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By Katie Duckworth, May 8, 2013

It’s amazing what 30 or 40 minutes of focused one-to-one coaching can achieve. 

Insightful questioning and deep listening from a skilled coach can quickly get to the core of a problem, help someone discover what is really getting in the way,  and come up with do-able actions to move them on immediately.

During my last coaching marathon with third sector organisations, we found solutions to a whole range of challenges in our speed coaching sessions – plucking up courage to tackle a difficult colleague, speaking up in a high-profile meeting, coping with workload ‘overwhelm’, to one manager having a light bulb moment about how she could help her team work more effectively together. There was a real buzz in the organisations I was invited into it.

Speed coaching feedback

“Extremely helpful – it helped me to set realistic goals and stop me feeling guilty.”

“Very helpful for building my confidence, especially in meetings.”

“The session helped me to realise what I can do to improve how I feel about my work and career – it made me really motivated. Thank you!”

So, why am I am telling you all this now…?

Because 23 May is National Learning at Work Day

I like to offer something a bit special for this initiative so I am planning a new coaching marathon:

• I’ve got up to ten coaching slots to give away to third sector organisations in the week of 20 May
• If I offer you a slot you can use it to give four people a 45-minute coaching session or
• six people a 30-minute coaching session. It’s up to you.

Why not take this opportunity to help members of your team de-stress, manage their time more effectively or delegate better?

For more details about the event and how to register click on the ‘sign up box’ on the top left of this page.

The deadline for registration is 5.30pm on Tuesday 14 May but don’t hang around. I’ve got a maximum ten coaching slots to give away and can’t guarantee one to every organisation that applies.

If you would like to talk to Katie Duckworth about how coaching or training can help you or your teams meet organisational goals more effectively, please contact me here for a no-obligation chat.

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By Katie Duckworth, January 21, 2013

It’s Blue Monday today, apparently the most depressing day of the year. I’m not sure I really believe in in – it must be different for everyone, surely…? but here are ten ways to make sure that it’s not blue for you and your third sector colleagues. Some take just twenty seconds but could change the whole feel of your day.

The ten suggestions are based on research about what makes us happy – and they really do work. Small actions, made consciously and positively, can make the difference between feeling low, flat and out of control, or happy and upbeat.

1. Do something that is 100% fun. Have a snowball fight with colleagues at lunch time if you’re in the snowy UK. Watch a classic comedy film this evening. The list is endless

2. Think about the big ‘Why?’ of what you do. Spend a few minutes reminding yourself of the purpose of your organisation, your team, and the reason you want to be part of it

3. Connect with a friend or family member by phone or face-to-face for a proper conversation – texting doesn’t count!

4. Do a good turn. You could tell a colleague they’ve done an outstanding job or make an extra effort to help someone with a problem. They will appreciate it – and you’ ll feel great

5. Learn something new. It might just be spending five minutes working out how to take a screen shot from your computer.  You’ll feel a real sense of achievement

6. Make a note of five things you are grateful for. When you notice the good things in your life you are less likely to feel low

7. Take an action which takes you closer to a long-term goal. Perhaps you want to improve your public speaking – so go ahead and ask a colleague to feed back on your performance in this afternoon’s meeting

8. Notice when you have a choice to make, and take it consciously. Think about what you really want, not what others want of you, what you think you should do or used to do

9. Think useful thoughts. “I did well there”, “What can I learn from that?” “What’s needed now?” You really are what you think about all day. If your thoughts are blue, you’ll be blue.

10. If you don’t manage to do any of these things, that’s OK. Tomorrow is another day.

Be The Change supports individuals and teams to be motivated, happy and valued in their third sector organisations. Contact me on katie@be-the-change.org.uk or call 0208 772 7808 for a chat about how I can help.

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By Katie Duckworth, May 17, 2012

Today is Learning at Work Day. To celebrate I’m giving away lots of free coaching to charities.

If you think your charity would benefit from one of the services below totally free of charge DM me on twitter @katieduckworth or email me at katieduckworth@mac.com (if we’re not already following each other.)

Giveaway #1

1 x one-hour ‘short burst’ Taming Time workshop for up to 20 of your staff and volunteers

Giveaway #2

2 x 50-minute telephone coaching sessions for one person in your organisation (I’ve got three of these to give away)

Giveaway #3

9 x 20-minute ‘speed coaching’ telephone sessions (one session for one person per organisation)

It’s first come first served, so get your DM message to me or email me as soon as you can.

Let me know:

- the best person to contact in your organisation

- their email address

- your first choice of giveaway #1, #2 or 3#

Take a look at the fantastic feedback to last year’s Coaching Marathon when I coached dozens of people from organisations such as Actionaid and The Back Up Trust.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Terms and conditions (dull but useful)

- open to UK charities and other UK based not-for-profit organisations

- one giveaway per successful organisation

- offer ends at 5.30pm on Friday 18 May 2012. Emails or DMs received after this will not be accepted

- sessions to be taken by 31 December 2012

- I will reply by email by 5.30pm on Monday 21 May 2012 if I am able to offer your organisation a giveaway

- If you have been successful but your first choice is no longer available your organisation will be offered your choice from remaining giveaways

- times of sessions to be mutually agreed

- sessions are non-transferable and there is no cash alternative

- I may need to charge travel expenses for the ‘short burst’ training if your organisation is outside London.

Phew!!

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By Katie Duckworth, April 4, 2012

I was talking to a third sector coaching client yesterday about the stunning victory of Aung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, in Burma’s recent byelection. We’d just finalised a list of her unique set of core values and wondered what Suu Kyi’s values might be?

Patience, we could only presume. She had, after all, survived 22 years under house arrest. How about Optimism? Justice? Compassion? Neither of us had met her, so we couldn’t be sure, but we felt these were likely to be the drivers that kept her focused and strong after all those years. Perseverance? It’s certainly a value she would have to honour for the potentially rocky journey on the road to full democracy.

My clients often mistakenly think that values have a moral dimension. But this isn’t the case. Nor are values reserved for the likes of Aung San Suu Kyi and Nelson Mandela. They are not something you ‘want’. They are something you ‘have’. Everyone has these non-tangible ‘must haves’ which drive you to live life in the way you do.

I like to think of values as running through us like the writing in a stick of rock. They are truly who you are. When values are honoured, you feel happy and fulfilled. When you dishonour them, you are discontented and uncomfortable.

My clients tell me that unearthing their top five or so values is the most useful self-development work they have ever done. They put their lists on fridges and in wallets for easy reference, aware that they are a foolproof blueprint for how to live and work.

Knowing your values gives a rock solid understanding of:

- how your core strengths can be used most effectively for the benefit of your third sector organisation

- why tensions arise with certain colleagues or in particular situations and how you can resolve them

- how you can motivate others and be motivated when the going gets tough

- how to best use your time outside work so you have a great life balance

- how to plan your career absolutely in line with who you truly are.

I can help your staff to expand their self awareness and effectiveness at work through my one-to-one coaching and training. If you would like to talk to me please contact me here for a no-obligation phone chat.

 For more tips and ideas on getting the best out of your third sector staff follow @katieduckworth on Twitter.

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By Katie Duckworth, February 2, 2012

Reading the new Third Sector/nfpSynergy State of the Sector report on a crowded rush-hour tube recently, I was struck by the answers to the question ‘what makes for an effective charity?’

Not surprisingly, ‘quality of work and/or services’ comes out top. This is after all what we are all here for. But ‘ability to attract, develop and retain top talent’, down to 18% from 28% in 2009..? What’s that all about?

As I awkwardly manoeuvred myself away from someone’s elbow, I wondered, isn’t it people who deliver high quality work and services? People who come up with the inspiring vision and make the values a reality? People who do the innovative fundraising and marketing which keeps it all going? Roughly one in fifty people on my tube would have been heading for a job in the charity sector. If we’d got stuck in a tunnel for an hour, that work simply wouldn’t be getting done.

When I got to my destination I asked my third sector coaching client what would help her consistently deliver the best possible work. She was very clear – to feel truly valued by her employer, invested in and developed to reach her true potential.

Through my one-to-one coaching and training, I can support your staff reach their full potential and deliver excellence. Contact me here to explore how I can help you.

 For more tips and ideas on getting the best out of your third sector staff follow @katieduckworth on twitter

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By Katie Duckworth, October 31, 2011

There are absolutely no tricks in coaching.

In fact, when you get your third sector staff coached, you’ll experience a bag-load of treats. Here are just five of the reasons my current clients are committed to coaching their staff:

1.  It encourages people to take responsibility for their own learning and actions
2.  Coaching improves individuals’ performance and therefore results
3.  Coaching makes people feel valued and appreciated by the organisation, so boosting morale and commitment
4.  Managers can trust their staff so don’t spend precious time micro-managing and hand holding
5. Challenges and difficulties can be addressed before they become serious problems.

I coach third sector staff individually and in groups, as well as offering training for charities who want to take a more ‘coachly’ management approach. To have a chat about how coaching can help your third sector organisation, call me on 0208 772 7807 or contact me here.

Happy Halloween!

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By Katie Duckworth, September 30, 2011

A few weeks ago on holiday in Greece, I found myself suspended in mid-air at the top of a cliff – freaking out! My hands were shaking. My legs felt like water. There was no way I was going to abseil down this 70-foot cliff, my absolute intention a few moments before. Now, I was frozen. All I could see was a dramatic tumble to the rocks below or more likely, a humiliating clamber up to the safety of the ledge. I realised I was saying out loud, “I can’t do it. I can’t do it. I can’t do it!”

It was quite a moment. One of those moments when the world stands still. Slowly, I became aware that my instructor was calmly talking. He was telling me sensible things about it being totally safe and that it was my irrational mind talking. I realised I had a choice. I could funk it or I could fly. I took a breath. “I can do it. I am safe. I can do it!” I found myself saying.

And then… I was abseiling down. True, not particularly well, but I was abseiling. I could do it. Four abseils later, I was leaping down commando-style, loving every second.

Abseiling down that rock-face was one of the most exhilarating and rewarding experiences I have ever had. And I so nearly didn’t do it – because of the quality of what I was saying to myself in my head.

As Henry Ford famously said, “Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you can’t, you’re probably right.”

In my work as a coach and trainer for the third sector, I find that clients can often be stuck in negative thought patterns which don’t serve them well.  “I’ve simply got too much to do” or “I’ll never find a job in a charity” or “My manager will never listen to me”. My experience is that success is quite often just a different thought away.

Our negative thought processes can easily become self-fulfilling prophecies. If I’d carried on thinking “I can’t do it”,  I absolutely 100% guarantee I would never have made that first descent. Our thoughts are powerful beyond measure. They create our feelings, which lead to actions which lead to results.

I believe that all of us in the third sector must use every weapon in our armour to get the results we want – a better and fairer world. We need to make sure we are thinking the kind of thoughts that will fast-track us there.

In my one-to-one coaching and training programmes, I support people working in the charity sector to harness the power of their thoughts to be more effective at work. Call me on 0208 772 7807 or email katieduckworth@mac.com to discuss how I can help you or your staff be the change you want to see in the world.

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By Katie Duckworth, May 8, 2011

It’s National Learning at Work day on 19 May and I’ve had a bit of a brainwave about how to celebrate this special day of learning and development.

For a whole week I’m offering as many one-to-one coaching sessions to as many third sector staff as we can squeeze in – absolutely free!

Mad, I know – I won’t earn a penny. But I’ll get to the weekend tired but happy in the knowledge I’ve contributed to learning and development in the sector, something I’m totally passionate about.

Here’s how I see it working:

- Your third sector organisation books two and a half hours of my time in the week 16 – 20 May (either a morning or afternoon slot) and fills it with as many individual coaching appointments as you need. So,

- If there are six people who want coaching, I’ll do six 20-minute ‘speed coaching’ sessions

- If there are three people, I’d do 3 x 45-minute sessions

- If I’m not fully booked, I may even be able to give you another morning or afternoon slot.

Short coaching sessions can be very powerful. I can help your people learn how to:

- set inspiring goals and take action towards them
- get more done using simple time management techniques they might not have thought of before
- speak more powerfully and effectively in meetings
- stop sabotaging their best efforts to do things differently
- handle difficult conversations so that everyone wins

…and much more.

So, email or call me on 0208 772 7807 to book your slot or to arrange a chat about how this programme could benefit your charity.