I suppose I could be well retired by now; playing golf and being your archetypal granddad but I am rubbish at golf and probably the same at being a granddad. I have just been in touch with the a chap who whetted my appetite for coaching when I met him doing my neuro-linguistic programming (known as NLP) training and brought him in to coach my operations manager at that time. Isn’t it strange how things get started sometimes?
When I started, failed coaches who became marketing experts, kept saying you need a niche but at the beginning, I didn’t know what my niche was. In addition, I didn’t want to focus on just one area as I need variety to keep me interested and to explore new things if situations or additional skills are required. So, over the first 3 or 4 years the following niches arose:
Executive or Leadership coaching which works for team leaders, managers and directors particularly when people have just been promoted into these roles. Generally, these aspiring individuals work in the financial services area arising from my previous contacts (if you are one of those contacts reading this – thank you) and are in their late 20s/30s and40s. As I have previously worked in sales and operational management, and been an MD (Managing Director), I can still remember the pressures involved and hopefully show empathy.
Business mentoring or coaching which can be for a diverse range of businesses including architects, builders, electricians, interior designers and lawyers. As someone who has set up their own business, I know that it takes at least 2 years to set up a business properly. I also know how important it is to charge the right price and to have a good idea of what your business aims are and ideally have a business plan. So many small businesses don’t have an action-led business plan which I still find extraordinary.
Career coaching which can be for anybody from a graduate through to a fifty-year-old who needs to start a new career or role owing to redundancy or being perceived to be too old. I was made redundant 3 times in a 10-year period so again, I know what that feels like. As with all of my coaching I get a real buzz when the coachee gets the job that fits their needs financially and they enjoy it. Daniel’s testimonial below from his father is probably the most visual testimonial I have ever had.
Peter Richardson Testimonial:
I wrote a recommendation for Neil a while ago when he helped my then 18-year-old, inexperienced interviewee son prepare for an interview and assessment for his dream job as a commercial airline pilot. I thought it useful to share what my son is doing now with the attached short video. Thanks Neil, you helped make his dream come true! Here he is having finished training and landing an Airbus A320 recently in Cochin, Kerela, India.
Testimonial Video: https://youtu.be/1v5eoGbHoqw
Naturally, Daniel did all of the work and had the resilience to keep going when many brick walls seemed to get in his way, but I did play a small part in getting him over one of the brick walls!
I became a coach supervisor very early in my new career which helped my own coaching enormously
Retirement Coaching was added to my portfolio2 years ago when we researched this topic for my Jo and please note I did not try and coach her! This is an area which intrigues me. So many people drift into retirement (whatever that means these days) and often it takes 2 years to make this transition during which people can feel quite uncomfortable whether it is through loss of status, what do to fill their time etc
So, to summarise why I enjoy what I do.
I help people get what they want, I am not a tree hugging coach, I am very much results orientated and I expects coachees to be the same. The coachees do all of the work and hopefully I aid them by helping to show them the way by asking challenging questions or bringing out the elephant in the room.
Look at the range of people I coach in both age and occupation terms. I have coached people in Bermuda, Australia and New Zealand too (via Skype or Facetime). My latest coachee is an Argentinian working in Switzerland, how did that happen? Via Google I believe!
Coaching keeps me occupied. My weekends are extended to 3 days as I don’t work on Fridays which means we can get down to Bournemouth, go walking or do whatever we want to do.
I still like the hunt of acquiring new business. I don’t network as much as I used to, but I am still very reliant on seeking out my own opportunities. Although I have found my own coaching difficult to sell as sales and coaching are opposite ends of the spectrum, I am always on the hunt for new opportunities.
So, I guess coaching keeps me active, my brain engaged, and I thoroughly enjoy what I do. If I can help you enjoy what you do please get in touch with me neil@nvwsolutions.co.uk
PS If you have not already clicked on the testimonial video link please do so, it is amazing what youngsters today can still aspire to.
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