Solutions Focus Coaching for the Workplace

We’re opening up for 25 people...

'Josie was struggling as the manager of an admin department. She said,

I've got team members who are constantly asking me questions they should know the answers to or find out for themselves.

‘They ask, “What shall I do now?’’ and “Can you just tell me how to do that again?”, when it’s kind of obvious. And I'm sitting there thinking, "Why are you asking? You’ve had the training and there's lots of support notes available”.

‘And I take it all on - which I shouldn't, because I've got loads of my own projects. But I'm interrupted when I need dedicated time to get on with these, which I’m not getting done.

‘I think they should be able to do their jobs and then help everyone else out by chipping in with all the other tasks in the office. But because they’re not, it's falling to me to do - or it doesn't get done at all’.

After she learned just two of the solutions-focused principles that we teach, she achieved these outcomes:

She set clear priorities for one of her team members, who came in with far fewer questions
She found a way to make her manager listen to her, which got her more resources
She got her message across to the team members while keeping them motivated

As Josie said, 'I found a way to let my team know what I wanted from then in a way that kept them on board. It was great, they started getting on with things and stopped bugging me all the time. My manager even got involved and offered me some temporary help. It’s been revolutionary, I’ve been able to cut down my hours to four days a week, and it’s working well.’

And that’s what this course delivers - and more...

By the time you finish this course you’ll have the tools and techniques to motivate your direct reports to look for their own answers, turning them into self-starters.

You’ll know how to communicate clearly what you want, allocate work according to your people’s various strengths, and imbue them with the confidence to get on with it.

You’ll free up more time for yourself to focus on your own priorities, gaining efficiency and getting your own work done in good time.

You'll be able to give people feedback that leads to engagement rather than negativity. Instead of endless battles of micro-managing, you’ll feel that you are leading and supporting your team, getting the best out of your people with minimum time and effort.

You’ll know how to have conversations that stop people complaining and get them excited about making progress.

You’ll get insight into activating your peoples’ skills and abilities that will make everyone’s lives easier.

What’s in the course?

The course is delivered online via Zoom over four weeks in 120-minute live seminars. There is a bonus fifth week if you buy the premium version.

You’ll learn directly from us and the other participants, engaging in interactive exercises that deepen your skills and knowledge of coaching in the workplace.

Here’s what’s happening each week:

Module 1: From Problems to Solutions: How to end analysis paralysis through a reversal of perspective

How to get staff to answer their own questions, leaving you time to think strategically
Why strengths-based language boosts performance - and how to become a strengths detective
Discover the counter-intuitive questions that get people to take responsibility for results
Why problem analysis slows you down — and how to use solutions talk for quicker conflict resolution
Seven Solutions Tools that give you more confidence during challenging conversations
How to get employees to stop 'screwing up' without having to constantly point out their mistakes
Worried you'll miss something when you coach? How to notice the small details that matter in conversations

Module 2: Platform and Future Perfect: Tools for saving time and energy in conversations

How to define a project worth working on – by using the Platform tool
The three words which transform a chaotic thinker into a laser-focused contributor
How to interrupt complaining people without them feeling ignored or insulted
The Future Perfect strategy: a way to keep a team member from going off the rails
How to prevent your meetings from going nowhere, by taming the multi-headed monster syndrome
How to get underperformers back on their game by creating a new sense of purpose

Module 3: Scaling and Counters: How to have faster one-to-ones that inspire accountability in your team members

How to spot your top performers’ strategies and get the rest of the team to use them too
Finding the courage to face up to challenging performance conversations with colleagues
The Counter technique: how to fix employee problems without demotivating them
Why using what’s right with people’s performance can help you fix what’s wrong
How to introduce sensitive topics without your staff getting defensive or upset
Why paying attention to your coachees’ work peaks as well as troughs raises their game
How to effectively address poor performance without criticising - and still get the results you want

Module 4: Affirm and Action: Using strategic compliments and instant actions to get long-term results

The Art of Affirming - how to pick out the details that motivate staff and raise performance
How to get your employees to show up on time, even when they’re habitually late
Why smaller actions today lead to bigger results tomorrow
How to leverage subtle changes in performance to motivate staff
Three questions that generate irresistible project progress
How to figure out the next move - even when you have no idea what to do
The ‘go big or go home’ myth: Why tiny steps can lead to faster results than giant action plans

What if I’ve been on courses before and they haven’t made any difference?

This is a natural worry. No one wants to waste time, energy or money on a programme that doesn’t deliver. First, look at what our participants say. Second, we pay a lot of attention to our training methods - not just the quality of the content. In fact, you’ll learn as much by our solution-focused style of working with you - respectful of your existing skills and oriented to your questions and interests - as you will from our practical and easy-to-apply course contents. The course is designed to make practical differences from the start.

'It’s such a powerful way to work with teams and individuals, and makes a real impact in coaching practice. I’ve got a huge amount of value from the Scaling exercises, for example. It really embeds, and you can take it to heart – I like the way you can quickly start using the language and the tools.

In the training, your gift of making complex stuff usable is a big attractor for me. I saw this too with other people going through the programme, really valuing that it was fast, elegant and simple. The course inspired and motivated us in a fun and flowing way – I really felt that myself too.

The other thing is you guys are great trainers, it’s awesome to see professionals in action. You run a great programme, and the applications have not yet been fully realised - I hope more sectors pick it up.'

Andrew Rixon, Management Consultant, Coach and Lecturer in Innovative Business Practice

What if I have a hard time being assertive with my people?

It can be tricky to strike the balance between being too forceful and too meek. A solutions-focused approach helps you overcome feelings such as anxiety, helping you find an assertive tone that’s clear, direct and confident. When you’re steering the conversation to what each person wants from the situation, it’s then based on common ground, and it’s easier to keep the conversation on that track.

What if you have team members that are so negative you want to jump off a cliff?

We know some conversations are so dispiriting that they can drive you to despair. Over time you learn to avoid them. But that’s not a great solution. It’s better to muster your courage and energy, because - with an SF approach - you can expect them to go a very different way in future, (as programme participant Andrew Huffer describes below).

We’ll teach you to ask questions that invite less negativity. The balance shifts into more positive and productive conversations, without preventing people from complaining if they feel a need to do so,

'Before doing the programme, I had a tendency to try exploring the problem and what's wrong and all the crappy things that were going on with teams I was working with.

They’d be talking about all their challenges, making no progress, and I’d find myself thinking, "I'd rather take a bath in hot fat right now than continue this conversation."

The Solutions Focus model certainly turned things around.

One team was quite dysfunctional. There were real power plays going on there, quite marked age differences and the older guys in the team weren't really giving the space for the younger guys to show their skills. The older guys had their own way of doing things, they didn't like seeing change and were a bit territorial.

So asking solution-focused questions helped us to identify what everyone brings to the team from a positive perspective and how they could help each other build on that.

Now I’ve got that framework and real hands-on practical tools to use with all types of groups, such as local government. It was a huge turning point.'

Andrew Huffer, Facilitator, Stakeholder Engagement and Team Development

What if I’m so overwhelmed at work that I don’t know where to start?

When you are feeling overwhelmed and stuck, a solutions-focused approach offers an elegant way out.

We’ll teach you to take actions based on their probability of success. The key to getting unstuck is to take some action and get things moving. It almost doesn’t matter what that action is, as the point is to create momentum and notice what has changed.

When we take action, we feel less overwhelmed, because now we are active participants in our own destiny. We have a sense of agency.

Of course some actions are better than others. We’ll show how it makes sense to choose the smallest, easiest and most attractive action that you think has a reasonable chance of taking you closer to one of your goals.

Then you’ll learn how to use the same tools with your own direct reports.

What are the dates and times?

This workshop series runs once a week on consecutive Mondays from 2pm - 4pm UK time

Module 1: Monday September 28th
Module 2: Monday October 5th
Module 3: Monday October 12th
Module 4: Monday October 19th

Premium version only
Module 5: Monday October 26th

What if I can't make those dates and times?

If you cannot make the dates, you can get the recordings which will be provided the next day. If you have any questions about the material, you can submit them via email and we'll answer them for you.

What's unique about this course?

Most coaching courses are overloaded with concepts that are too difficult to apply in your daily work. Our programme shows you how to use every idea in practice.

It’s grounded in reality with clear cases and examples from our experience of helping managers improve their results.

These are presented within a simple, applicable framework, so from the start you’ll be able to conduct impactful solutions-focused conversations that motivate and inspire your people.

Is there a guarantee?

Yes, there is a guarantee. 😄 😄 It's a 7-day 'Smiley Guarantee'. This means we'll refund your money with a smile if you find the course is not to be as you expected. The smile is important. If you don't feel the information works for you, we will issue a prompt refund. All you have to do is email us.

The guarantee is solid. There is nothing to lose.

Here's what participants say about our programmes

'Thank you very much for the SF sessions. They taught the fundamentals of the solutions focus principles and identifying the positive outcomes of using them. I found scaling principles and the usefulness of affirmation very valuable. I have started to use these principles more and more and found that actually they worked very well for the majority of my team and I could see my communication getting better.

The last seminar ‘raising performance from difficult to constructive performance conversations’, identified the need to establish positive communication from the outset and I found this approach beneficial to my management style. I thank you again for the positive approach to coaching you clearly demonstrated with ease.'

Laurence Bowes, Manager, Youngs and Co

'I work as an Executive Manager within the Scottish Health Service. Solutions orientated thinking and actions are amongst the most powerful tools a modern Executive can have. Weaving positive delivery into my business has enabled me to find ways forward with changes that seemed unattainable due to resource restraint, political circumstance and cultural negativity.

If you’re facing challenges beyond the pale and simply want to help yourself to become more effective I’d recommend Solutions Focused coaching. Having a positive conversation based on what works well and what’s possible is the right thing to do.'

Andrew Fowlie, General Manager NHS Grampian

'May I thank you for the excellent coaching support you have given me, and may I also say that the training you delivered was one of the best examples of training I have ever undertaken in my 35 years in education. Your training course revitalised my belief in the value of training!'

Keith Garside, South Thames College, London

'I thoroughly recommend the ‘manager as coach’ course to all senior managers who are trying to bring out the best in their colleagues, in order to realise the full potential of the organisation that they lead and manage.'

Cathy Walsh, The College of North East London

Valuable Bonuses - Available Only With Premium Option

Bonus 1

Module 5: The Solutions Focus Reflecting Team: How to harness group wisdom to solve tricky problems
Monday 28th October 2020, 2pm - 4pm UK time
(£165 value)

Finding the keys to collaboration - with a meeting format that brings out the best ideas in your team
How to crack knotty problems that have persisted for years
Why giving others space to contribute ideas will put an end to you taking all the load on your own shoulders
How to build confidence in team members so they’ll speak up and take on challenges for themselves and support each other
Empower your team members to solve their own problems without always looking to you for the answers

This includes a unique expert clinic - you bring your challenges and we apply the SF approach to sorting them out.

Bonus 2

Positively Speaking: The Art of Constructive Conversations with a Solutions Focus
(£15.99 value)

One problem with live training is even when there are recordings, you end up having to re-watch an entire video when you want to get clarity on even one idea which can waste hours. You’ll see how this popular bonus book follows the course session by session, letting you quickly skim through for exactly what you need.

'For me, there’s nothing like going on a course and gaining new skills – unless it’s a book like ‘Positively Speaking’, which gives me background, theory, case studies, models and, most importantly real concrete ways to put all of that into practice in my day-to day work of coaching, facilitation and working through conflict. This book is a real asset to any practitioner who needs to ‘just do it’ – just great.'

Ann Lukens, Director, Groupworks

'With 'Positively Speaking ', Jackson and Waldman have created my dream Solutions Focus book: they make the concepts absurdly easy to understand and - more importantly - they make the material relevant to my work and relationships!'

Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener, Programme Director, Center of Applied Positive Psychology

You’ll get it posted directly to your letterbox - autographed on request! If you already happen to have the book, this
bonus is still valuable as you'll be able to share your extra copy with your colleagues.

Solutions Focus Coaching for the Workplace

Value	Regular	Premium
Module 1 From Problems to Solutions: How to end analysis paralysis through a reversal of perspective	✔	✔
Module 2 Platform and Future Perfect: Tools for saving time and energy in conversations	✔	✔
Module 3 Scaling and Counters: How to have faster one-to-ones that inspire accountability in your team members	✔	✔
Module 4 Affirm and Action: Using strategic compliments and instant actions to get long-term results	✔	✔

Bonuses
Module 5 The Solutions Focus Reflecting Team: How to harness group wisdom to solve tricky problems (£165 value)		✔
Positively Speaking Book (£15.99 value)		✔
	£660, including VAT	£690, including VAT
	Buy Now	Buy Now

Thank you

Paul and Janine

Questions?

If you have questions, please email us directly contact@thesolutionsfocus.co.uk and let us know how we can help.