Coaching is a proven methodology for improving performance*, but how does it work in a professional context?
No two coaching experiences are the same. Even so, there are some common themes that emerge.
I Initial phase
It is important to set the parameters for a coaching relationship. Essentially this includes agreeing the outcomes and scope of the coaching engagement. Outcomes are key. Establishing clear success criteria at the behavioural level, enables the client to know whether the relationship has been beneficial. Sometimes an engagement is broad and incorporates the client’s long-term career path and other life goals, or it may be more focused, perhaps addressing a single goal or challenge. Where appropriate, coaching outcomes and scope may also need to be agreed with the client’s sponsor.
II Self-awareness
We are all complex individuals, made up of a mishmash of thoughts, feelings and beliefs that drive our behaviour. Establishing a base-line level of self-awareness is a good place to start the development journey. Some form of profiling tool can help to start this conversation, alternatively, a semi-structured dialogue can yield the same results.
III The coaching landscape
An understanding of where we are is only one element of the coaching landscape. We also need to get a sense of where we’re headed. The gap between where we are now and where we want to be in the future creates a kind of tension. This tension can act like a piece of elastic – providing us with the potential to think and act differently in a way that better fulfils our sense of how we want to be.
Despite perceptions to the contrary, we are not fixed. We can develop alternative ways of behaving, especially if we identify a way of integrating these new ideas into our way of seeing the world.
IV Action planning
A coach helps their client to develop specific action plans that will help them to achieve their aims. A coach invariably asks questions that the client doesn’t ask themselves and, in part, it is this exploration that creates new choices and perspectives. There is also a significant difference between our familiar, internal dialogue and the external articulation of our intentions. Hearing our own thoughts in this way enables a more insightful critique of our own thought processes.
A coach also helps the client to identify milestones – steps along the way that let the client know that they are making positive progress. The importance of continual success cannot be over-estimated. Sometimes getting what we want can feel like a hard slog and in decisive moments the knowledge that we are still on track is invaluable.
V Overcoming barriers
Sometimes in our pursuit of our goals we can bump up against issues and challenges that stymie our plans and intentions. This is a natural part of any change and the coaching environment can, not only help the client to solve and overcome these blockers, but also strengthen individual resilience and fortitude to cope with new challenges as they arise.
VI Anchoring new behaviours
The easiest actions are the ones we don’t have to think about – this is the power of habit! An important aspect of personal behaviour change is the transference of new learning and plans into everyday habitual action. The coach can help the client to establish new habits that anchor the changes that they want to make.
VII Planning for the future
Our development is ongoing. Even when we have achieved the outcomes identified early in the coaching relationship, the journey does not stop there. The final part of the coaching engagement is to help the client prepare for the future without the coach’s input.
Summary
Coaching is a powerful mechanism for developing ourselves and our people. It is also an essential aspect of performance management in the workplace. At Interconnexion, we offer one-to-one executive coaching. We can also help you to train and develop your people to cultivate the organisation’s internal coaching culture and capabilities.
* References
Theeboom, T., Beersma, B. and van Vianen, A.E., 2014. Does coaching work? A meta-analysis on the effects of coaching on individual level outcomes in an organizational context. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 9(1), pp.1-18.
Jones, R.J., Woods, S.A. and Guillaume, Y.R., 2016. The effectiveness of workplace coaching: A meta‐analysis of learning and performance outcomes from coaching. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 89(2), pp.249-277.