Coaching FAQs
What is coaching?
How does it work?
What are the benefits of coaching?
How do you know if coaching is right for you?
What are some typical reasons someone might work with a coach?
What should you look for when selecting a coach?
How do you ensure an effective coaching partnership?
Within the partnership, what is the role of the coach and the client?
How can the success of the coaching process be measured?
Is coaching a sound investment?
How is coaching different from other professions?
What is coaching?
Coaching is a professional partnership between the coach and a client that supports the achievement of results based on goals set by the client. Through the process of coaching, clients develop the skills and carry out the actions needed to successfully achieve their goals.
How does it work?
The client chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens and contributes observations and questions as well as concepts and principles which can assist in generating possibilities and identifying actions. Coaching accelerates the client's progress by providing greater focus and awareness of possibilities leading to more effective choices. Coaching concentrates on where clients are now and what they need to do to get where they want to be in the future. Coaches recognize that results are a matter of the client's intentions, choices and actions, supported by the coach.
What are the benefits of coaching?
Clients who engage in a coaching relationship experience fresh perspectives on personal challenges and opportunities, enhanced thinking and decision making skills, enhanced interpersonal effectiveness, and increased confidence in their life and work. They see appreciable results in the areas of productivity, personal satisfaction with life and work, and the achievement of goals.
How do you know if coaching is right for you?
To know if you would benefit from coaching, think about what you expect to accomplish from a coaching programme. If you have a fairly clear idea of the desired outcome, coaching will be useful for developing a strategy for achieving that outcome with greater ease.
Since coaching is a partnership, ask yourself if you find it valuable to collaborate, to have another viewpoint and to be asked to consider new perspectives. Ask yourself if you are ready to devote the time and the energy to making real changes in your life and work. If yes, then coaching will probably be a beneficial way for you to grow and develop.
What are some typical reasons someone might work with a coach?
There are many reasons that a client might choose to work with a coach, including the following:
- The client wants to identify his or her core strengths and how best to use them.
- There is a gap in knowledge, skills, confidence, or resources.
- There is a desire to accelerate results.
- There is a need for a course correction in work or life due to a setback.
- A client needs to develop their interpersonal skills.
- The client wants to find more meaning and purpose in their work or life.
- Work and life are out of balance, and this is creating unwanted consequences.
- There is a need to become better organized and more self-managing.
What should you look for when selecting a coach?
Choosing a coach is similar to choosing other professionals. Most people find their coach using a combination of internet search, personal recommendation or reading about a coach. Having found a potential coach you should ask them about their track record. It is also important to find out what level of training they have had and whether or not they are accredited. Most coaches will be happy to meet a prospective client in person or on the telephone to discuss working together, and many coaches offer a short complimentary coaching session so that the client can ‘try before they buy’.
Here are some questions you may want to ask prospective coaches:
- What is your coaching experience?
- What is your coach specific training? Do you hold an ICF Credential?
- What is your coaching specialty?
- What specialized skills or experience do you bring to your coaching?
- What is your philosophy about coaching?
- How are sessions conducted, frequency, etc.
How do you ensure an effective coaching partnership?
Be prepared to design the coaching partnership with the coach; here are some tips:
- Discuss your goals for coaching within the context of the coach’s speciality.
- Talk with the coach about what to do if you ever feel things are not going well.
- Be assertive about talking with the coach about anything that is of concern at any time.
Within the partnership, what is the role of the coach and the client?
The coach’s role is to provide objective assessment and observations that foster the client’s awareness of self and others, to listen closely in order to understand the client’s circumstances, and be a sounding board in support of future thinking, planning and decision making. The coach champions the client’s potential and encourages, challenges and fosters new thinking. The coach maintains professional boundaries in the coaching relationship, including confidentiality, and adheres to the coaching profession’s code of ethics.
The role of the client is to create the coaching agenda by bringing their goals, using the observations of the coach to enhance their self-awareness and, and taking responsibility for their decisions and actions. They need to use the coaching process to promote fresh perspectives, take action to achieve their goals, and use the skills of the coach to bring about change.
How can the success of the coaching process be measured?
Measurement may be thought of in two distinct ways. First, there are the external indicators of performance which can be seen in the client’s environment. Second, there are internal indicators of success which can be measured by the client with the support of the coach.
Examples of external measures include achievement of coaching goals established at the outset, personal and/or business performance data.
Examples of internal measures include changes in the client’s awareness of self and others, and shifts in thinking which inform more effective actions.
An International Coach Federation survey (2009) of over 2,000 coaching clients from 64 countries reported that individuals who have worked with a coach experience positive change in the following areas: self esteem/self confidence; relationships; communication skills; interpersonal skills; work performance; work/life balance; wellness; career opportunities; personal organisation; business management; time management; team effectiveness; corporate culture; financial organisation; and investment planning. Almost all (96%) clients indicated that they would repeat the coaching experience given the same circumstances that lead them there in the first place.
Although not all types of coaching lead to measurable financial gain, the survey suggested that a client who achieves a financial benefit from coaching can typically expect an ROI in the range of 344% or 3.44 times the amount spent. The median company return is 700% indicating that typically a company can expect a return of 7 times the initial investment.
Is coaching a sound investment?
Working with a coach requires a personal commitment of time and energy as well as a financial commitment. Clients should consider both the desired benefits as well as the anticipated length of time to be spent in coaching. Since the coaching relationship is predicated on clear communication, any financial concerns or questions should be voiced in initial conversations before the agreement is made.
There have been a number of independent studies showing the effectiveness and return on investment of coaching.
How is coaching different from other professions?
Professional coaching focuses on a client’s work and life as it relates to goal setting and personal change management. It can be helpful to distinguish professional coaching from other professions that provide support.
- Mentoring - Mentoring can be thought of as guiding from one’s own experience but often includes coaching.
- Training - Training programmes are based on the acquisition of certain learning objectives as set out by the trainer. Though objectives are clarified in the coaching process, they are set by the client with the coach's guidance.
- Consulting - Consultants are usually retained because of their special expertise. There is often an assumption that the consultant diagnoses problems and prescribes, and sometimes implements solutions. In general, the assumption with coaching is that clients are capable of generating their own solutions, with the coach’s support.
- Sports Coaching - Professional coaching is very different from the traditional sports coaching. The sports coach is usually an expert who guides and directs the behaviour of individuals or teams based on his or her greater experience and knowledge. In coaching it is the experience and knowledge of the client that determines the direction. Additionally, professional coaching does not focus on behaviours that are being executed poorly or incorrectly but on identifying opportunity for development based on client strengths and capabilities.