hope you are having a great week.
 
This week I have had a question sent in from a reader looking for information regarding "Who needs a performance coach and how do you know you need a coach". I hope this focused information adapted from one of my promotional booklets helps.
 
First things first “no one needs a coach”.  Even saying it as an accredited coach running a coaching business, that's the truth. I wholeheartedly believe that everyone has it in them to achieve all they are committed to realizing. 
 
However, having said that, some people need or like the motivation of a person who believes in them and is willing to hold them accountable for their progress actions. Someone to acknowledge their achievements and challenge them to go all the way. 
 
Coaching is about the whole, creative, resourceful you, it is holistic in the outcome, that's to say where you might think the sessions are bespoke to your needs at that time, we find that there are a number of cross overs that support the whole you so, they may be utilized in other areas. An example would be, if you are seeking coaching to improve your time management in your working arena, the tools and strategies used may also benefit you in the family environment. 
 
We all seemingly have “that goal” that we would like to achieve in our life, sometimes they are not accomplished “yet” due to other pressures whether that be professional, academic, or in our private life. 
 
Why get a coach?? It could be for one of many reasons but here are some of my biggest insights brought to me by clients. 

1. They use coaching as an opportunity to work out where they are and where they want to be
2. They love the idea of someone who believes in their ability to achieve their dreams and assists them in moving forward.
3. They want to solve issues they are stuck on and improve the way they manage change    
4. They love the opportunity to have a thought partner off which to bounce their ideas.
5. They wish to remove any limiting beliefs, maximize their potential thereby improving performance (P=P-I)

Adding to the above the post-coaching feedback usually mentions the support coaching offers in other areas of life, as mentioned earlier. This diagram shows the different coaching arena and where life coaching crosses over into these other areas.

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​It would be great to hear which of these areas you recognize as needing a little work, especially with the insecurity of the current climate. What is your goal to achieve over the next 3-6 months. What might you need a coach to support you with??
 
I hope this has answered the question posed to me, but also hope it has raised a few more questions, if so feel free to reach out.
 
Finally, I am really excited about our first newsletter coming out next week, keep an eye out for it as there will be an opportunity for you to get a free coaching session voucher.
 
As always, don't forget to share with like-minded individuals or just people whom you know would need to sharpen their EDGE.
 
Enjoy the rest of your week.

“If someone offers you an amazing opportunity and you're not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later” Richard Branson

​This is my tip of the week for this week
Seize the opportunity
There are two parts to this tip.
The first
“When offered small opportunities in life, at work, or in education, take them on, these little opportunities may lead to something great, they are like the individual bricks that build who you can be. Or like the drops of water that make a puddle, if you create enough of them you make a pond, and so on. Don’t sweat the small things, take them on

The other part is this.
“When you’re offered a big opportunity, consider it carefully—even if it scares the heck out of you. In the end, high risk often leads to high reward. But if you turn down every opportunity that comes your way, you won’t even have the chance to succeed,” 

This week, keep an eye out for opportunities to Engage, Develop, Grow and Evolve, sharpen your EDGE
​
Let me know how it goes, what opportunities did you take on and what was the outcome?
Have a great week
​
Richie Forde

​Today I want to talk very briefly about the benefits of coaching. 
 
There are multiple benefits to having coaching and I certainly couldn't share them all in a brief email. However, whether you are in business, still studying, or simply want to improve an aspect of your personal life, coaching has the ability to transform lives.
 
Yes, we all have friends', family, and colleagues who are there for us however, a brief glimpse of what they might consider helpful may look like this:
 
A friend will usually want to agree with your assessment as, by definition, they are your friend and don't really want to upset you.
A family member may consider what is best for the family and not necessarily best for you at that moment.
A colleague or manager may consider what is best for the company, usually because you are great and they don't really want to lose you.
 
An outside coach, with little invested interest, will let you decide by giving you the opportunity to look at the challenge from different prospectives, coaching is Partnership, collaboration, and believing in potential.
 
A few generic benefits of coaching include:
 
•    Giving you clear direction
•    Co-creating solutions to challenges
•    Unlocking potential to create higher performance
•    Removing obstacles (interferences)
•    Creating awareness, to improve one’s ability to move forward
•    Creating accountability, to enhance progress
•    Giving you space to think, feel, and be heard

If you think of what you would like to achieve in your world, there will be a number of the above that can help you create forward momentum.
 
Think of these scenarios:

1. An employee who needs to make a decision regarding their next move
2. A parent who is struggling to convince their child to focus on school studies
3. A leader who is struggling with a member of their team
4. A student who is desperate to focus on school but peer pressure is overwhelming
5. An adult who starts lots of new projects but doesn't get to finish any
6. That employee who has plans to be an entrepreneur but does not how to get started
7. A parent who is up to their eyeballs in chores, work, and family

All of these people would and could benefit from the above coaching list, mostly the first one; Getting clear direction. remember the old saying, "a problem shared is a problem halved", I'm almost certain this was penned by a coach.
 
Now think of your own situation, how many of the few generic benefits would help you. Most of you will probably count between 2-4, some of you more.
 
So how can I help? Well, here is an exercise to really get you started. Depending on whether you wish to think about your career, your life, or just you, there's a question here for you. You only need to choose one, but it'll be great for you to be able to reflect on it and take action straight away. Share your answers with me if you want to, I'd love to read what you are thinking, I would love to add a few (anonymously if you wish) to my September newsletter.
 
So say you are in a bit of a quandary, a coaches role is to help create self-awareness, have a go at answering any one of the following: 

1. What do you really, really want?
2. What are you doing today to move closer to your big dream?
3. What is that something you should give up or let go of so that you can move forward?
4. What is the worst that could happen if you let go of things that are no longer serving you?
5. What does your instinct say you should do next?

Remember this is an exercise to help you think about what you could be doing to improve your situation, in a coaching session these may be questions a coach might ask you. Write your answer down and stick it on the fridge, it will serve as a reminder to take action.
 
There are very many benefits to coaching and I have barely scratched the surface and hopefully, this little exercise will help you. 
 
But remember to be honest with it and have fun.
 
Have a great day fabulous people and don't forget, if there is something I can talk about that might help you, or if there is anything I can do to help you move forward let me know. Even if you just want to be heard.

Really glad to have you with us. 
Following on from my last email, I thought today I would share a coaching equation to support your understanding of how coaching works.

We all know that sometimes, circumstance just gets in the way. However, sometimes we put things in the way of progressing with our own mindsets. With coaching, you can overcome these potential roadblocks we like to call interferences. and release your true potential so you can perform to your best. So the equation as coined by Sir John Whitmore in his book "Coaching for Performance" is:
P = P- I  (Performance = Potential – Interference)   
Essentially coaching focuses on improving Performance (P) by growing Potential (P) and by decreasing Interference (I).  

Coaching is looking at the future you want to get to and the present you are in and then trying to fill the gap. This will inevitably include removing limiting beliefs about yourself.

But hey, that's part of our job
The role of a coach is to facilitate the development, learning, and performance of another individual (‘coachee’) by:
 •               Active listening with compassion and sincerity
•               Questioning skilfully to clarify and deepen thinking
•               Promoting clarity concerning chosen actions
•               Providing appropriate support and challenge at the right moment
•               Agreeing actions with the coachee to achieve between sessions
 The nature of assistance offered by a coach puts emphasis on helping the coachee to draw insights and determine actions for themselves.  Nevertheless, a coach may encourage, challenge, and feedback to their coachee as appropriate.  Coaching involves a co-active relationship between coach and coachee, based on trust, mutual appreciation, and a joint commitment to work with the coachee's best interests at heart.
 
This week, I thought I'd give you a thought-provoking exercise to get you thinking about the future,  in a spot of quiet time answer the following question:
 
What would tomorrow be like if you really let go of what is holding you back?
 
A great coaching question to create awareness of what your life could and very likely should be if you just let go of any interferences. I would love to hear your thoughts. I will happily add a few of your responses to my Newsletter at the end of the month. I would love to make this interactive. 
 
Finally, I thought I would leave you lovely people with one of my favorite Nelson Mandela quotes: 
 
"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living" 
 
Don't forget to share with like-minded individuals or just people whom you know would like to sharpen their EDGE
 
Go ahead, you got this.

​​Its been a while. I hope you are well.  
 
I am proud to say, my business EDGE Coaching Services, is back to normal post-COVID. It is great to get back out and support my clients face to face, but also to continue with the virtual "online" sessions some of them prefer.  
 
As a new way of reaching friends past colleges and my various social media contacts, over the coming months, I will be emailing out coaching information, quotes, tips, and "How to" snippets of information that may support you. If they are helpful, you may want to share them with a team, a leader, a loved one, or someone you know who may be in need of a little boost.
 
As an example, I have been doing a lot of reading lately, and while reading a coaching book called Challenging coaching, I came across a poem by the late French poet,  Guillaume Apollinaire. It reminded me that as coaches our job isn't to just listen and ask questions, even if they are reflective ones. Our job is also to see such potential in people that we partner with them to soar above what they thought they could do, by evoking a transformation in them and having them believing in their greatness as a person. I was so impressed with it, I made it my companies mission statement. 
 
I would love to get your thoughts on this poem so please email me with how it made you reflect. Anyway here goes, the poem went something like this:
 
“Come to the EDGE, he said
“We can’t, we are afraid, they said
“come to the EDGE”,
“We can’t, we might fall”
“come to the EDGE”,
and they came...
and he pushed them,
and they flew. Guillaume Apollinaire  
Okay, we won't literally push you but we will challenge you to own the limiting beliefs that may be holding you back from moving forward. We each have it within us to realize our potential; whether this is at home, at work, in education, or in relationships. A coach's role is to help you maximise that potential and live your best life.
So, each week there will be something for a different need or intention, culminating with a newsletter at the end of the month. I am certain the coaching information will be of value to you in your busy life. if you have any questions or queries, feel free to give me a shout, always happy to help you or anyone you feel may benefit from sharpening their EDGE.