by Revolution RV ~ October 2, 2008
By PJ Germain
The first use of the word “coach” in English occurred in the 1500s to refer to a kind of carriage. “Hence,” say Witherspoon and White, “the root meaning of the verb to coach is to convey a valued person from where he or she was to where he or she wants to be.” Coaching is a process that helps executives learn, grow, and change. Although what coaching involves depends on the specific executive and situation, executive coaching falls into four categories:
Coaching for Skills
Coaching for Performance
Coaching for Development
Coaching for the Executive’s Agenda
Coaching For Skills is learning focused on a person’s current task or project. This coaching is usually needed for short term and the coaching goals tend to be clear and specific. Settings well suited for this coaching role are to support:
> Learning on the job (e.g., before or after a first board meeting presentation).
> Traditional classroom training.
> Changes in job roles and/or responsibilities.
Coaching For Performance is learning focused on a person’s current job. Typically, the executive feels the need to function more effectively at work, or to address performance issues. For executives having difficulty, the challenge is to correct problem behaviors before they jeopardize productivity or derail a career. This type of coaching is usually seen as appropriate for the short or intermediate term although there may be less consensus within the organization about the need for performance coaching. And because this type of coaching can feel more threatening to some executives than skills coaching, it tends to involve more time. This coaching role is best used to:
> Clarify performance goals.
> Orient and support newly appointed executives.
> Increase confidence and commitment after a career setback.
> Deal with blind spots that detract from otherwise outstanding performance.
Coaching For Development is learning focused on a person’s future job. Typically, the executive needs to prepare for a career move, often as part of succession planning discussions. Coaching for development tends to involve a deeper focus on executive development and personal growth. The coaching sessions here typically focus on development for a future job by helping an executive discover strengths and weaknesses, and to determine where growth is needed.
by Revolution RV ~ September 28, 2008
By Chris Stowell
Some developmental coaching companies often run the risk of implying that a Coaching Skills model is for corrective coaching only. But what I have found is that many leaders and organizations are interested in developmental coaching. In fact, Coaching Skills models are equally effective in developmental situations.
So, what does developmental coaching mean? For me, it represents the last frontier of coaching. It is the point where employees are more fully functional. It is where you do the final “tuning” in terms of helping create complete trust, total responsibility, and entrepreneurial partners in your operation. As I see it, you are doing a type of coaching that encourages the employee to take more and wiser risks, engage in more self expression, and discover what lasting contribution they can make. This is a confidence-building process and a creative stage for employees. It gives them a chance to define a personal mission beyond simple organizational advancement. The beauty of developmental coaching is that it doesn’t require advancement and promotion. What you are doing is maximizing their self-esteem.
The challenge for the leader is that many employees feel stuck in their jobs. They don’t know what to do if they are not moving rapidly in a vertical direction in the company. You task is to help them achieve their fullest potential right where they are; to get them to look at growth and development in a different way. Many employees will need help to see this opportunity. Culture has taught them that growth, contribution, and satisfaction come only when you are living on “Mahogany Row” or in the organizational stratosphere.
by Revolution RV ~ September 24, 2008
By Noam Mankowitz
Professional coaching is an interactive process that helps individuals and organizations improve their performances and achieve extraordinary results. Professional coaches work with clients in all areas including business, career, finances, health and relationships. As a result of professional coaching, clients set better goals, take more action, make better decisions, and more fully use their natural strengths.
The notion of coaching is familiar to us from the world of sport where the role of the coach is to assist in the development and growth of the sports-person so helping them to better their achievements. Each of us strives to realize their dreams and aspirations and to reduce the gap between the ideal and the real, be it in our personal lives or professional and business pursuits.
Coaching is a focused and effective process that invites people to realize their personal and business potential, to improve their performance and achievements. The goal is to get to the most desirable outcomes for you by your acquiring the tools you need to move ahead beyond the bounds of the process itself.
Coaching transforms difficulties into challenges and supplants fear with a surer footing for reaching your goals.
by Revolution RV ~ September 24, 2008
By Rebecca Osborn
The word coaching comes from the word stagecoach which involved moving people from one place to another. That is exactly what coaching is. You decide to move from one place to another and you have a coach there to help you. It seems simple, but it is extremely powerful and it has the potential to change your life for the better.
Do you feel stuck in a rut? Do you want more out of life? Coaching is ideal to get you out of that ‘rut.’ It helps you focus on what you want out of life, and then create a plan to help you move toward that. Coaching is about the future. It will focus on your growth and development as you are moving toward achieving your goals.
It can also involve working with successful people who want to improve further. The support and challenge of a coach can help someone on this journey.
Interest in coaching is growing rapidly and it is becoming increasingly popular. More and more people and organisations recognise its value. Coaching has become particularly relevant in our fast- moving world where there is a struggle to balance work, social life, health and finances.
One of the great things about coaching is that you, as a client, use it for whatever area of life is important to you. Some people seek coaching for support in making a career change, building confidence, reducing stress, or achieving a better work-life balance. Coaching can be used for whatever is important to you at a particular time.
by Revolution RV ~ September 24, 2008
By Jennie Gandhi
These days we hear a lot about coaching. Coaching can be heard in every field be it sports, education, business, life etc. But what exactly coaching is? In the definition of Eric Parsloe of Oxford School of Coaching “a process that enables learning and development to occur and thus performance to improve. To be a successful a Coach requires a knowledge and understanding of process as well as the variety of styles, skills and techniques that are appropriate to the context in which the coaching takes place.”
The demand of coaching is growing by each passing day. The coaching is becoming increasingly associated with current generation’s requirements for success in life, work, business, qualities of excellence, integrity, humanity and philosophical learning.
So ever wondered what coaching exactly does?
In a very basic definition, coaching helps an individual or group of individuals, organizations etc to realize their full potential and help them achieve what they want to..
Therefore it untaps the hidden potential.
It devices methodologies to help you tune and develop the already existing skills in you.
The program and development activities that are designed in a coaching suits the client’s personal needs and also his learning trait.
Many individuals face a particular obstacle or problem to realize their dreams. It is here where coaching comes handy and eliminates the specific problems related to the performance.