Sometimes individuals in organisations have specialist needs which cannot be met through a group programme. We have worked with a number of organisations to develop individual coaching programmes. One project was with a team of managers in the legal sector who each had very different needs.

Sometimes individuals in organisations have specialist needs which cannot be met through a group programme. We have worked with a number of organisations to develop individual coaching programmes. One project was with a team of managers in the legal sector who each had very different needs.

We worked with each of the managers to plan an individualised programme. Each programme started with a period of self and peer assessment. This assessment helped the manager to focus on their strengths and to identify what were desireable goals for themselves and for the organisation. Once the goals were agreed with the individual and their own manager we then worked with each individual to support them in reaching these goals.

The success of the programme was the flexibility of the approach which meant that the work could be tailored to each person and their unique needs. Some of the work included:

• Preparing and rehearsing a team meeting
• Preparing and reviewing for an important client meeting
• Working on issues of personal confidence
• Practicing assertive conversations to respond to performance issues in the team

Part of the success of the project has been providing participants with support to find resources to increase their awareness through books, magazine articles or internet sites. This process has helped each of the managers to become more focused on their own development plan and less reliant on waiting for others to help them to develop.