Need a coach? Select wisely!
Need a coach? Select wisely!
By: Ralph Jacobson
Until recently, few people openly admitted that they had or needed a coach. Today, partnering with a coach is an accepted practice. Many people report improvement in their performance and yet others who engage in a coaching relationship fail to achieve the improvement they seek. Coaches may become frustrated when their coachees disregard the prescribed regimen. Often disappointment is the result of a poor fit between the expectations and capabilities of the coach the needs of the coachee.
Personal leadership development support tends to fall into three buckets: coaching, advice, and counseling. Each is appropriate for a different need, requires different professional skills from the persona providing the support, and requires various levels of involvement from the person being helped. If these are not properly defined and aligned up front, positive results won’t be achieved.
Coaching. People typically seek coaching support because an aspect of their behavior tends to subterfuge their effectiveness. The realization for the need to make a change typically originates from the perceptions of several stakeholders. The work of the coach is less about developing insight and more about engaging the person to improve specific behaviors. The domain of the coach is to work on specific behaviors. The objective is to help the coachee develop a broad repertoire of behaviors so that they can choose the right response to the right situation. Ultimately the identified stakeholders determine whether the specified objective has been met.
During the selection interview, the coach determines whether the motivation to undertake the process of behavior change is present. The coachee must determine whether there is chemistry between the two parties and whether they will make the commitment to trust one another. If they agree, the coachee’s role is to acquire and listen to the feedback of critical stakeholders and follow the coach’s prescribed practices to improve the targeted behaviors. Example exercises may include writing down thoughts, trying out new behaviors and actively soliciting and following up on feedback.
In partnership, the coach and coachee set up one or two specific objectives to address over a specified time period. They develop a contract that specifies the role each party plays in the process with specific actions to be taken when an aspect of the relationship is violated. The contract may e openly shared with others. The coach is likely to work with the individual more intensely at the start of the relationship.
Coaches work with people who freely engage in the relationship—they typically don’t work with people who are on a performance improvement plan where coaching is the last step of an exit strategy.
Advice. You may find yourself in situations in which you have insufficient knowledge. You may distrust the quality of input from those around you or feel uncomfortable admitting to your peer or superiors that you need further information. Therefore, you seek external counsel from those who have the requisite experience or the specialized knowledge. You look for specific suggestions on how to deal with situations. The input sought is not about making significant behavior change. It is about developing a response to a specific situation. Indeed, you may seek advice regarding thee same issue from several people. Advisors may work ion an informal basis or work under a more defined project arrangement. Ultimately you choose whether to act in accordance with the provided advice. The responsibility of the advisor is to ensure a proper grasp of the st9iuation, to undertake the necessary homework, and to provide an unbiased and honest assessment and suggestions. The advisor should not take a personal affront if you choose an alternate course of action. Rather, success is determined whether you find the information presented by the advisor as having added value.
Counseling. Life and relationships are imperfect. Being human often means having to confront those issues that my have surfaced early in your life. Usually you can move beyond them and function adequately. Yet when issues of past relationships continue to impact your current behavior and relationships or when you struggle to find deeper understanding, it may be necessary to seek the support of a professional counselor. Typically this person has years of professional preparation and certification from a state agency. The backgrounds of these individuals may be in social work, psychology, psychiatry, or religious leadership.
Clients may see counselors for several sessions to several years. The emphasis is to understand how personal issues and relationships from the past impact current life. Counselors spend more of their time focusing on establishing insight and understanding. The work is typically deeply personal and thus confidential and private. Most counselors are trained to work in the realm of one-on-one situations such as marriages and parenting; they are less capable of dealing with the complexities and peculiarities of organizational life.
What is right for you?
The needs of most people don’t fall neatly within one of the three buckets of coaching, advice, or counseling. So how to you determine the person who is right for you? Here are three thoughts to help you make the appropriate selection.
1. What is the presenting issue? Can it be easily resolved with additional information or does it require deeper level of personal commitment?
2. Where is the need coming from? Is it arising in your personal or professional life? Are you making this decision or are others urging you?
3. How deeply are you prepared to work on yourself? Would it be sufficient to improve a specific behavior or do you want to get to the root of something that has troubled you for a long time?
Choosing the right professional support to help you improve your life is important. Taking the time to decide what you want to improve, why it is important to you, and how motivated you are to making those changes will help you determine the tailored approach to suit your needs.
Need a coach Select wisely - To learn more about this author, visit Ralph Jacob's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Need a Coach? Select wisely
By: Ralph Jacobson
Until recently, few people openly admitted that they had or needed a coach. Today, partnering with a coach is an accepted practice. Many people report improvement in their performance and yet others who engage in a coaching relationship fail to achieve the improvement they seek. Coaches may become frustrated when their coachees disregard the prescribed regimen. Often disappointment is the result of a poor fit between the expectations and capabilities of the coach the needs of the coachee.
Personal leadership development support tends to fall into three buckets: coaching, advice, and counseling. Each is appropriate for a different need, requires different professional skills from the persona providing the support, and requires various levels of involvement from the person being helped. If these are not properly defined and aligned up front, positive results won’t be achieved.
Coaching. People typically seek coaching support because an aspect of their behavior tends to subterfuge their effectiveness. The realization for the need to make a change typically originates from the perceptions of several stakeholders. The work of the coach is less about developing insight and more about engaging the person to improve specific behaviors. The domain of the coach is to work on specific behaviors. The objective is to help the coachee develop a broad repertoire of behaviors so that they can choose the right response to the right situation. Ultimately the identified stakeholders determine whether the specified objective has been met.
During the selection interview, the coach determines whether the motivation to undertake the process of behavior change is present. The coachee must determine whether there is chemistry between the two parties and whether they will make the commitment to trust one another. If they agree, the coachee’s role is to acquire and listen to the feedback of critical stakeholders and follow the coach’s prescribed practices to improve the targeted behaviors. Example exercises may include writing down thoughts, trying out new behaviors and actively soliciting and following up on feedback.
In partnership, the coach and coachee set up one or two specific objectives to address over a specified time period. They develop a contract that specifies the role each party plays in the process with specific actions to be taken when an aspect of the relationship is violated. The contract may e openly shared with others. The coach is likely to work with the individual more intensely at the start of the relationship.
Coaches work with people who freely engage in the relationship—they typically don’t work with people who are on a performance improvement plan where coaching is the last step of an exit strategy.
Advice. You may find yourself in situations in which you have insufficient knowledge. You may distrust the quality of input from those around you or feel uncomfortable admitting to your peer or superiors that you need further information. Therefore, you seek external counsel from those who have the requisite experience or the specialized knowledge. You look for specific suggestions on how to deal with situations. The input sought is not about making significant behavior change. It is about developing a response to a specific situation. Indeed, you may seek advice regarding thee same issue from several people. Advisors may work ion an informal basis or work under a more defined project arrangement. Ultimately you choose whether to act in accordance with the provided advice. The responsibility of the advisor is to ensure a proper grasp of the st9iuation, to undertake the necessary homework, and to provide an unbiased and honest assessment and suggestions. The advisor should not take a personal affront if you choose an alternate course of action. Rather, success is determined whether you find the information presented by the advisor as having added value.
Counseling. Life and relationships are imperfect. Being human often means having to confront those issues that my have surfaced early in your life. Usually you can move beyond them and function adequately. Yet when issues of past relationships continue to impact your current behavior and relationships or when you struggle to find deeper understanding, it may be necessary to seek the support of a professional counselor. Typically this person has years of professional preparation and certification from a state agency. The backgrounds of these individuals may be in social work, psychology, psychiatry, or religious leadership.
Clients may see counselors for several sessions to several years. The emphasis is to understand how personal issues and relationships from the past impact current life. Counselors spend more of their time focusing on establishing insight and understanding. The work is typically deeply personal and thus confidential and private. Most counselors are trained to work in the realm of one-on-one situations such as marriages and parenting; they are less capable of dealing with the complexities and peculiarities of organizational life.
What is right for you?
The needs of most people don’t fall neatly within one of the three buckets of coaching, advice, or counseling. So how to you determine the person who is right for you? Here are three thoughts to help you make the appropriate selection.
1. What is the presenting issue? Can it be easily resolved with additional information or does it require deeper level of personal commitment?
2. Where is the need coming from? Is it arising in your personal or professional life? Are you making this decision or are others urging you?
3. How deeply are you prepared to work on yourself? Would it be sufficient to improve a specific behavior or do you want to get to the root of something that has troubled you for a long time?
Choosing the right professional support to help you improve your life is important. Taking the time to decide what you want to improve, why it is important to you, and how motivated you are to making those changes will help you determine the tailored approach to suit your needs.
Need a coach Select wisely - To learn more about this author, visit Ralph Jacob's Website.
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton'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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