FAQ

What is an holistic approach

Holistic Business Coaching 

Holistic Business Mentoring

Wellness Coaching

What is the Difference between Mentoring and Coaching?

What is an Holistic Approach 

A holistic approach means viewing the whole situation. Looking at the bigger picture, as well as the key interconnected parts that make up the full picture. A bit like the finished jigsaw puzzle picture and the parts that bring it to life; each part is critical to the whole. When we spit out the individual parts it becomes easy to talk about matters, but remember in real life everything is messed together.

The benefits a holistic approach brings is we are able to look beyond, or beneath the surface issue that is being presented. This approach enables the root or the big truths, and true issues to be identified and addressed. 

Holistic Business Coaching

Holistic Business Coaching helps the individual explore their issue in more detail, and look at their situation with new eyes by taking into consideration other interconnected matters, that make up their wholeness as a human being.

The coach will build the individual’s awareness and understanding. They will support the individual and challenge their ideas and thinking with appropriate tools and techniques. This approach enables the individual to deal a situation or issue differently or resolve tricky problems. Work stress, for example may not just be about workload, it may be a combination of factors. The factors at play may include personal health matters, not having strong personal boundaries, perfectionism, a high level of ambition desire. Factors including not being able to delegate or having enough support or not being able to confidently communicate with colleagues, managers or teams will all contribute. The coach guides the client by building their self-awareness, in a process that brings about greater understanding of the reality of their situation they are dealing with. This methodology helps the client to reconnect with their thinking, feelings and emotions and gives them more agency to make changes. The process supports and enables the client to expand their window of tolerance to hold new perspectives and options. They are then able more likely to undertake new behaviours to achieve better harmony, wellness and balance.

Holistic Business Mentoring

Holistic Business Mentoring helps support leadership and provides an organisational focus. The mentor helps to join up the activity of individuals, teams and functional departments so that everyone is on the same page, and is working in the same direction. By having shared organisational aims and values, everyone knows their part, and how they fit together in the bigger jigsaw puzzle. This helps with communication, motivation and moral as well as highlighting the parts that do not fit well or need adjustment. A holistic approach enables people to contribute to achieving the overall organisational aims and objectives; often summarised into a vision and mission statement.  Often organisations can end up disconnected as they grow and develop and communication becomes trickier. This process brings focus and reconnects the parts. 

Wellness Coaching 

Wellness Coaching enables us to look at the bigger picture of our health, to point in the direction of wellness whilst dealing with the symptoms or issues that are present, or front of mind. Whilst people may have a vision or idea of where they want to be to become more well, they may need support to harness their inner motivation as well as practical external guidance to achieve their desired wellness goals. 

By taking time to explore and understand the key and interrelated elements of wellness -Wellness of Mind, Body, Emotions, and Spirit and Social Wellness, individuals can quickly identify where their issue is.

More consideration can be given to the real issue, and what else needs to be addressed to help achieve the individual’s primary wellness goal. The issue can be broken down into smaller steps to help achieve the primary wellness goal.  (could give an example here Sam)

Wellness coaching builds personal resilience. It helps individuals by providing a trusted sounding board to help them understand what can be a complex issue. It provides a personalised road map to better navigate unknown territory on the journey to optimum wellness. 

What is the Difference between Mentoring and Coaching?

Both Coaching and Mentoring offer personal development approaches. They are both based on one-to-one conversations to enhance an individual’s skills, knowledge and performance professionally, personally or both. 

The word mentor means a wise and trusted counsellor and originates from Greek mythology.  Mentor was a friend of Odysseus. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War, he left his son Telemachus in under the care of his trusted friend Mentor. Mentor acted as a wise guardian for his son, supporting him with practical plans and personal dilemmas. The word mentor has been since been adopted in English as a term meaning someone who imparts wisdom to and shares knowledge with a less experienced colleague.

A mentoring relationship usually carries on for a period of time. Coaching is usually time limited to a shorter period (but can be on-going), and sessions are more structured.

A skilled coach enables the coachee to grow and develop by drawing upon the coachees own inner wisdom and resource. Whilst a mentor may have more skill and experience in a area of specialism the coach does not need to be skilled and experienced in the specific field. What the coach brings to the relationship is their unique experience, skills and technique in coaching which enable the coachee to find their own path and develop their own inner wisdom, resources and skills to achieve their desired aims and goals. 

Mentoring is helpful for juniors, trainees or someone who is new in a role; which may be a senior role like a Director or CEO. The individual may have limited skill in a particular area e.g. negotiation and will need the external wisdom from another to guide them and advise them, until they can in time confidently house and demonstrate this skill. In is a process of learning to strengthen and build their own resources.

As a coach and mentor I tend to use both mentoring and coaching depending on the individual’s needs. My approach is quite different in that I also am able to offer powerful mindfulness and compassion enquiry approaches that allow the clients to look a little deeper into the habits and conditioning.  This approach supports the individuals overall holistic wellness.

I am trained with the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) to levels, 3,5 7, and hold a post-graduate certificate, to coach and mentor professionals and senior managers. I am a member of European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and the Mindfulness Association (MA). I work as a business mentor for Boost Lancashire as well as working with SME owner/managers, directors, junior managers and their teams.