as training needs are concerned, which areas they are lacking skills and/or knowledge in and so require training to improve, will result in a much greater return on investment (ROI).
To find out more, please click here.
The boundaries between team building and business coaching can sometimes be blurred and overlap. Both are concerned with the development of employees, in order for them to be more effective and contribute more to the success of the company.
The biggest difference is that whilst team building and team development is done in a group, so that the team can improve communication and teamworking between each other, business coaching is typically performed on a one-to-one basis.
This is because, rather than problems which exist between the team and the issues that stop them working together effectively, the matters discussed between an individual and a coach are specific to them. They are the personal and unique problems and metaphorical barriers which exist that are preventing that person from reaching their full potential in the workplace.
To find out more, please click here.
Yes! We have a number of blog entries related to coaching and mentoring. Please click on a title below to read:
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