A Coaching Primer
What is Coaching?
Coaching is a process for enabling individuals to achieve their goals. Coaching leads individuals to accomplish their objectives by helping "coachees" to:
- get clear and remain focused on what their goals are
- understand what is helping and/or hindering them in achieving their objectives
- broaden their perspective and question their assumptions
- gain insight into how others see them
- be accountable for taking action to achieve their goals
The Benefits of Coaching
Coaching helps individuals learn and "habitualize" skills, approaches and/or ways of thinking that are specific to their own development opportunities, goals and needs.
As a result of coaching, individuals have:
- gained a broader perspective or range of options for addressing business issues
- increased their business contribution by maximizing their strengths and compensating for any gaps in their skills
- improved the effectiveness and results of their teams
- gained confidence
- recognized and moved past obstacles
- developed their strategic capabilities
- become more effective leaders by gaining insight and clarity to make more objective, thoughtful and confident decisions
- clarified their priorities and remained focused on them
- developed a renewed motivation for accomplishing their objectives
- realized their opportunities for making a positive business impact
The Coaching Process
Discovery & goal setting
Prior to the first coaching session, a series of questions are sent to the coachee for consideration; the questions form the basis for the first coaching session.
The first session is a discovery process, where the focus is on understanding the coachee’s values, vision, passions, skills, interests and challenges. Clear goals are established as to what the individual wants to achieve to meet individual and/or organizational objectives. The means for assessing progress against desired outcomes is also identified at this stage.
The discovery session lasts for 1.5 to 2 hours and generally takes place face-to-face.
Ongoing coaching
Ongoing coaching sessions of approximately one hour in duration are scheduled with the coachee on a weekly or bi-weekly basis based on the individual’s goals, needs and schedule. Sessions are conducted face to face or via telephone.
Ongoing sessions address the day-to-day issues for which the coachee may be seeking input, support or advice, or simply looking for an objective sounding board on. The role of the coach is to help the coachee address challenges and “top of mind” issues while maintaining a focus on overall goals and objectives. Ultimately, each session moves the coachee one step closer to achieving his/her established objectives in a manner that is consistent with personal values and draws on key strengths.
To do this, appropriate tools are identified and used; such tools might include reflective exercises, 360s, other assessments or idea generation tools.
A minimum commitment of four to six months is highly recommended to enable significant progress against goals. A review is conducted part way through the process to ensure that coaching is helping in achieving established objectives and impacting the measures identified in the first coaching session.