Coaching for Real Change
Sharon Feltham, Excellerate
A simple definition of coaching:
“Coaching is a process where one person facilitates the thinking, exploration, problem solving and action planning of another in order to help the person bring about change.”
Coaching enables people to do something differently, either less or more or something new, and this requires people to change.
When we coach we are inviting people to change the way they think, see or feel, and we ask this so they will then “do” something differently. The problem is we won’t “do” differently unless:
We believe it is worth doing
We believe it can be done
We know how to do it
We do it long enough to experience the rewards
1. We need to believe it is worth doing
If we don’t believe it’s worth doing then where’s the motivation? The incentive? We may make the initial change but sustaining this is very difficult. We lapse into our old ways. A manager needs to support their people through the change.
Coaching works because it enables us to make the connections for ourselves between what needs to be done and why. It helps us to find the value in the action or task, so we see it worthy of our investment of time, energy and effort. The motivation is internalised reducing the need for external incentives or consequences.
2. We need to believe it can be done
Coaching works because it explores and challenges our thinking and beliefs. It helps us to overcome our mental barriers by expanding our view to see the possibilities.Most often coaching addresses the greatest barrier: the self-talk of “I cant” to turn up the volume on the “I can”.
3. We need to know how to do it
Coaching is far more effective than training in promoting sustained changes in behaviour. I have been a trainer for decades, usually I have only a few hours or a couple of days to introduce new skills and concepts before despatching people back into the real world, it's seldom enough to influence ingrained habits or beliefs, or embed new behaviours.
Coaching works because it helps us to learn and to continue practising new skills and behaviours in real world conditions until we become fluent and confident in their application.
4. We do it long enough to experience the rewards
Building new competencies and confidence involves the manager coach staying with the blood, sweat and tears of the development process until the new insights are realised and fully integrated into everyday behaviour.
Coaching works because it’s continuous. A good coach truly believes in the capability of the person they are coaching and they stay the distance. They challenge us to attempt things we may not consider if left to our own devices. They coach us through the journey until we experience the rewards of success. It’s the success that reinforces the change in our behaviour. Once we experience this there’s no looking back.
Coaching really works because it focuses on:
Beliefs: This is worth doing. It can be done. I can do it
Learning: I know How to do this
Behaviour: I am doing this, it feels good, it's rewarding. I will continue to do this and so the new behaviour becomes my "everyday way"
Things do not change, we change.
Henry David Thoreau
Coaching for Real Change
As a manager coach you are working in the context of both organisational and personal change.
Organisational Change
The main success factor in organisational change, whether it is the introduction of new technology, a new structure, system or procedure, is the long-term change of people’s behaviours.
Personal Change
The central success factor in any personal, team or cultural change initiative is the long-term change of people’s behaviour.
The only real change is behavioural change. Coaching really works because it helps us to achieve long-term sustainable behavioural change.
How to work with this:
1. What beliefs do you hold about coaching?
2. How do these influence your approach to coaching in your management role?
3. Are there any which may be limiting your coaching practice?
4. What behaviours do you need to change to develop your coaching effectiveness?
5. What do you need to learn to be able to achieve this?
Answers in your Inbox:
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