I have recently undertaken a two day training to obtain a formal coaching certification. This was something that I have been researching for several years and have been doing a lot of 1-1 coaching and mentoring to see if this would be something that I would be interested in doing in a more detailed level and after my last few coaching engagements, I’m really glad that I chose to have formal training to learn more.

After discussing this with my Manager and peers, I decided to go for a certification as a way to get more formal training for some of the areas that I felt I was weakest. I have also been coached before, so I was aware of the experience and what I was expecting from the experience.

This two-day virtual training was intense! I am used to training as I regularly give trainings as part of my job, but from the first minute of my two days, I was immediately needing to think and give my insights and there was nowhere to hide! The course was run by Nick from Quiver Management and he is truly an expert in his field for management and coaching (he also has a new book which is really worth a read!).

One of the areas that really stood out to me as a Project Manager, was how many of the skills were transferable and could be used within projects to share knowledge, gain ownership and empower the people and stakeholders that I work with on a daily business. Every element and part of my communication is affected by the questions I ask, how we begin a discussion and more importantly looking towards the answers that are provided.

Throughout the training, we were offered opportunities to practice the skills that we were learning and get active feedback from Nick about areas that we can improve on and this made it such a valuable use of my time. After the first day, I really felt like I had absorbed more information in one day, than I had in the past 6 months and I needed an early night to process everything that I had been taught that day!

The second day was just as intense but I really felt that I had really improved in our test sessions and could really utilise the skills and apply them directly.

In the few days since the training, I have really taken on board the content and have continued to really proactively address the conversations that I have and what is the best way to have these arranged. This isn’t just work conversations but also conversations that i’m having with my children and friends.

I have recommended this training to other PMs in my organisation as I strongly believe that it will really benefit them in their projects but also within their wider professional capacity as leaders.

What’s next?

Well… it’s time to put it into practice. I am going to be looking for people to coach over the next 10-12 weeks and I will be putting all of the skills that I have learned into practice and reporting back and getting advice from Nick throughout this period.

I am really excited to begin my coaching journey and to be given the opportunity to help and support others on their learning journey.