employees, be that on an internal or external basis. The International Coaching Federation, one of the more respected trade bodies that regulate the profession, estimates that there are now some 30000 coaches working worldwide. Recently we came across a manufacturing business unable to provide a pay rise, but instead providing mentoring to team leaders and supervisors for the first time.

 

SO WHAT IS COACHING AND MENTORING ALL ABOUT?
The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development defines coaching as ‘developing a person’s skills and knowledge so that their job performance improves, hopefully leading to the achievement of organisational objectives. It targets high performance and improvement at work, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s private life. It usually lasts for a short period and focuses on specific skills and goals’.

Although there is a lack of agreement among coaching professionals about precise definitions, these are some generally agreed characteristics of coaching in organisations:

• It is essentially a non-directive form of development.
• It focuses on improving performance and developing individuals’ skills.
• Personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance at work.
• Coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals.
• It assumes that the individual is psychologically well and does not require a clinical intervention.
• It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and their weaknesses.
• It is a skilled activity which should be delivered by trained people.

It can be difficult to distinguish between coaching, mentoring and counselling. In practice, ‘mentoring’ for example is sometimes used interchangeably with ‘coaching’. Traditionally, however, mentoring in the workplace has tended to describe a relationship in which a more experienced colleague used their greater knowledge and understanding of the work or workplace to support the development of a more junior or inexperienced member of staff.

 

Similarly, it can be hard to draw a clear distinction between coaching and counselling, not least because many of the theoretical underpinnings of coaching are drawn from the worlds of counselling and therapy. For the purpose of managing coaching services the key distinction to be drawn is that coaching is for those who are psychologically well; a coach should be able to recognise where an individual is so distressed by personal or social issues that he or she needs to be referred to specialist counselling or other support.

Coaching is seen by some as a modern method for helping others to improve, develop, learn new skills, find personal success, achieve aims and manage life change and personal challenges. Coaching draws out rather than puts in. It develops rather than imposes. It reflects rather than directs. Coaching is reactive, non-judgemental, flexible and enabling, not prescriptive or instructional. Coaching helps people to develop and grow in a variety of areas, and this is leading to the development of separate coaching specialisms that are becoming new coaching disciplines in their own right, covering: personal coaching and life coaching, coaching for life-change, parenting; self-fulfilment and self-discovery; career coaching for advancement and job choices; leadership and management coaching; coaching for sales and business success; executive coaching for corporate performance and director development.

 

WHEN IS COACHING APPROPRIATE?
Some examples of situations where coaching is a suitable development tool include:

• helping competent technical experts develop better interpersonal or managerial skills
• developing an individual’s potential and providing career support
• developing a more strategic perspective after a promotion to a more senior role
• handling conflict situations so that they are resolved effectively.

It is important to remember that here are some individuals who may not respond well to coaching. This may be because their problems are best dealt with by another type of intervention, or it may be because their attitude may interfere with the effectiveness of coaching. So before coaching is begun, organisations need to assess an individual’s ‘readiness’. Some examples of situations when coaching is not an appropriate intervention are if the individual has psychological problems, they are resistant to coaching or they lack self-insight.

 

HOW CAN MY ORGANISATION CREATE A COACHING CULTURE?
We propose the following approach:

1. Answer the question: 'Why a coaching culture?'
2. Articulate the linkages between the coaching culture strategy and the core strategy
3. Build an appreciative and developmental view of the organisation's current and aspirational culture
4. Ask leaders: 'How can you be the culture you want to see?'
5. Develop a selected community of appropriate external coaches with suitable qualifications and experience
6. Build an internal coaching capability
7. Ensure all managers receive some basic training in coaching skills
8. Build coaching into all HR processes and measures, including performance measurement
9. Explore how coaching can be used by staff at all levels with key stakeholders
10. Have regular reviews of where your organisation is on the coaching culture journey

WHY DO PEOPLE BECOME COACHES?
An excellent coach finds out new things about themselves and is on a continuous learning journey. Indeed, becoming a coach means a lifelong quest for personal excellence. For many this quest is the motivation to become a coach in the first place.

Helping clients discover where they want to go and helping them to get there is now a proven methodology, which is fuelling the increasing popularity of professional coaching.

In our experience coaches enter the industry because:

• they like people and want to bring out the best in them
• they want to do something more fulfilling in their lives
• they want personal and financial freedom
• they are seen as ‘people people’

Coaches are attracted into the profession because it gives them:

1. accelerated personal growth and understanding of self
2. a lifelong journey of personal excellence and knowledge
3. the ability to enhance any job-role in any organisation and industry - coaching brings out the best in people and motivates them to be the very best in whatever they do - in all manner of jobs and careers
4. more options in life - important and rare choices of when to work and with whom
5. a right and good purpose and meaning in life, measured in real value terms of effort and reward, not lost in a corporate fog
   

QUALITIES OF A GOOD COACH OR MENTOR
Coaching is unlike training, consultancy, advising, or providing a professional service in which work is completed on behalf of a client. The qualities required for good coaching are different to those found in these other disciplines too:

listening
In coaching, listening is more important than talking. By listening, people can be helped to overcome their fears, be offered complete objectivity and given undivided attention and unparalleled support.

communication skills
Coaching is a two-way process. While listening is crucial, so is being able to interpret and reflect back, in ways that remove barriers, pre-conceptions, bias, and negativity. Communicating well enables trust and meaningful understanding on both sides. Good coaching uses communication not to give the client the answers, but to help the clients find their answers for themselves.

 

rapport-building
A coach's ability to build rapport with people is vital. Normally such ability stems from a desire to help people, which all coaches tend to possess. Rapport-building is made far easier in coaching compared to other services because the coach's only focus is the client.

motivating and inspiring
Coaches motivate and inspire people. This ability lies within us all. It is borne of a desire to help and support. When someone receives attention and personal investment from a coach towards their well-being and development, such as happens in the coaching relationship, this is in itself very motivational and inspirational.

curiosity, flexibility and courage
Coaching patterns vary; people's needs are different, circumstances and timings are unpredictable, so coaching relationships do not follow a single set formula. Ultimately, everyone is human - so coaches take human emotions and feelings into account.

Typically good coaches will use and follow these principles:

• Listening is more important than talking
• What motivates people must be understood
• Everyone is capable of achieving more
• A person's past is no indication of their future
• People's beliefs about what is possible for themselves are their only limits
• A coach must always provide full support
• A coach doesn’t provide the answers
• A coach does not criticise people
• All coaching is completely confidential
• Some people's needs cannot be met by coaching and coaches recognise clients with these needs
  

THE FUTURE OF COACHING
The reputation of coaching is growing along with the use of the concept - and coaching is becoming increasingly associated with modern recognised requirements for success in life, work, business and organisations, notably the qualities of excellence, integrity, humanity and facilitative learning (as distinct from traditional 'training')

As previously stated, coaching is increasingly sub-dividing into specialist and new applications. There is already a considerable coaching presence and influence in the following areas:

• spiritual coaching
• parent coaching
• corporate coaching
  
• financial coaching
• business coaching

In the future coaching is likely to incorporate and attract skills, resources and new coaches from many different areas, such as: teaching, human resources, training, healthcare and nursing, the armed forces, the police, counselling and therapy, etc.

One thing’s for sure-coaching isn’t likely to go away during the current economic slowdown!

Do review each task on your to-do list. Consider the objectives and deadline and whether the task is part of a broader role or set of recurring tasks you wish to delegate. Don’t attempt to delegate part of a complete activity, as this will de-motivate an employee and lead to low levels of job satisfaction when successfully executed.

Specify the behaviours that are to be encouraged Many of my clients report that they feel under huge pressure to match the hours at work demonstrated by their line mangers. People will take their lead from you. If you work very long hours made even longer because of the networking and after work activities... .

Fluid
Registered Office: 2 Abbey Court, Horsforth, Leeds LS18 4SA Tel: 0113 258 7335 Fax: 0113 258 3119
Mobile: 07751 536043  Email: tim@fluidconsultinglimited.com  Web: www.fluidconsultinglimited.com