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Coaching—Do you have
what it takes?
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The word ‘coaching’ is gaining prominence in the business world. Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric, said: "In the future, people who are not coaches will not be promoted. Managers who are coaches will be the norm."
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When someone of the calibre of Jack Welch makes a statement like this, the business world takes note. But is coaching just the latest fad? The evidence doesn’t suggest so
Business coaching was first documented in case studies by psychologists in the 50s and 60s.
Coaching is not new, but it has recently gained more visibility and focus. A number of factors are driving this.
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The first is performance. Research shows that good coaching improves productivity. Studies at the Center for Creative Leadership found that the most critical success factor for leaders was their relationship with their subordinates. A manager who is an effective coach will have a good relationship with his or her team members. Good workplace relationships have a direct impact on – yes, you guessed it - productivity.
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Generational change is also driving the need for coaching in organisations. A general rule of thumb is that past generations held the view that they had a job for life. Their view was “What must I do to keep my job?” or “What should I do for the organisation?”
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The X and Y generations are seen as more mobile, self-focused, willing to try a job and move on if it does not suit them. They have a view that says, “What can this organisation offer me?” and “What will they do for me?” In fact, the average time an employee now stays with a company is about three years.
If you manage others and you want to keep your star employees, you need to ask yourself: can you afford not to be a coach
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Useful Resources
For more information and self-assessment see our “Coaching Tool”
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What is coaching?
Coaching is helping a person to unlock their potential and reach their best performance. Nicola Stevens, author of Learn to Coach, writes that coaching is not about knowing it all, providing advice and fixing it, nor is it just a friendly chat.
She says it’s about providing a safe, non-judgemental environment where the coachee can reflect, review, plan, action, move forward and learn from the experience.
What does it take to be a good coach?
The following qualities are representative of what it takes to be a coach. The ability to :
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- Listen—not just for the words but the underlying emotions.
- Question—have the questions to raise awareness and increase responsibility,
- Engage—develop trust and excite the coachee.
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- Be Patient—It takes time to bring about change.
- Be Pro-risk—allowing the coachee to take measured risks and learn form mistakes.
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Need more help becoming a better coach?
Try our coaching tool - it gives you more information on the characteristics of a good coach along with a self-assessment to help you monitor your coaching performance.
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