Coaching

Coaching is not a fad as many people initially dismissed it to be. Professional coaching is in fact a relationship between the coach and the individual or group being coached. The relationship is designed to achieve specific aims and goals set by the people being coached. Coaching is particularly popular with companies to meet their company objectives and goals by enabling their employees to achieve excellence via coaching.

How Does Coaching Work?

The person or the group being coached puts forth their aims and objectives and chooses the topics of discussion. The coach listens and provides inputs and observations as required. The idea behind providing inputs is not to give solutions to a problem. Instead, it is more to make the group aware of what is being said and what it means. In effect, the coach makes the individual or group realize where they currently stand, what they hope to achieve and what they are willing to do in order to achieve it.

The coach helps the group come to a greater awareness of the situation and themselves and provides focus. Thus, the efforts of the team are applied more effectively and help speed up the process towards fulfilment of goals.

Coaching is about enhancing skills and personality traits that make an individual more effective in facing different situations. Interpersonal skills, enhanced thinking, better decision making capability and increased confidence in the self are only some of the changes that occur for the better. All these personality traits make the individual who has undergone coaching more appreciative of his personal and professional status in life. In addition it makes him more able to cope and attain targets.

The Coaching Methodology

The coaching process is very simple and like a personal consultancy. However, this does not mean that anyone can become a coach. To be an effective coach one must undergo proper training and educate oneself appropriately.

The coaching process usually begins with an interview with the person or persons being coached. The interview can happen in person or on the telephone though the former is preferable. The coach assesses various things via the interview. He determines the current status of the individual, the opportunities available to him, the goal he hopes to achieve, his abilities and disabilities and personality as well. He then along with the individual determines the specific end that is to be reached and what course of action would be necessary to achieve the same.

Subsequent coaching sessions are carried out as required and the length of each session can also be determined by mutual consent. In between meetings, the coach may assign certain tasks or homework for the individual to complete. The tasks are all aimed at helping the individual reach his or her desired goals faster. To help the individual complete the tasks the coach may provide him with some supportive tools like articles, books, checklists and models.

The coach also uses assessments to evaluate how well the individual is doing towards attaining his desired objectives. The assessments are objective and provide an indication of how far along the individual has come. Assessment is also vital to provide feedback for the individual so he can adjust his efforts if need be. The coach can also use the assessment results as a benchmark to set further tasks and goals.

All the teachings of the coach are drawn from various models, concepts and principles aimed at betterment of the individual’s ability to be effective. These concepts or models may be from various fields like behavioural sciences, management, and spiritual teachings and even the arts and humanities. Studying the teachings of a wide variety of fields can often enable students to gain a different perspective of the situation and devise different means of reaching the same goal.

Another important factor in the coaching process is learning the appreciative approach to doing things. The appreciative approach is a concept, which promotes proactive behaviour and the use of praise and appreciation to get things done. The coach trains the individuals in effective communication skills. It teaches them how to ask questions that will give valuable answers, proactively managing any situation, the importance of keeping the ball in your own court and giving constructive feedback to gain maximum cooperation from colleagues and subordinates.

Thus, the coaching methodology is about training individuals to be more effective in their planning and execution.

The Individual’s Role In Coaching

Unlike most therapies or treatments where the individual is just a passive recipient of medicine or healing energies, coaching requires the individual to be hands-on and give 100% of himself if he wants to benefit from coaching.

The main factor that coaching asks from an individual is his intention. He must be absolutely clear about the purpose for coaching and the desired objective to be gained. In the absence of a concrete, well-defined goal, coaching can become ineffective. An individual must also have focus, determination and dedication to be successful. He must be able to speak the truth about himself, the situation and his abilities.

Other personality traits that are desirable in individuals undergoing coaching are a strict sense of self-discipline to work patiently towards the goals, the ability to make decisions to keep moving forward and the courage to reach for something new.

Another important trait that can go a long way in helping individuals accept setbacks is a sense of humour. Not only does it relieve stress but also it can often put the situation or event in perspective. A sense of personal style is also an asset for any individual – undergoing coaching or not. Compassion and sensitivity to others can also often help the individual understand and adapt to situations.

Thus, coaching helps individuals and groups become more competent, proficient and adept at doing what needs to be done. Coaching has gained tremendous popularity with employers looking to increase the productivity of employees. It is also a good way to overcome many health problems that don’t have a biological basis. It is in effect a method that teaches individuals to lead better lives.