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    • Home - Mary Schaefer
    • Services
      • Services - All
      • Speaking
      • Training
      • Coaching
      • LinkedIn Consultation
      • Hire Mary Now
    • About
      • About Mary
      • Working Together
      • FrequentlyAskedQuestions
      • Testimonials
      • Credentials & More
    • Blog
    • Contact
    • Email List Signup
    • Tools and Resources
  • Home - Mary Schaefer
  • Services
    • Services - All
    • Speaking
    • Training
    • Coaching
    • LinkedIn Consultation
    • Hire Mary Now
  • About
    • About Mary
    • Working Together
    • FrequentlyAskedQuestions
    • Testimonials
    • Credentials & More
  • Blog
  • Contact
  • Email List Signup
  • Tools and Resources

Advanced Coaching Skills for Managers Traning Program

The Advanced Coaching Skills for Managers Training Program is a 3-part series designed to develop managers into being truly empowered managers of truly empowered employees.


"Coach them? But Mary, if I don't give my employees answers they'll get mad."


I get lots of responses like that when I train managers on advanced coaching skills. But before we get into that, let's define coaching for our purposes right now.


Coaching is...


  • Unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them. - Timothy Galway
  • An informed dialogue whose purpose is the facilitation of new skills, possibilities, and insights in the interest of individual learning and organizational advancement. - Terry R. Bacon, Karen I. Spear
  • [Coaching differs from mentorship in that] coaching requires expertise in coaching but not in the subject at hand. That is one of its great strengths. - John Whitmore


Many managers are skilled at:


  • Mentoring
  • Advising
  • Answer-giving
  • Instructing
  • Directing
  • Problem-solving


Yes, problems get solved in these ways. Yet advanced coaching skills involve facilitating the coachee to solve her or his own problems. It is not intended to add more to a manager's to-do list.

Module 1: Coaching Skills for Performance Breakthroughs

Learn how an advanced coaching style helps facilitate an employee’s improved performance and development. Through this module participants will come away with:


  • How coaching differs from what your managers might be doing.
  • Where coaching is useful, and where it’s not.
  • The key skills that can improve virtually any conversation with anyone.
  • Real-time practice of these skills in context.

Module 2: GROW'ing Coaching Skills

Designed to accelerate coaching skills development through use of the GROW model of coaching, to lead to improved performance and communication. Participants will:


  • Expand use of the GROW model* explored in module 1 to more comfortably guide coaching discussions.
  • Refine their ability to discern situations where a coaching approach might be more effective(vs. "managing" or problem-solving).
  • Practice application of their improved coaching skills.
  • Begin to build a "toolkit" of good coaching questions.
  • Practice habits that will support coaching, vs. telling or advising, leading employees to become more resourceful and able to solve their own problems.


*Widely attributed to John Whitmore in his book, Coaching for Performance.

Module 3: Using Coaching Skills to Achieve YOUR Goal

This module is slightly different than the first two. In modules 1 and 2 we focus on the pure essence of coaching, meaning it's all about the coachee's goal.  This focus is necessary to nail down the fundamentals. Participants then have the experience to use their new skills more flexibly in any number of day-to-day manager-employee situations —many of which they may initiate.


The basics of coaching are skillful use of questions, listening and making assertions. In module 3 we practice using coaching skills to achieve the manager's own goal, and create a mutually beneficial exchange.


Understanding and practicing the basics of pure coaching allows participants to engage another person and create room for them in the conversation, even when the manager brings the goal.


Using the advanced understanding of a coaching perspective encourages more give-and-take. When you dial in others' perspectives you often get in a more productive, satisfying outcome for everyone.


In this module, participants:


  • Learn an approach to deliver a difficult message or give sensitive feedback, using all they've learned about coaching, so defenses are minimized and the person can hear them.
  • Prepare their mindset and plan to put their goal on the table, using their own real scenarios. I often say, "If it's so big that you've been putting it off, it's important enough to plan for."
  • Develop a plan that puts their goal out there in a way that invites and holds a space for the other to engage - instead of shut down - and participate in the solution.
  • Experience what it is like to be on the receiving end of the delivery of their message. It's amazing how a more effective approach becomes apparent when participants hear their own words coming back at them.
  • Customize their plans so they have something to apply and use upon conclusion of the session, with more confidence than when they started.

In addition...

In addition to the 12 hours of training delivered in three 4-hour sessions, each participant will receive:


  • John Whitmore's book, "Coaching for Performance," —an excellent reference about coaching concepts, coaching skills, tips and the GROW model of coaching.
  • A 37-page compilation of tips, supplementing the Whitmore book, based on the cumulative experience of myself and participants from 250+ hours spent training managers on coaching skills.
  • The benefit of live coaching demonstrations.
  • Many opportunities to practice coaching and be coached.


The program's fee estimate starts at $1500 per module, acknowledging other considerations affect the final quote.

Here's what to do next.

If you're interested in bringing this program to your workplace, you’ll want to schedule a call with me. I will answer any questions you have about how this program can work for you and how it applies to your needs. Our discussion is completely confidential. Simply complete the form below to get in touch with me to learn more today.


Images: Woman and man at table: Wavebreak Media Limited

What Clients are Saying

First really usable information...

"I feel like your tips and advice are the first really usable information in working with others I've found. I can use this and actually put it into practice."  


- Julie Kirk, ILEAD program participant, Delaware Division of Libraries

Helped individuals adapt and become more productive in the new organization.

“Mary and her company were invaluable to me and my organization in helping to guide our teams through a major organizational restructuring. Mary was able to assess the unique needs for the organization and tailor her programs to fit these needs and the budget we had to work with.


Mary provided 3 successful programs which included developing couching skills across the teams, providing personal coaching to the department senior staff members, and leading a change management program to help individuals adapt and become more productive in the new organization.


- John Dettenwanger, Experienced Technology Executive and CIO

Wish I had this training years ago

“Last year I had the pleasure of participating in Mary’s Coaching Training for Managers program sponsored by my employer for recently hired managers. I wish I had Mary’s training 15 years ago when I first was a manager!! Her system is easy to learn and easy to execute.


The training material was well organized, focused and relevant to the challenges of managing employees through difficult situations as well as coaching employees to exceed their expectations. The beauty of her training method is Mary’s genuine, honest style that is chock full of real life examples and plenty of interactive practice sessions to demonstrate how leaders can coach their employees to achieve work objectives and goals. Her ability to ask the right questions at the right time truly is amazing."


- Chris Hazel, Marketing, DuPont

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