What Is Coaching?
Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their performance. It focuses on current and future performance and behaviour. Coaching is a structured and two-way process, involving discussion and the use of established coaching tools that will enable the individual to identify key actions and the means of achieving the desired results. Coaching activities enable personal and professional success and the achievement of both individual and organisational goals.
Coaching works because it:
- is tailored to the individual and targets their specific needs
- provides direct one to one assistance and a level of objectivity to discuss issues and provide support
- can deliver quick results
- enables individual responsibility for development
- supports individuals through the ever present agenda for rapid change
- supports other learning and development activities, for example transfer of learning in the workplace, or increased leadership capability
Coaching can:
- Unlock potential
- Create personal and professional change
- Aid employee retention
- Facilitate development
- Enhance performance
- Achieve desired goals
- Develop personal confidence and self belief
- Increase personal impact
- Strengthen interpersonal skills
How Coaching differs from Mentoring and Counselling
Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximise their own performance, it is helping them to learn rather than teaching them. The coach is a trained professional and is able to use a variety of tools to help the individual focus on improving their performance for future success. Coaching has its origins within the field of sport.
Mentoring is providing advice and direction, knowledge and wisdom so that the individual understands how the task is done and how to operate in the commercial world. The mentor is typically more experienced and outside of the individual’s management line. Mentoring has its origins in the concept of apprenticeship.
Counselling is giving professional help and advice to someone to resolve personal or psychological problems. The counsellor is a qualified professional and their overall aim is to provide an opportunity for a client to work towards living in a more satisfying and resourceful way.