Coaching Challenges - 1-2-3

I have had a few people asking me lately about coaching. I am a fan, yes, though I think the word has become colloquial and certainly overused. A common theme is around the challenges related to coaching. I will articulate just a few. This is by no means exhaustive:

The first challenge is related to the competence of the coach. You need to ensure the coach has the capabilities, capacity and common sense to understand the needs of the individuals and then having the courage and consideration to provide meaningful "coaching". This is a skill but the accumulated experience and knowledge of the individual is what is required to be effective. This is tough. Everyone wants to be a good coach - but if they do not have the experience, track record and especially the credibility - they will find it tough to be an effective coach. That's just the way it is.

The second challenge relates to the individual being coached. In the vast array of personalities on this planet, there are some people who simply do not respond well to feedback or coaching. Best to identify these folks before they enter the organization - that is if you take coaching seriously as a facilitator of growth. If these folks are already on board then the coaching interaction needs to be positioned as part of the management process.

These previous challenges are generally hard wired or accumulated over time and not easily moveable.

There is one common challenge - and this is execution. This is simply the act of actually taking the time to coach, doing it consistently and with conviction. Fortunately, this aspect is moveable. This behaviour can be modified, encouraged, expected and rewarded - for both managers who can be expected to coach staff and staff that will be expected to integrate and implement the concepts or direction provided by the coach. (I won't get into the definition of coaching or effective coaching techniques - there is a lot of literature on this).

Really, what are we talking about here? This is all about observation and communication. Some people will do it well, others will not (on both sides). The key will be just to actually commit to the time to do it.

Cheers,

Steve