Over the past few weeks, we’ve focused our Coaching Café series on one of the most critical leadership and coaching opportunities: annual performance conversations. We’ve explored: ✔️ How performance conversations ca...

Recently, during a workshop, a manager said what many others are thinking: “It’s not all rainbows and lollipops. What if they are under performing? What do you do then?” The frustration was real, and it is common.  This ...

We continue our focus on annual performance review season in this week’s Coaching Café Podcast and how these conversations can build engagement in the workplace. So far, we’ve shared frameworks and tips to set up conversations for success

Performance conversations aren’t just a HR requirement – they are an opportunity to drive real engagement. Research shows that when managers focus on strengths during performance conversations, it can lead to a 36.5...

International Coach Week: Your chance to hear from an inspirational leader This year, the International Coaching Federation (ICF) marks its 30th anniversary – 30 years of inspiring change through coaching and se...

Is the annual performance conversation season a chance to turn around engagement? Last week kicked off our new Coaching Café Podcast series by unpacking the newly released Gallup State of the Global Workplace Report for 20...

The Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2025 report has just landed. Call us nerds, but we dropped everything to download it. Like many, we ho...

This week Natalie reflects on ANZAC day. For those unfamiliar with the day, ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps and the day commemorates the 25th of April 1915, the day the Anzac's landed in Gallipoli in the 1st w...

Over the past few weeks, we’ve explored ethics in coaching through the lens of the ICF Core Competencies - not just as a checkbox for membership renewal, but as a lived practice.  We’ve explored: ✔️ Our ...

AI in Coaching – A Practical Demonstration Following our thought-provoking discussion on the ethical use of AI in coaching last week, it’s time to take the conversation further. Can AI really improve...

Ethical use of AI in Coaching – is it cheating? I had just finished writing the new coaching assignment Ethical Use of AI in Coaching for our Certificate IV in Workplace and Business Coaching (11314NAT) program

The meeting was between myself, the HR Manager and the coachee’s manager and I was taking a brief about a potential coaching opportunity. The question was asked ‘so what kind of reporting do you do?’. I offered my standard response regarding co...

You can’t coach everyone! Maintaining the distinction between coaching and other services ‘Coaching’s fine. And I’m not trying to be controversial. But you can’t coach everyone. I reckon most of my team I have to mentor t...

Many of us have received the ICF membership renewal email. The process is simple: click the link, accept the terms, select your currency and branch, and pay. If everything runs smoothly, it takes about five minutes—as long ...

At Open Door we get a lot of questions about the ICF Credential Exam.  The Exam is an important component of applying for an ICF credential and all candidates for ACC, PCC or MCC are required to pass the Exam. The Exam is a tool to measure...

Welcome to the Coaching Café series for 2025!Not long ago we signed off for the year, with a recap on the trends in coaching that we predicated for 2024.  And now here we are, gazing into our re-usable coffee cups and thinking about...

As we wrap up 2024, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the coaching trends that have defined this year. At the beginning of the year, we shared our predictions and discussed the themes we expected to emerge in coaching. Now, after a busy year ...

As the end of the year approaches, now is the ideal time to reflect, reset, and set meaningful goals. But it’s not just about making resolutions; it’s about creating sustainable plans that align with our values and drive us forward. ...

With the end of the year approaching momentum and motivation seem harder to maintain. With fatigue setting in, it can be tough to stay focused. But it’s not all doom and gloom. As we approach the final stretch of the year, we can take simple, i...

"Have you ever felt like you’re not getting it ‘perfectly’ right as a coach?" The truth is, no one ever does. Perfection isn’t the goal. Instead, it’s about showing up consistently—being present for your coachees, stayin...

‘I’m not sure it’s my role’, was a comment we received recently during a presentation on mental health conversations in the workplace.   We may notice that a work colleague or client is not their normal self. P...

Breaking down the barriers to mental health conversations in the workplace Thursday 10th October marks World Mental Health Day (WMHD) 2024 in Australia and the WHO states that

‘Have you ever had anyone cry in the coaching session?’  The answer is yes, it does happen.   Not too often.  But whether it is disappointment, frustration, anger or...

‘These tools are really great, but can you use the tools to coach someone who is under-performing?’It’s another question that we often get asked during our coaching programs and we have a very strong opinion on the answer, which i...

‘These tools are really great, but can you use the tools to coach upwards?’ It’s a question that we get asked often during our coaching programs. And it always comes with a sense of hesitation or concern.Of course, we say that you...