Coaching: Still on the fence?

Here at Clore Social Leadership, we partner with coaches that are passionate about delivering impactful leadership development across the social sector.

The benefits of coaching for leadership development are undeniable. Numerous studies have supported this, reporting that coaching boosts productivity by 44%; 80% of people who experienced coaching reported increased self-confidence, while over 70% benefited from improved work performance and communication skills.

But what is coaching? Whether delivered in person or online, coaching provides an opportunity to address day-to-day challenges, overcome strategic roadblocks, and seize new opportunities in one 1:2:1 environment. The sessions are used to interrogate your chosen topic through lines of questioning, leading to an exploration of the potential solutions and next steps that can be trialled in real-time. 

"Coaching has helped me to pause and ask myself the bigger questions before running headlong into big decisions, and I’ve used the open questions in lots of strategically difficult moments since to great effect!"- Clore Social Leadership coaching participant 

At Clore Social Leadership, we work with coaches from across the UK who specialise in a variety of topics that are commonplace in the social sector, including but not limited to, navigating uncertainty, seizing new opportunities, team wellbeing, future planning, women in leadership, behaviour change, resilience, goal setting and burnout. 

If you are still on the fence about coaching, below you can learn more about the impact of coaching and how it can benefit you and your team: 

Increased confidence: Coaching has been hailed for its positive impact on confidence; research found that for senior leaders coaching increased their confidence to navigate opportunities and challenges in their specific leadership role and increased their trust in their direct reports. With social sector leaders required to navigate ever increasing workloads, investing in your ability to delegate and communicate can only be a plus!

Emotional intelligence: Sometimes known as EQ or EI, emotional intelligence is commonly defined as the ability to show self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, and social skills. Coaching provides you with the vital space to reflect on your own behaviour and how you read and react to the behaviour of those around you, equipping you to navigate a sector  where emotional intelligence is vital not just internally, but when working with your beneficiaries and stakeholders.   

Career planning and development: If you’re feeling stretched it can be tricky to find the time to consider your next career move, relating to your initial passion for your organisation's cause. Making space to discuss what your progression looks like with a third party can be invaluable. Your coach can support you in exploring opportunities and help you find an appropriate route to your next career move, reestablishing your driving force behind working in the social sector. 

Goal setting: For many, contentment lies in having something to look forward to. However, ‘keeping your head above water’ has become commonplace for so many in the social sector. Coaching can provide you with the opportunity to discuss what you really want from your career, considering what goals can support you in seeing the bigger picture, aligning your professional ‘why’ with your personal values.

Conflict resolution: Conflict in the workplace is almost unavoidable. You are bringing together a diverse set of strangers and asking them to work towards the same vision, and once you consider the sensitive and complex issues so many in the social sector are grappling with - there is bound to be a difference in opinion. When conflicts do arise, it is easy to make snap decisions in the heat of the moment. However, coaching can provide a unique time to step back and reflect, either in hindsight or before the conflict is resolved, allowing you time to holistically evaluate what is really happening. The intention is that you can then take these learnings with you to your workplace in realtime to encourage a more constructive dialogue. 

Incredibly, these aren’t all the benefits of coaching, improved productivity, communication, accountability, motivation, collaboration and employee retention are just some of the other benefits of coaching that are commonly cited by coaches, participants and organisations who engage with this professional development tool. 

So, if you think coaching could be for you, why not begin by exploring these experienced coaches, all passionate about supporting the development of individuals from across the social sector, wherever you are on your career journey.