NEWSLETTER FOR SEPTEMBER 2007
Coach of the Month - September
Name
Michele Armstrong
Company
Acorn Principle Plus Ltd (APP Ltd)
www.theacornprinciple.com
Background
As a professional Community Education Worker since 1990, my whole life has been about learning; both for me and for the young people, adult learners, trainee youth workers, groups and communities I’ve worked with. I have always enjoyed variety in life and so I created new ways to develop my career in education through becoming a college lecturer, trainer and SQA assessor.
As a director of APP Ltd, I now get a chance to do the things I love doing…and get paid for it! Coaching individuals and teams, mentoring coaches, training people who also want to share the learning with others and, most importantly, continuing to be amazed by the richness that other people bring into my life.
What Inspired You To Go Into Coaching?
Reaching 40 was a bit of a shock to me; I had some weird sense that I’d done all I could do and there was no new areas to be explored. My colleague – Mike - was also fast approaching his 40th birthday and embraced this event as an opportunity to BECOME all that he was; all that he had been moving toward his whole life…this inspired me to look beyond my limited thinking and to create a whole new life for myself and a way to be that reflected my true, authentic self.
Key Qualifications & Training
Diploma in Community Education (1992)
BA Com Ed. (1995)
D33/34 Assessors Award (1996/8)
CIPD Certificate in Training (2001)
Results Intensive Coach Training Cert (2001)
Results Business Coaching Cert (2002)
University of Strathclyde : Cert of Performance in Coaching (2006)
ILM Level 5 Diploma in Management Coaching & Mentoring (2007)
Specialist Areas of Coaching
Performance Coaching – personal and professional clients
Youth Coaching – individuals and in groups
Training Life and Business Coaches
Coach mentoring/supervision for qualified coaches
Recommended Reading
“Quiet Leadership” by David Rock (2007) – a groundbreaking insight into how we can apply neuro-science to increase effectiveness in coaching.
“The Inner Game of Work” – Tim Gallwey (2002)
“The Power of Intention” – Dr Wayne Dyer
Greatest Coaching Moment
I once coached a 13 year old boy to generate a vision where he could see himself and his future in a more positive light to the route he was taking. We worked back from there building in stepping stones that were realistic and achievable and helped him see that he was, in fact, in control of the path he would take and he had a real insight that it all comes down to the choices HE makes every day. As he walked away at the end of our final session he asked, “how many other people’s lives have you changed by doing this job?” – He was my first coachee!
What Is Your Vision For Your Coaching?
I believe life is about making human connections and assisting others to get where they want to go. My vision is about trusting that I will be there to coach/train/mentor the people that I can offer best value to – to go where my skills can be best used.
Philosophy
Every one of us is a unique individual with masses of inner potential just waiting to be unlocked. A coach comes along with a huge bunch of keys and encourages us to try them out one by one to see if we can unlock the powerful resources bit by bit. We might try the familiar keys first but a coach will encourage, support, challenge and believe in our ability to stretch ourselves beyond our limits until we discover new, richer ways of being. Joy is being the coach who has the honour of sharing in the richness of life in others over and over again.
Concepts of Coaching DVD - The GROW Model
Concepts of Coaching by Peter Hill
Online Shop
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Articles
» "Life in the old dog yet” - a fresh look at the GROW model.