The term coaching is now widely used in business but the debate about what it actually is, even amongst professional coaches, continues on. This post aims to provide a view of what coaching is coupled with the general characteristics of coaching, as we launch our series of regular blog posts on coaching.
The CIPD broadly defines coaching as follows:
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 goal.
Furthermore, the CIPD goes onto provide some idea of the general characteristics of coaching,
· It is essentially a non-directive form of development.
· It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and development areas
· It is often aimed as specific issues/areas.
· It is a relatively short-term activity, except in executive coaching, which tends to have a longer time frame.
· Can be used to address a wide range of issues.
· It focuses on improving performance and developing individuals’ skills.
· Personal issues may be discussed but the emphasis is on performance at work.
· It assumes the individual is psychologically healthy and does not require a clinical intervention.
· It works on the premise that clients are self aware, or can achieve self awareness
· Coaching activities have both organisational and individual goals.
· It provides people with feedback on both their strengths and their weaknesses.
· It is time bound
· Personal issues may be discussed but the overall focus is on performance at work.
· It is a skilled activity which should be delivered by trained people.
It can be difficult to distinguish between coaching, mentoring and counseling. 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.
Coaching supports learning, not by the coach being the teacher, but by the techniques used. A coach, is an impartial observer, who can often spot repeat behaviours and scenarios which are affecting the coachees’ performance. Using challenging and probing coaching tools a coach enables an individual to change the behaviour and to develop to their full potential.
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Photo credit: Nickwheeleroz
Article by Hayley Oats
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