Coaching & Consulting FAQ's
Leadership & Coaching
Leadership and coaching are intrinsically linked, it can often be difficult to lead effectively if you are not in a good place yourself. When it comes to these two topics, there are normally some commonly asked questions.
Leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of individuals to influence and guide followers or other members of an organisation.
A great leader creates a vision, is courageous, has integrity, honesty, humility and clear focus. Great leaders help people reach their goals, are not afraid to hire people that might be better than them and take pride in the accomplishments of those they help along the way.
A manager is very much task, control and process orientated while a leader is a visionary, inspires and motivates others to succeed. The main differences are below:
Leadership coaching helps an individual or business via a developmental process where a leader gets tailored help from a coach to help them achieve goals and develop a different mindset to achieve. The coach’s role is to help remove any blockers that stand in the way of the leader attaining their goals and become a more effective leader.
Performance coaching is a series of techniques aiming to bring about personal development in an individual. This is done through 1-2-1 coaching sessions with an individual to enhance their own skill set, helping them to achieve their very best.
A performance coach is someone who takes on a supportive and guiding role to help you reach your full potential in your career or life. They assess the needs of the individual and tailer sessions accordingly and this tends to be looking at the softer skills of the individual inspiring them to take action.
People who need a coach are usually at a crossroads in their career of life and need support, guidance and a sounding board to help them with their personal development. My view is everyone could benefit from having a coach as that outside view and opinion is fundamental for us all to grow.
Introverts are often more effective than extroverts at leading high performing teams because they don’t feel threatened by collaborative input and highly effective listeners. They have the ability to step back and make decisions in a more rational way. As thinkers then also tend to be more creative and good a problem solving.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) is utilising a combination of approaches, ideas and techniques that will helps people manage their own learning and growth. The focus of CPD is firmly on results by taking action.
Business coaching helps assist, give impartial advice and guide the business owner in running a business by helping them clarify the vision of their business and how it fits in with their personal goals. Business coaching is a practical process used to take a business from where it is now to where the business owner wants it to be in the future.
Consultant
An external consultant can be many things when it comes to business. A management consultant has a different skill set and these needs to be taken into account so that you select the right person. Want to know more about consultants and consultancy and what it can mean for your business, then look below.
Management consulting is usually when an outside individual is brought into an organisation to provide and outside view help to improve their performance. Organisations may draw upon the services of management consultants for a number of reasons.
Management consultants help organisations to solve issues, create value, maximise growth and improve business performance. They use their business skills, knowledge and experience to provide objective advice and expertise, and help an organisation to develop any specialist skills that it may be lacking.
With no set standard rate a good business consultant can charge anywhere from £500 -£3000 per day.
I have found the 3 main areas that drive success and scalability in a business are: good leadership, access to finance and a good recruitment policy to hire the right people.
Non-Executive Director - NED
Non-executive Directors help guide a company from an outside vantage point and use their experience to give advice, but what else do you need to know before going down this hiring route?
A Non-Executive Director is an individual who sits on your Board of Directors but is not a member of your executive team or involved in day-to-day operations. Non-Executive Directors are involved in planning, policymaking, monitoring your executive Directors, and ensuring that the Board acts in the best interest of shareholders.
There is no fixed rate for a non-Executive director, but they can expect to be paid at director level for the expertise they provide. This can be anywhere from £4-100k depending on the size of the company. Charities often ask non-execs to provide their services pro bono, while it is also not uncommon for start-up companies to not renumerate their non-executives either until a suitable profit level is reached.
Mindspan
Mindspan is a framework that has been developed to help people improve their thinking to achieve results in both their professional and personal lives. There can be many questions in regard to this approach.
Mindspan is a Training and Coaching company that has been at the forefront of mindset, attitude and psychological development training for over two decades. We help organisations enhance their performance by demonstrating the fundamental link between psychology and success.
The philosophy and framework are based upon the Mindspan Triad; a framework that comprises of 3 psychologies and 9 mental competencies that positively drive performance
Peak Performance Mind is a state in which the person performs to the maximum of their ability by focusing on their conscious mind. This is characterised by being more present, creating daily habits and purposeful goals. The main ethos is for people to effortlessly thinking about thinking to change their lives in a positive way.
The main benefits of the Mindspan approach are having more self-belief, gaining greater confidence, having focus and purpose with goal setting. Feeling less stress and anxious in both a professional and personal sense. The framework allows clients to take action and progress their own self leadership skills and be more productive as a result.
Flow state is a psychological term coined by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi in 1975. It is also known as ’being in the zone’ and is the mental state in which a person performing a task/activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energised focus, full involvement, and enjoyment in the process of the task/activity. The concept of flow is characterised by the complete absorption in what one does.
“Neil is a rare combination of talents. We worked together on the Board of Adapt where the organisation greatly benefited from his commercial insights and he illustrated his great skills as a boundary-spanner. He led a number of commercial and retail developments to great success in very challenging markets and his focus on developing people was self-evident. I’ve never known Neil other than charming, positive and relaxed; one of those rare determined, achieving, yet warm people. I completely trust Neil’s insights into business and markets. One of those rare people who can achieve whatever they put their mind to, and any Board or senior leader/manager would benefit from Neil’s time and insight”
Kevan Williams
Associate Professor and Company Director at UEA