Monkswood Associates

Monkswood Associates Newsletter: May 2005
Topic for the month – ‘ins and outs’ of coaching Part 2

My opening thought for May:

“All coaching is, is taking a player where he can't take himself."
Bill McCartney

(American football coach at the University of Colorado, b.1940)

Last month I considered what coaching is and one factor that influences the effectiveness of the selected coaching style – your organisation’s culture and values, overt and unspoken. These are reflected in such things as policies, procedures and practices.

And what else may influence the effectiveness of coaching style?

Like all working relationships, it is of great benefit taking into account the circumstances in which the coaching may take place. This includes:

When considering the organisational relationships it helps to be explicit. For instance, as a consultant an ex-direct report was thinking about asking me to do some work for her. In the main discussion, I raised the matter of our past relationship. I was comfortable about the change in hierarchy. Because it was out in the open and because of my stance, she also felt very at ease with the situation. We agreed clear working practices to increase effectiveness. And it all worked out very well.

So what about the personal preferences of the two people involved?

The coach and coachee preferences include:

Trust, or the probability of trust, is important for both parties. When characteristics key to each party are present, trust is more likely to be present within the timeframe important to both people.

Ideally, what characteristics would you want
your coach or coachee to have?

Well, this is a practical question. Unless you have mastered the ability to consistently respect all sorts of people, you will shine as a coach with certain people and less with others. I certainly do. I find I enjoy working with coachees who are:

• open to possibility, eager to act and excited to learn

• willing to grow, desirous to collaborate, courageous to experiment and able to laugh!

And as for a coach, I tend to look for a coach that will generally:

work with the my agenda, have the courage to confront and support me in partnership throughout the journey

• have confidence in the value of what s/he has to contribute,

• display openness and honesty, humour and solidity

And what about the goals?
Well Robert Dilts developed the neurological levels model and linked different goals with different styles of coaching. In his article ‘From Coach to Awakener’ on webpage http://nlpu.com/Coach2Awakener.htm he describes what he calls the levels of support for learning and change at the different goals. For instance, he bases the term ‘coaching’ on the sports training. It involves promoting conscious awareness of resources and abilities and developing conscious competence. This would help goals focused at behavioural level. ‘Teaching’ relates to goals that develop cognitive skills and abilities. And ‘mentoring’ is linked to goals associated with beliefs and values, overcoming internal resistances and interferences so that his/her positive intentions are unveiled and available.

So how can you use this information?
Whether you are a coach or coachee, you can include these factors when developing a contract between a coach and coachee. Even before this stage you can keep them in mind when selecting an appropriate coach, be it for yourself or someone else. As a coach, the framework may help you discuss and decider how best to work with a person or whether you coach him/her.

What else would you include in your considerations?

Tell me about what other factors you would include - helen@monkswoodassociates.co.uk.

“That is what learning is.
You suddenly understand something you’ve understood all your life, but in a new way.”
~ Doris Lessing

Essential books about changing people and organisations

‘The NLP Coach’ by Ian McDermott and Wendy Jago, Piatkus, ISBN 0-7499-2277-X

Although the back of the book describes it as a “comprehensive, practical and user-friendly guide to self-coaching with NLP”, I find it is also helpful for me as a coach. It not only describes what various terms mean, but also how you can apply them in practical situations. You can dip in and out of the book as well as read it all the way through, whichever you have time and inclination to do.

http://www.nlpu.com/
This is Robert Dilts’ homepage from which you can find out more about NLP, free information such as I mentioned in this newsletter and gaining training, if that is the route you would like to take. Have a dip in and see what grabs your attention – and do tell me about any interesting finds!

“Wisdom needed for change is already in the system and can be discovered and released by creating the appropriate context.”
~ Rober Dilts in ReSource Magazine, Winter 2004 (p17)

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