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Monkswood Associates Newsletter: April 2005
Topic for the month – ‘ins and outs’ of coaching
My opening thought for April:
“Once the person commits to be coached, s/he begins to experience a different, more hopeful world as his or her perceptions evolve.”
~ John G Agno
During the last month, I have designed and delivered two coaching events, one short and one to run for a day. What I found interesting were the discussions around what coaching is. This covered not only what could be addressed by coaching but also what the process would be. To do this topic justice, even at a fundamental level, I am going to use two newsletters to summarise the key points.
So what do you think coaching is?
Some definitions
There seems to be general agreement that coaching is a process! And then divergence begins. The International Coach Federation defines it as “an ongoing partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. … clients deepen their learning, improve their performance and enhance their quality of life.” The Coachville CEO, Dave Buck, says “the soul of coaching is bringing out the greatness in people – that’s it!” So purpose varies from generic to greater specificity. What it involves varies too. Robert Dilts (of NLP fame) wrote that “involves drawing out people’s strengths, helping them to bypass personal barriers and limits in order to achieve their personal best, and facilitating them to function more effectively as members of a team.” So it can be for individuals or groups. Furthermore, the definition seems to impact the relationship between coach and person being coached.
Myles Downey (in ‘Effective Coaching’) developed the following diagram to show what coaching may involve:
What matters is that the coach and coachee agree what is the purpose of their coaching relationship, what style(s) may be used, et cetera. All this is best covered when developing the contract, formally or informally. In essence, coaching is great for anyone who has a desire and/or goal where learning with an experienced guide would help.
And what may influence the choice of coaching style?
Like all working relationships, it is of great benefit taking into account the circumstances in which the coaching may take place ie the systems involved. In this newsletter I am going to concentrate on one influence - the organisation.
What impact does your organisation have on coaching?
If you work within a blame or risk averse culture, suggesting that a coachee experiments and learns from mistakes is probably not going to be that workable – or acceptable! What about when the relationship between manager and direct report mimics the parent/child relationship. How will this impact the type of relationship between the coach and coachee? If learning styles are unknown, they are unlikely to be taken into consideration consciously. If appreciative inquiry has been used within the organisation, there is more likely to be an emphasis on the positive, the possibilities and strengths. These are just a small number of matters to consider.
What other factors about the organisation would you want to consider?
So the environment in which the coaching is taking place is significantly important to the success of coaching.
What other influences are there?
In the next newsletter, I will cover other influences and consider how you may take them into account when developing the contract, formally or informally, between the coach and coachee.
Tell me your thoughts on what coaching is - helen@monkswoodassociates.co.uk.
“All coaching is, is taking a player where he can't take himself"
Bill McCartney quotes (American football coach at the University of Colorado, and President of Promise Keepers , b.1940)
Essential books about changing people and organisations
‘Executive coaching: with backbone and heart’ by Mary Beth O’Neill, Jossey-Bass, ISBN 0-7879-5016-5
This book gives some useful examples of conversations between coach and coachee (or potential coachee). Although the description of ‘a systems approach’ is thin, the basics are mentioned. It gave me additional information about coaching to add to other thoughts and experiences. And, once more, I was engaged by its style. Managers who want to or are coaching their staff would also find it of use.
‘Sharpen your team’s skills in COACHING’ by Tony Voss, McGraw-Hill, ISBM 0-07-709278-3
This book is a solid foundation in coaching, not only giving guidance on getting started in coaching but also has some exercises to develop coaching skills and practice. It includes some case studies that are realistic and useful examples.
Topical website
http://www.cvcommunity.com/Public/Home/index.cfm/
Coachville’s website is really for people involved in coaching as their prime source of work. It also has some interesting resources about developing your coaching business, which would be relevant to other sole trader businesses. It markets a lot of its own products, which is understandable! It is quite big and so will take a bit of time finding the resources you want, and can be worth the effort. I get their newsletter which flags up free resources, which reduces time finding the new resources.
"Teachers open the door, but you must enter by yourself."
Chinese Proverb
You are welcome to reprint any part of this newsletter as long as you acknowledge the source, including full authorship, copyright, and subscription information.
Please ask any questions that the topic has raised, or share your thoughts and experiences with me, Helen Wade, at:
Monkswood Associates
Bankview, Shortwood, Nailsworth, Glos GL6 0RZ, UK
Tel: +44 (0)1453.835263
Email: helen@monkswoodassociates.co.uk