WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A WECOACH?

Experience and empathy are indispensable conditions but they are not enough to become a WeCoach though, it is necessary to develop some competences in order to be able to transmit all the skills and knowledge to mentees efficiently. So, the WECOACH, as a good coach, set the entrepreneurial goal together with the new entrepreneur. At the same time, taking the benefits of the mentoring, provide a stimulating and comfortable learning environment to her mentee, making her flourish through innovation and creativity.

So, what are the requirements to become a WeCoach?

• Being a woman.
• Having at least more than one year of relevant experience as an entrepreneur.
• Being willing to upskill and upgrade themselves.
• Being willing to share their knowledge and experience for the benefit of their peers.

WECoaches must take into account the following specifications:

Tasks and skills of WECoaches

WECoaches will have a role of peers for other women that are new or potential entrepreneurs: this means that they will provide them with knowledge and, at the same time, an immediate life experience. It is then of extreme importance that WECoaches acquire the necessary competences and skills to ensure that the methodology and resources used during mentoring are both accessible and motivating. The first task of WECoaches is, thus, to work in their own skills and learn how to combine them with their experience, to be able to fulfil the role of a mentor: develop the same skills in the mentees, empower them and support them in their entrepreneurial journey.

By upgrading their own skills, WECoaches will be able to:

• Be more aware of themselves: recognise their own values and principles.
• Engage with other women creating a real relationship of trust.
• Identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps in their own practice and in others.
• Learn how to challenge negative attitudes and values constructively.
• Inspire and motivate.
• Manage their own emotions and the emotions of others.
• Act with integrity, honesty and ethic.

WECoaches must take into account that their future mentees, despite their ability to focus on their goals, their empathy and flexibility, usually need a special support and motivation, due to all the obstacles and challenges that they encounter in their daily lives, so developing the listed skills is completely necessary to instil confidence in their peer-mentees.

What WECoaches have to transmit/teach to their mentee

Through the skills that WECoaches will develop, they will be able to teach, or better, transmit to their mentees, through non-formal and unconventional practices, a range of practical knowledge necessary in any entrepreneurial journey, such as:

• Management: It includes all the knowledge necessary to manage a project or a business, for instance, the management of costs, of human resources, of quality.
• New methodologies and tools: Being updated on new tools, that can be new technologies or just new work approaches and methods is important, as jobs are continually evolving.
• Team-work: It is the capacity to work with other people in a collaborative way. The capacity to cooperate is essential for entrepreneurs, as they will need support for the wide range of tasks that starting a business requires.
• Negotiation: The capacity to discuss with others in order to arrive to an agreement that fits for all the parties. Having negotiation skills is not only necessary when starting a business, but also in all kind of interactions.
• Development of a business plan: A business needs planification in all its aspects. The capacity to plan a business, taking into account all its variables (market needs, distribution strategies, etc.) in order to reach the intended goals is essential for every entrepreneur.
• Business continuity: How will a business be sustainable in time? To ensure a continuity, entrepreneurs need the ability of long-term planning.
• Digital marketing: ICTs offer the opportunity to expand a business in a wider way than traditional tools, that is why it is important to have notions of digital marketing.
• Leadership: It is not only the capacity to guide and set directions for others, but also to motivate, inspire and create.
• Time management: Having a conscious controll of time, and being able to distribute accurately the different tasks in time.
• Problem solving: It has to do with creativity and the use of the necessary tools to overcome challenges and difficulties.
• Networking: For an entrepreneur, networking is important for several reasons. Not only does it help the entrepreneur to expand their business project and to find potential allies or collaborations, but it also mitigates the sense of solitude that can emerge sometimes.
• Finding funds: In order to set a project, economical resources are needed. That is why entrepreneurs need the capacity to know where and how to find them.

Moreover, they will help the mentees to develop skills that are useful not only for an entrepreneurial activity, but also for other aspects of life, such as:

• Initiative: Having the courage and the will to take the first step or to start something.
• Creativity: The capacity to create new things or modify existing things. An entrepreneur needs creativity in a wide range of situations, from deciding the product or service they want to offer, to overcoming challenges and solving problems.
• Commitment: Working hard to achieve one’s goals, with responsibility and without giving up.
• Vision for future: It is related to long-term goal setting and necessary for the continuity and sustainability of a project.
• Self-confidence: Insecurities usually stop people from performing their best, as it leads to a lack of motivation. Believing in oneself is essential to reach any goal.
• Self-analysis: Being able to recognise one’s self personality traits, with their strengths and weaknesses, is helpful to boost the firsts and work on the second ones.
• Critical thinking: It requires a clear assessment of oneself and of the rest of the world. It is much related to curiosity and unconformity, and necessary in work and in daily life.
• Recognition of one’s own skills: As self-confidence, being aware of one’s own skills and face them in a positive and constructive point of view, in order to be able to make the most of them.
• Goal-setting: Mapping one’s short- and long-term goals in order to be able to plan the steps to achieve them.
• Motivation: When people are motivated, it means that they have good reasons to accomplish something or act in a certain way. These reasons can be of any kind (economical, personal…) and are what make people commit to a project and focus on it.
• Active listening and communication competences: Good communication is fundamental in any interaction. To achieve it, there is a series of skills needed, among them active listening, not only hearing what other people say but also paying attention to understand what they say, or expressing oneself with clarity.
• Self-regulation of emotions and emotional resilience: The ability to respond to situations with the adequate emotions to make oneself to keep emotional stability, and to be able to overcome emotionally difficult moments and to use them in a constructive way.