The Network
Lives on
Back in September 2002, after meeting on a five-day
Management Futures coaching training course, a
group from the 16 trainees – Louise, Marilyn,
Shirley, Gillian and Fiona – chose to stay
in touch as a ‘learning set’. For
two years they met – irregularly –
until new commitments and work relocations made
it impossible. All five attended NLP training;
two have gained their Masters Certification. They’ve
sent us these updates.
We have no doubt that our steadfast association
as well as our shared, if different, journeys
have confirmed the positive value of networking.
Our ‘virtual’ communication will certainly
continue. It’s good to hear that the ILM
accreditation now has a learning set built in
to the process and we would attest to the value
of that mutual support. The individual experiences
of that intake of 16 coaching trainees have been
very different but six or more have been awarded
the Coaching Diploma. Here’s what happened
to our group, since....
Louise Coates
'I loved every minute of the five-day
course and learnt such a lot that I thought, "Wow!
I can do it now!" The client sessions that
followed and the diploma work supervision meetings
with Jenny Rogers showed me just how much more
there was to learn. It never stops! I’ve
since moved to Dubai and now earn a large part
of my income from coaching and training others
to coach.
Attending the programme gave me
so much – the start of a new career, friends
from whom I still learn every day, opportunities
to connect with people from all cultures in a
meaningful way – and the deep satisfaction
of helping clients to tackle their own issues,
their way.'
Marilyn
Wheatcroft
 'I
have had an enormous personal journey from the
"muddled Marilyn" of the first day of
the course! At that time I was suffering from
a debilitating physical condition, which had a
significant psychological dimension, and so I
approached the Diploma at a careful pace, taking
two years to finish it.
The support I gained from my Management Futures
supervisor Jan was vital in keeping me focused;
she reminded me that coaching was like other high
skills, where the more you do it the more accomplished
you become. Learning to coach has matched my deeply
held personal values: I can help clients or colleagues
to grow and excel in a truly supportive and non-interventionist
style. I am currently making a programme for Teachers’
TV with a consultant who believes coaching can
be a significant aid to support managers and classroom
teachers. Coaching methodology proves to have
a very powerful effect on the atmosphere, encouraging
positive discussion about the nature of teaching
and learning, one of the most powerful indicators
of a successful school.'
Shirley Greenaway
'I attended the five-day coaching course during
a rethink and a career break from senior management
in the NHS. I was curious to learn about coaching
and came away hooked – I’d discovered
how to make a difference.
On completion of the Diploma I founded my own
coaching and training company – an amazing
transition made possible by the excellent training,
support and guidance of Management Futures and
by my coaching colleagues. This change in direction
has led to a fun-filled, continually changing
way of life which is open to endless future possibilities.
I no longer "go to work"!'
Gillian
Townsend
(De’Ath at the time of the course)
'It is described as an "intensive"
week, and it certainly is. We learnt so much and
progressed so quickly in our coaching skills I
am sure that intensity was worthwhile. I recall
the evening we had to coach someone we knew as
part of our homework, and as I was far from home,
had to conduct it by mobile ‘phone, sitting
in the courtyard of the venue. Not the most conducive
to excellent coaching practice, but I was thrilled
to discover that it could be done – and
done successfully.
Our final day – with coaching volunteers
brought in for the purpose – was nerve-wracking,
but exciting. I knew I wanted to continue with
the Diploma and our coaching group was the best
way to ensure that not only did I get the encouragement
I needed, but also so many hints and tips on coaching
problems.
Though not working specifically as a coach I
use coaching skills in my work with students,
and in my HR advisory role with different businesses;
and it has been of great benefit to me at a personal
level.'
Fiona Davidson
The MF Coach Training programme was recommended
to me by a client whose opinion I respected and
was just the boost I needed to build further the
executive coaching practice using external associate
coaches I‘d set up at work. The course,
backed by the support and learning from our cohort
sessions, enabled me to accelerate my own learning
and craft as a coach.
I am now better able to define my skills and
operate successfully as a "schizophrenic".
On the one hand, when I am managing an executive
search I am paid to provide solutions to my clients;
on the other, as an executive coach, I am paid
not to give advice to the client but
to use my expertise to facilitate them to gain
their own insights and generate more of their
own resources.
Like Marilyn, I am about to complete my Masters
NLP and will then go on to get my certification
with the ICF later this year. The Diploma? I aim
to complete it by June 2005, a little after the
others but then I’ve been setting up my
own business over this last year. I am securing
great results for my clients while earning an
income the way I want to earn it and
with time to see more of my family than I had
in the preceding 12 years!'
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