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Coaching Service
As an employee of Sydney Local Health District you have access to the Sydney Education Coaching Service.
We aim to support you to be your best self while at work, and to grow and develop in your role.
We believe when you engage in coaching, there are benefits for you, your team, your clients, your personal life and the broader community in which we live and work. Coaching supports you and your team to find your own solutions and way forward.
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Types of Coaching
Individual Coaching
Individual coaching is accessible to all staff, regardless of role. All individual coaching aims to support you with work performance and growth, skills and career planning, leadership development, inter-personal skills and self-reflection.
This may include values and goal clarification, brainstorming, identifying options and solutions, plans of action, and exploring the work-life balance.
As part of the coaching service, we will offer you the option of self-awareness and feedback tools.
Coaching for Managers
If you are a manager, we can offer you coaching related to the Management Accountability Framework (MAF). Research has shown that coaching is key to managerial effectiveness and staff engagement. Our aim is to support you in your role as a manager to develop yourself and enhance positive team culture and performance.
This may include values and goal clarification, brainstorming, identifying options and solutions, plans of action, and exploring the connectedness between work and personal life.
As part of the coaching service, we will offer you the option of self-awareness and feedback tools.
Team Coaching
Coaching can support team development and cohesiveness through working on a common goal/s that the team wishes to achieve, and can focus on development of high performing teams, values, vision, roles and responsibilities, defining behaviours and team strengths. This could involve the use of team-based tools used to help focus team members. The coaching team will be able to discuss the range of options available to you and your team.
Self-Awareness Tools
As part of the Coaching Service, consideration of self-awareness and feedback tools is encouraged as part of the coaching process. This may include 360-degree feedback, Myers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Clifton Strengths and possibly others.
Completing one of these tools can increase your understanding of self, your strengths, and how these can be used to enhance interpersonal relationships and performance at work.
360 Degree Feedback Tools
360 Degree Feedback is a process where you receive confidential and anonymous feedback from people who work with you. This typically includes feedback from your manager, your peers, and your team.
We have two specialised 360 Degree Feedback Tools that are based on the Management Accountability Framework and the Staff Accountability Framework.
Please contact us at SLHD-CoachingService@health.nsw.gov.au for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Coaching is a collaborative conversation between a coach and a coachee. This conversation uses a systematic approach and a variety of coaching tools and methods to support you to reach your potential and goals. Coaching is future and solutions focussed; goal identification and attainment is critical for success.
- Enhanced staff health and well-being
- Improved manager and staff performance
- Increased engagement with professional development and learning
- Increased self-awareness and self-regulation
- Improved workplace relationships
- Increased capacity to work with complex situations and engage with change
As part of the coaching agreement, the coaching process is confidential and managers are not advised of the content of coaching sessions. Confidentiality will be maintained, except in rare circumstances where the coach has safety concerns, for example if someone may be at risk of harming themselves or others. This will be discussed with you at your first session and will be included in the coaching agreement.
Documentation of sessions will primarily be up to you. Notes of sessions are not required to be kept by the coach; however, we encourage you to take your own notes of key points and action plans and bring these with you to all sessions. You may wish to share these notes with your coach via the private chat function on MS Teams, or an equivalent platform, which can be deleted at the end of the sessions.
As part of your professional development, you may like to document that you are engaged in development, through coaching, on your Performance and Talent system (PAT). Stored documents are kept to a minimum and are kept on a secure Sydney Education drive accessible only to Sydney Education coaches. Documents include EOI, referral form and coaching agreements.
Coaching occasions will be recorded in My Health Learning (MHL) with date and type of coaching received (e.g., individual or team coaching). No details related to the coaching sessions (such as discussions, goal setting, action plan) will be recorded.
There is no personal fee or charge to cost centres for engaging in coaching sessions. As coaching takes places in work time (unless negotiated separately) you will need to advise your manager of your attendance. After the first introductory session, we recommend a minimum of 4 coaching sessions for approximately 1 hour, usually monthly.
Great! Your manager is on the right track as we think coaching will benefit everyone! Your manager will discuss with you the reasons why they believe coaching may benefit you and it is always your choice if you want to be referred to our service.
No, but there are similarities. Both coaching and counselling share a focus on supporting the exploration of thoughts, emotions and behaviour and the impact on performance. Coaching sessions focus on goals identified by you and are aimed at enhancing professional performance. This may involve self-reflection, leading to personal development and growth. Counselling focuses mainly on providing supportive and therapeutic psychological services often in response to stress or crisis in order to restore an individual’s mental health and coping strategies.