COACHING IS NOT ALWAYS COACHING
COACHING IS NOT ALWAYS COACHING
If you were to ask some organizations who claim that coaching forms part of their management style what they are actually doing, you would find that they are not coaching at all. They would point to the fact that managers do spend time individually with team members. But coaching is more than allocating one-on-one time, it is the content of that time and the process which is used which changes a talk into a coaching session.
Coaching is a distinct discipline with a definite skill set, some of which are not easy to master. Without using those skills, what might pass for coaching is actually a manager giving instructions and evaluation to a team member.
Coaching is a conversation which is results driven, the outcome of which is to enable the person being coached to think for themselves. It works on the premise that in most cases the coachee knows what to do and has the ability to do it or to find out how to do it. If they are able to think it through for themselves they are far more likely to be able to transfer that ability to other areas of work and to take initiative to complete tasks and resolve problems without waiting for someone else to tell them what to do.
The central skills coaching skills, and the most difficult to master, are the ability to listen properly and to frame questions which help the person discover the solution for themselves.
Listening in coaching involves listening with the intent to understand what the person is saying and feeling. Most of us listen with the intent to reply rather than to understand. While the other person is talking our minds are occupied with the answer we are going to give or what we are going to say in response to their remarks. The coach has to put aside thoughts of a response and listen to what the person is actually saying, conveyed by their words, body language and tone of voice. This type of listening also requires asking questions for clarification, which is part of the thinking process. Sometimes the ideas we express are not fully formed or thought through. The coach, by asking for clarification, also helps the coachee come to a better understanding of their own idea. So, for example, a coach might say: “When you said you are unsure of yourself when speaking on the telephone, do you mean you don’t know what to say or is it that you are nervous when speaking on the ‘phone?”
That question gives the coachee a chance to think through exactly what it is that makes them unsure of themselves. Once they have answered that question, the line of questioning can then follow to move deeper into the area which they have identified as being the problem.
Without correct listening, the coach might have said: “But speaking on the ‘phone is easy. Just speak clearly.” And in doing so would have missed the problem which needed addressing.
Careful listening with the intent to understand leads naturally into good questions which enhance understanding for the coach, but more importantly for the coachee.
Good coaching always focuses on the coachee and increasing their understanding. Both the listening process and the formulation of questions are there to help the person think more deeply and to reach the crux of the matter, which often is not the problem presenting itself on the surface but a deeper issue which needs attention.
While individual chats between managers and team members can be beneficial, they run the risk of failing to unearth issues which are hindering performance and of becoming instruction sessions where the team members carries out the managers thinking without thinking it through for themselves. As a result, when the managers instructions don’t fit the situation, the team member does not know how to proceed and their performance drops.
For talks with team members to become true coaching sessions, managers need to learn the skills of coaching, and to apply them in a disciplined way with the objective of enabling team members to think for themselves, find solutions for problems and so improve their performance.
COACHING IS NOT ALWAYS COACHING - To learn more about this author, visit Jonathan Payne's Website.
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While coaching is gaining popularity as a management concept in the workplace, in many cases it is nothing more than old patterns of management dressed up in a new name.
If you were to ask some organizations who claim that coaching forms part of their management style what they are actually doing, you would find that they are not coaching at all. They would point to the fact that managers do spend time individually with team members. But coaching is more than allocating one-on-one time, it is the content of that time and the process which is used which changes a talk into a coaching session.
Coaching is a distinct discipline with a definite skill set, some of which are not easy to master. Without using those skills, what might pass for coaching is actually a manager giving instructions and evaluation to a team member.
Coaching is a conversation which is results driven, the outcome of which is to enable the person being coached to think for themselves. It works on the premise that in most cases the coachee knows what to do and has the ability to do it or to find out how to do it. If they are able to think it through for themselves they are far more likely to be able to transfer that ability to other areas of work and to take initiative to complete tasks and resolve problems without waiting for someone else to tell them what to do.
The central skills coaching skills, and the most difficult to master, are the ability to listen properly and to frame questions which help the person discover the solution for themselves.
Listening in coaching involves listening with the intent to understand what the person is saying and feeling. Most of us listen with the intent to reply rather than to understand. While the other person is talking our minds are occupied with the answer we are going to give or what we are going to say in response to their remarks. The coach has to put aside thoughts of a response and listen to what the person is actually saying, conveyed by their words, body language and tone of voice. This type of listening also requires asking questions for clarification, which is part of the thinking process. Sometimes the ideas we express are not fully formed or thought through. The coach, by asking for clarification, also helps the coachee come to a better understanding of their own idea. So, for example, a coach might say: “When you said you are unsure of yourself when speaking on the telephone, do you mean you don’t know what to say or is it that you are nervous when speaking on the ‘phone?”
That question gives the coachee a chance to think through exactly what it is that makes them unsure of themselves. Once they have answered that question, the line of questioning can then follow to move deeper into the area which they have identified as being the problem.
Without correct listening, the coach might have said: “But speaking on the ‘phone is easy. Just speak clearly.” And in doing so would have missed the problem which needed addressing.
Careful listening with the intent to understand leads naturally into good questions which enhance understanding for the coach, but more importantly for the coachee.
Good coaching always focuses on the coachee and increasing their understanding. Both the listening process and the formulation of questions are there to help the person think more deeply and to reach the crux of the matter, which often is not the problem presenting itself on the surface but a deeper issue which needs attention.
While individual chats between managers and team members can be beneficial, they run the risk of failing to unearth issues which are hindering performance and of becoming instruction sessions where the team members carries out the managers thinking without thinking it through for themselves. As a result, when the managers instructions don’t fit the situation, the team member does not know how to proceed and their performance drops.
For talks with team members to become true coaching sessions, managers need to learn the skills of coaching, and to apply them in a disciplined way with the objective of enabling team members to think for themselves, find solutions for problems and so improve their performance.
COACHING IS NOT ALWAYS COACHING - To learn more about this author, visit Jonathan Payne's Website.
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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