SACAP to host Coaching and Leadership talk by Natalie Cunningham

Natalie Cunningham, an entrepreneur, business owner and previous director of The Leadership Development Centre at Wits Business School, is busy completing her PhD on ‘Developing Coaching Theory based on Lived Experience of Coached Executives’. She will share some of her insights for the first time, discussing what coached executives say about their coached experience. Is support or challenging more important? What do they think about coaches’ qualifications? What really matters to them in the coaching process? What are the derailers for coaching from their perspective? The talk will focus on research from the coached executive’s perspective rather than from another coaches’ perspective.

Cunningham says: “Interestingly what executive’s valued most about coaching was that it enhanced the quality of their thinking and gave them a space to think. We expect our executives to think strategically but most organisations do not invest in developing thinking skills.”

She adds that one of the other values of coaching to the executives was that it was the challenging by the coach that really pushed them to think deeper. The challenging led to them questioning their assumptions and this in turn led to a reflective more profound quality of decision being made. Organisations need to look at what are they doing to support their leaders in the decision making process.

SACAP offers a Postgraduate Diploma in Coaching, as well as two coaching courses: ‘Coaching Fundamentals: Context and Skills’ and ‘Enhanced Practice: Facilitating Sustainable Learning and Change’. To continue growing, educating and empowering coaches to build their coaching and leadership skills set, they are also hosting bi-monthly, evening Coaching and Leadership talks throughout the year. Over and above coaching professionals, the planned topics will be of benefit to HR professionals, OD practitioners, leadership development practitioners and anyone passionate about coaching and leadership.

The entry to the talk is sponsored by SACAP. Booking is essential.

For more information, click here.