Coaching helps people to improve their individual effectiveness so that they can accomplish specific goals.
What is it?
Coaching helps people to improve their individual effectiveness so that they can accomplish specific goals. A coach asks powerful questions to encourage you to arrive at your own solution by learning to think and see the situation in an expanded way.
In contrast to mentoring, a coach does not need to have direct experience of your job, and is most likely to come from outside the organisation.
Why is it important?
A great coach has the ability to bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.
Typically, you might need the support of a coach following a promotion, or when there are specific areas that need addressing because you have taken on new responsibilities. Equally, it could be because you know you are not achieving your full potential.
Research from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development shows that 99 per cent of employers accept that coaching can deliver tangible benefits to both individuals and organisations, yet half of these organisations struggle to find accredited coaches.
Ultimately, whether you are assigned a coach through a company sponsor or take it upon yourself to find your own, you must be sure that they are right for you, otherwise it simply won’t work.
Where do I start?
Work out what it is you want to achieve and the specific development areas you want to focus on. The coach must also understand your business or personal objectives, and you should feel at ease with their style.
“Once you know the end game, effectively honing in on the right coach becomes quicker and easier,” says Carole Gaskell, founder and managing director of the Full Potential Group, a coaching, leadership and high-performance culture specialist.
Get recommendations
One of the best ways to identify a coach is to seek recommendations from colleagues and senior managers who have been on the receiving end. If a colleague has achieved great results through coaching, ask for a referral. In this way, you won’t be starting out cold.
Make a choice
Once you have come up with a list of potentials, you need to interview them to discover more about what they can do for you. Find out about their corporate experience, track record and why they moved into coaching.
Get them to describe their coaching style, what they feel their unique qualities are and where they believe they could provide most value. Ask for references, testimonials, case studies and client success stories. You also need to know their fees and whether you have to sign up for a set period – three months is common.
Before making a final decision, weigh up the chemistry or ‘fit’. “Notice how you feel after your conversation with them,” says Gaskell. “If you feel excited and perhaps even a little nervous at the prospect of the potential they could help you to realise, you know you have found the right coach.”
Develop the relationship
Set aside time for the coaching and follow-up sessions – squeezing them into a busy schedule will not allow you to derive maximum benefit from the process.
Honesty and trust are the hallmarks of a productive relationship, so be upfront about yourself, your abilities and what you think or feel.
Commit to experimenting with new ways of thinking, behaving and operating. Speak up if you feel the coaching isn’t working. Good coaches welcome feedback and will be as keen as you are to build the relationship, but bear in mind that you must also share responsibility for making the relationship work.
For more information
The Coaching Bible: The Complete Guide to Developing Personal and Professional Effectiveness,Ian McDermott, Wendy Jago, Piatkus Books, ISBN 0749926236
By Scott Beagrie. Courtesy of Personnel Today magazine.www.personneltoday.com
