I continue to focus this month on preparing invitations to join a number of coaching groups. Last week I sent out an invitation to New Coaches for a group whose members want to invest in building their coaching practice. Now I’m working on invitations for several groups with a special interest in Non-Violent Communication (NVC).

I’m also starting to talk to my corporate clients about coaching groups for leaders. I’d like to work with a group whose members are focused on building their effectiveness as leaders and another whose members are wanting to develop their coaching style. Of course, if all the groups I am planning come to fruition straight away I’ll have (together with my work with one-to-one coaching clients) a very packed schedule for the year ahead!

I am enjoying the abundance of quotes and testimonials that clients and colleagues have been sending me in response to my request. An initial wave of responses has been followed by a steady stream and I am using these in my marketing materials for the coaching groups. Here on the blog, I hope they will give potential coaching clients a sense of my style and help people to make a choice (either way) that supports them in finding their perfect coach.

The testimonial below is from Chris Mulrooney who was my colleague at the Hay Group. Based in the US, Chris and I crossed paths when we both had responsibilities for the professional development of colleagues and worked together across Europe. I treasured Chris’ ability to look for the best in people and to see their potential as they embarked on learning new skills in some of the technical areas that underpinned Hay’s offerings. He was an inspiration to me then – as now.

Chris left the Hay Group at much the same time as I did and has gone on to senior leadership roles in two successive communities for the elderly – pursuing a passion he has had over the years and putting both his academic learning and his subsequent experience into practice. His testimonial?

I had the great pleasure of serving as a fellow coach and co-trainer with Dorothy for several years in service to Hay Group colleagues in the U.K. and elsewhere in Europe. While I traveled to a number of Hay offices around the globe during my tenure at Hay, I especially looked forward to partnering with Dorothy in the U.K. office during these endeavors. I benefited from having a colleague who asked insightful questions of those we were coaching and of me. Dorothy’s coaching style is warm and engaging, yet she challenges those in her midst to look beyond the surface answers and probe more deeply into the “whys” of behavior. These are the hallmarks of a good coach, and thus I have every reason to believe that Dorothy is of great value to all those she coaches.

Chris Mulrooney

Former colleague at the Hay Group