There are a number of different support options available to individuals and organisations so how do you know which is right for you? 

The simplest way to answer this is to provide some information on a few of the most popular approaches and how they compare to coaching.  But before we do that, it's worth saying that coaching is normally a good place to start.  And a good coach will soon diagnose and suggest an alternative type of support if it would be better for you.

Counselling - counsellors will use questions to diagnose and support clients across a range of emotional or psychological issues. Typically, but not exclusively, this will examine past events.

A coach is future focussed. They will support you to gain clarity about what you want to achieve and then work with you to get you there.  Our coaches are well practiced in analysis and diagnosis techniques and as such we do explore where a past event may be hindering your current and future performance.

Consulting - consultants are very different to coaches, they will provide you with expertise, recommendations and solutions.

A coach will ask insightful, thought provoking questions. They will support you to reflect, focus, identify your strengths, challenges and options and ultimately to identify your own solution.

VFS also provide consulting and a hybrid service containing coaching, consulting and mentoring (see below).  But pure coaching can have larger and longer-term positive effects for an individual.  In our experience, few coaches deliver a blended of coaching consulting and mentoring that preserve the power of pure coaching.  We have a very specific and carefully considered approach to blending these three types of support.

Mentoring - mentors are great when you need advice or guidance on a specific skill set, industry sector or domain expertise. The mentor is typically a subject matter expert. They work with the client and offer advice, suggestions and solutions.

A coach will possibly not be a subject matter expert. The coach's skill is to assist an individual to access their own resources and solutions with clarity.

Our coaches are accredited with the EMCC (European Mentoring and Coaching Council). As members of the EMCC we adhere to their Global Code of Ethics. 

Coaching in the UK is unregulated. EMCC and other professional coaching bodies seek to bridge that gap by providing standards, ethics and professional development. 

We are passionate about providing a professional coaching service and committed to our own continual development to achieve that.  We would strongly suggest that you work with an accredited coach.

We have been able to help people across a wide range of industries, business types and levels of seniority.  And we have received lots of lovely feedback, some of it can be read in the testimonials section on our home page.

Whilst we make it easy to cancel a programme (after all, as a coach, we don't want to spend time with someone that we are struggling to help) we have never had a cancellation.

Most employers are constantly striving for happier and more engaged employees. Employee engagement not only correlates with employee satisfaction and a lower staff turnover, but also leads to increased productivity and overall company profitability.

Many studies have confirmed and even quantified the return on investment (ROI) from coaching engagements and we mention it in our Corporate Packages section.  More and more business owners are seeing the results for themselves, which is why the use of performance coaches in business is on the rise.

There are many beneficial outcomes of coaching for both individuals and organisations, too many to summarise here but examples include:

• Increased engagement scores 

• Improved performance 

• Higher quality outputs

• Empowered and motivated individuals 

• High performing teams

It can help to identify strengths and development opportunities for both individuals and the business and is a clear demonstration of commitment to employee development and a business culture of learning and growth.

One major benefit that doesn't get discussed as much as we think it should, is how the use of coaches like VFS Coaching can help to improve the workplace culture, increasing psychological safety and personal accountability across the organisation.

As part of a Corporate Package, we will work with you to help ensure that you get the benefits of coaching behaviours being demonstrated by key individuals and replicated across your workforce.

Yes, we can provide training for new coaches using our accredited training partner.

We also provide coaching supervision which contributes to Continuous Professional Development (CPD). This supports maintaining standards, coach wellbeing, learning and development, ethics and quality.

VFS Business Transformation consultants provide training and numerous other intervention methods to teach and help people practice coaching techniques that they can use in everyday situations to help their teammates.  Contact us for more information.

Yes. Our principal coach, Scott Potter, can support you with organisational and strategic business consultancy.

Please contact us or take a look at Scott’s company website ValueFlowSolutions.co.uk for further information.