Business Coaching

Amidst the rapid and dramatic changes over the last few months, there is an opportunity to maximise the “new normal”.

Whilst change has been imposed on many businesses, such change can also create opportunities for developing new and better ways of working together in the future.

LifeForward’s Business Coaching

At LifeForward, our coaches bring more than 20 years of business experience to business coaching alongside their coaching expertise. We have experience in leadership development, team coaching and talent management, as well as financial qualifications and operational experience managing strategy implementation, budgets and teams. That being said, we prefer to collaborate with business owners and key stakeholder teams as coaching partners, rather than consultants.

Why business coaching?

A coaching mindset brings with it an unconditional positive regard for the client, and a genuine belief in the potential within. At LifeForward we therefore start with the mindset that you know better than us. You know your business inside out: the clients; the people; the team dynamics; the operations. You know what others say you are good at…

If we know, why do we need LifeForward?

… Because accessing all that knowledge, ordering it into a coherent plan, gaining clarity on goals and objectives, setting priorities and having the courage to face up to challenges, are all things a good coach can help with.

We may know something isn’t working but it can be harder to work out why those things aren’t working. This is because it is human nature to pass the blame, or make excuses, to view data selectively to support our position, and to defend our views when we feel threatened.

Therefore, even the best leader may struggle to identify the true causes of recurring issues. Most likely it will be a combination of factors and unravelling them can take time, requiring a high degree of honesty, accurate assessment and open feedback. It requires trust amongst stakeholders to be willing to acknowledge weakness or error. Working with a coach can help build an environment of trust and honesty as it raises self-awareness and awareness of others, helping us to see and value other viewpoints.

On a more positive note, sometimes businesses may not realise what they are really good at. Unless you have highly functioning teams across the business, there are likely to be teams and areas of operations yet to fulfil their potential. Are you leveraging resources fully and to the best of their ability? Or is there much more you could do? Team coaching helps build those strengths across the team.

So what can we expect?

Our passion is working with business owners and leadership teams to articulate a vision and develop a clear strategy for the future in order to achieve goals, address challenges and meet ambitious business objectives. We will work with you to develop a solution that can focus on the business or organisation. This may include specific team coaching or leadership development and can also incorporate one-to-one executive coaching for key people.

However, we will also challenge you. We will challenge thinking and behaviour and not just process and product delivery. We will ask difficult questions, encourage open and honest discussion, and look at communication, team dynamics and stakeholder interactions to help you identify not just what but why and how things may need to change in order for your business and your people to achieve full potential.

Are you ready?

The first step is easy – get in touch and we can make a start!

Common areas of focus for business coaching

Articulate a vision

Create a strategic plan

Identify roles and responsibilities

Team dynamics

Establishing trust

Challenge thinking and behaviour

Marketing and development

Communication

Managing conflict

Implementation and accountability

Stakeholder communication buy-in

What to expect from LifeForward's business coaching?

LifeForward uses coaching techniques to help you build a vision and strategy

Through facilitated discussions, 360-degree feedback, coaching and workshops, LifeForward helps leaders to develop the strategic thinking, skills and awareness they need to build a vision and strategy to achieve future business goals and aspirations. We provide support for personal development to help drive culture change and build resilience.

LifeForward works with Insights Discovery®

Working with Insights Discovery to explore personality preferences, we help businesses build confidence, resilience, better communication and engagement, both at an individual level and within the business model. The result? A clear vision, a flexible and forward-looking strategy and a dynamic, adaptable workplace.

LifeForward uses coaching techniques to help you build a vision and strategy

LifeForward works with Insights Discovery®

Step 1 ~ Articulate a vision

In a rapidly changing world, driven by technological advancement, businesses need to look to the future and embrace the opportunities ahead.

How can coaching help?

LifeForward helps leaders find clarity and create a clear, aspirational and motivational vision aligned to core business values and to put in place a strategy that is both achievable and welcomed by management and team members.

Step 2 ~ Assess the current situation

A realistic assessment of the business requires honest, open dialogue and leadership self-awareness. Listening to feedback and observations from managers and teams is critical.

How can coaching help?

LifeForward works with key stakeholders to examine behaviours, attitudes, beliefs and motivations - not just data and financial information. We will help leaders identify the best ways to bring your team members to the table.

Step 3 ~ Identify barriers to change

Identify any threats to the business. What behaviours and practices are limiting potential? How can stakeholders approach these situations to achieve a positive outcome?

How can coaching help?

Through feedback, open and honest dialogue, listening and questioning, a LifeForward helps stakeholders understand cultural and emotional barriers to change in an organisation and works with the leadership team to overcome them.

Step 4 ~ Develop a strategic plan

A good business strategy will articulate a high-level plan which covers all aspects of the business, critical or otherwise. Detailed month-by-month actions, KPIs and objectives can then be defined.

How can coaching help?

LifeForward works with leaders to identify the key pillars of the new strategy: Clients? Operations? Talent? Innovation? Resourcing? Finance? Explore areas for improvement and methods for achieving the best result for the business.

Step 1 ~ Articulate a vision

In a rapidly changing world, driven by technological advancement, businesses need to look to the future and embrace the opportunities ahead.

How can coaching help?

Step 2 ~ Assess the current situation

A realistic assessment of the business requires honest, open dialogue and leadership self-awareness. Listening to feedback and observations from managers and teams is critical.

How can coaching help?

Step 3 ~ Identify barriers to change

Identify any threats to the business. What behaviours and practices are limiting potential? How can stakeholders approach these situations to achieve a positive outcome?

How can coaching help?

Step 4 ~ Develop a strategic plan

A good business strategy will articulate a high-level plan which covers all aspects of the business, critical or otherwise. Detailed month-by-month actions, KPIs and objectives can then be defined.

How can coaching help?

Step 1 ~ Articulate a vision

In a rapidly changing world, driven by technological advancement, businesses need to look to the future and embrace the opportunities ahead.

How can coaching help?

Step 2 ~ Assess the current situation

A realistic assessment of the business requires honest, open dialogue and leadership self-awareness. Listening to feedback and observations from managers and teams is critical.

How can coaching help?

Step 3 ~ Identify barriers to change

Identify any threats to the business. What behaviours and practices are limiting potential? How can stakeholders approach these situations to achieve a positive outcome?

How can coaching help?

Step 4 ~ Develop a strategic plan

A good business strategy will articulate a high-level plan which covers all aspects of the business, critical or otherwise. Detailed month-by-month actions, KPIs and objectives can then be defined.

How can coaching help?

What our clients say
The benefits of business coaching
Business coaching vs leadership development

I highly recommend Sarah as a coach to any business or team leader who struggles with certain challenges in his/her job and wants to move in a different direction. She has been my “online” coach since early 2015. At first I was a bit sceptical about the effectiveness of online coaching, but I must say that it works remarkably well.

Sarah has been a (global) team leader for many years and has a lot of real life experience to share with her coachees. Sarah’s approach to coaching is empathetic, challenging and action-focussed. She listens exceptionally well and asks very pertinent questions which go to the root of a problem and create greater self-awareness. She has the ability to steer a conversation in such a way that it is the coachee who formulates his/her goals and commits to an adapted action plan.

Sarah’s friendly and professional approach was very engaging and ensured that I kept my eye on the strategic rather than the operational ,which is what I needed. Her coaching helped me to focus my thoughts on why I could and should get the job, rather than the barriers to this. I would recommend Sarah without hesitation.

We found the session with Life Forward Coaching extremely valuable. As a start-up business, we found that things were moving very quickly. Facilitated by Sarah we were able to focus on our purpose and mission and circle back to our values to ensure internal cohesion and alignment. It was a very beneficial process for us.

I used Sarah’s services at LifeForward to help me, both personally and in my business role. I had transitioned from a corporate management role to working as a director with my husband in our financial advice business. Moving from an environment working within a large team of people to working with one other person was a massive change. I also had to deal with moving from a role where I could specialise in one area to one where I had to do everything, from admin to book-keeping, which was a shock and a big knock to my confidence.

Sarah helped me focus on all the things I am good at rather than judge myself by the ones I was not so comfortable with. She gave me clarity of thinking and increased focus. I would thoroughly recommend LifeForward Coaching from both a personal and business perspective.

Leaders face the need for change at an unprecedented pace. Implementing change can, however, be challenging – people tend to be resistant to the new and unknown. Yet getting buy-in from colleagues, teams and stakeholders is critical to success when managing change. Good communication and planning is essential to maintain the momentum and follow plans through to completion.

Working with an external partner can be invaluable when developing and implementing business and cultural change. LifeForward works with clients to assess the need for change through facilitated discussions, gathering feedback and interviewing key stakeholders. We help leaders to develop the strategic thinking and awareness needed to build and implement a plan.

Are you wondering if you need Business Coaching or Leadership Development?

Firstly, since LifeForward always works with clients to understand the real needs of the business and individual, don’t worry too much about which you might need – just get in touch and start the conversation.

However, if you want to have a better understanding before you contact us, business coaching looks at the business and how the business as a whole functions. We help the key stakeholders decide whether there is a need for strategic or cultural change and, if so, what that needs to be.

Leadership development focuses on the individuals who are driving the business to give them the skills and awareness they need, either individually or as a group, to lead successfully either in their current role or in the next stage in their career.