What is Coaching?
Coaching remains one of my biggest passions. I first came across formal coaching techniques 5 years ago and instantly connected with them, seeing how they could be used to create a rewarding transformational thinking process.
But coaching does have a big downside. It’s that not many people understand what it truly is. We might mistake the sports coach, standing on the side of a court yelling instructions to players and think that’s the role it has in the workplace – to direct and lead progress in a certain way. Or on the flipside, it can be mistaken for therapeutic approaches, or at its worst seen as a self-indulgent 121 for the most senior of staff.
But coaching is neither of these things. Coaching puts the person being coached, the Coachee, at the centre of the experience. They make the decisions for themselves and have complete control over the direction they take. The role of the Coach is not to make any suggestions at all, but to listen and prompt deeper thinking from their Coachee. In many situations, the Coach has no prior experience in the field of the Coachee, yet through their 121 relationship the way forward becomes clearer, and more likely to be actioned. So, how can this be?
There are schools of thought that suggest we use only 10% of our brains for key decisions. This is disputed in scientific circles, but it is still a theory I endorse. Our brains are wired to be able to get us from A to B as quickly as possible and therefore we make the quickest, easiest decision. These lead us to make the same choices again and again, much like treading the same path through open woodland so frequently that it becomes as defined as an actual footpath. This is enhanced even further when we’re stressed, under time-pressure or trying to avoid risk. But there are other options available to us if we can stop and think more deeply, and we needn’t follow the same route everytime we make a decision. The reason we don’t slow down our thinking and really explore these options more often is due to our brains processing so much information, and a lack of external stimulus. But the input from someone external needn’t be another suggested option. In coaching it is framing questions to encourage the Coachee to think about all the options available to them for themselves.
Take an example of someone who has a client unhappy with the quality of a project outcome. The Coachee is likely to be feeling under-pressure to reach a solution and will likely be thinking at speed as to how they can quickly make amends with the client. They might be thinking of issuing a discount or promising to re-do the work at no extra cost for example. These are often quick solutions proposed to clients in the heat of the moment. But coaching can prompt deeper, slower thought. Why is the client unhappy? What would a good outcome look like for them? What were their initial expectations? How would we best resolve the issue? Who could be involved in reaching an agreement? None of these questions suggest any answers, but prompt much deeper thought, and can lead to better justified actions going forward.
What’s more, because the Coachee was prompted to think through the answers themselves, they are far more committed to the solution than if they’re told what to do. They don’t only solve the problem, but they build an ability to solve similar problems for the future too. This is empowering in the long-term, and for line managers who utilise coaching styles of leadership they prevent an over-reliance on managers to make key decisions.
Coaching undoubtedly benefits from training and practice, but at its heart it’s about stepping back from giving advice and solving everyone’s problems for them. It’s a belief that the best decisions can be reached through deeper thought and a well justified plan of action. These are actions we can all take. Solving problems may make us feel needed, but the benefits are short term. Empowering a Coachee to assess all options and take steps forward will pay off time and again
