Organisational change is only as successful as the change that individuals are able to make in their attitudes and behaviour.   Often people want to change but do not know how.  Coaching supports individuals make the changes they and their colleagues wish to see.

Practical and tangible benefits of coaching can include:

• increasing one’s personal presence and impact
• improving one’s effectiveness
• managing oneself better
• improved self confidence
• better relationships
• improved performance
• achievement of stretching goals and objectives
• raised self awareness
• greater understanding of others.

Different Kinds of Coaching

Many different things are meant by the term “coaching” and it is wise for the coach and client to be clear from the outset about the kind of coaching the client wishes to receive.  For example,

• Like sports coaching, the coach may demonstrate to the client how to do something better and support them in repeated practice until they get it right;
• The coach may actor as a mentor, as a more experienced person providing advice to somebody less experienced;
• The coach may deliver one-on-one training in skills or competencies a client wishes to develop; or
•  The coach may act as a business consultant, offering solutions for a client’s business problem.

The “Purist’s” Approach to Coaching

In contrast to the scenarios above, a “pure” coach sees their role as one of helping the client think better for themselves.  The coach does this by asking searching questions that reveal how the client is thinking about their problem.  By the coach mirroring the client’s thinking back to them, the client is able to understand how they may be limiting themselves and find new options for rising to the challenge they face.  In order to do this, the coach must believe the NLP maxim that every client is capable of doing this*.  It is not necessary for the coach to understand the client’s field of work.  An effective coach should be able to work with anybody.

In general, all the challenges that clients bring will fall into one of three main categories, and a different approach is appropriate for each.

1. Challenges that arise from the way we think

A coach is able to challenge a client about thoughts that arise because they have a particular view of a situation, and help them see it from different perspectives.   This is particularly helpful in circumstances where a client lacks self confidence or is experiencing difficulties in relationships.  Coaching can help the client uncover a more positive way of seeing things enabling them to shift to a more resourceful state of mind.  This is called “reframing”.

 2. Challenges that arise when we get stuck doing something

Much business coaching focuses on this, exemplified by John Whitmore’s well-known GROW model (define the Goal, understand the present Reality, develop Options and decide What you will do).  This approach is effective where the client is struggling to reach a target, perform a task to a required standard, or take on a new project.  The coach helps the client define their goal properly (often a sufficient intervention in itself) and supports them in action planning, providing reviews, feedback and follow up.

 3. Challenges that arise because a problem is insolvable

Serious challenges arise when difficult events occur beyond our control, for example, redundancy, a business failure, divorce or bereavement. The impact of these challenges can be severe because we feel powerless to influence them.  Here the coach can help the client reconnect with coping strategies they have used successfully in the past and access external sources of help.  Even in these circumstances, the power of listening alone can help a client summon internal resources they were not previously aware of and develop effective strategies.

Please contact us at info@mindforbusiness.com for more information about the coaching services we can provide.

* “People have all the resources they need to make the change they want”

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