A633.8.3.RB
How
do coaches help?
Based on the readings reflect upon the statement
below:
To be an executive coach, it is necessary to know that
clients are the first and best expert capable of solving their own problems and
achieving their own ambitions, that is precisely the main reason why clients
are motivated to call on a coach. When clients bring important issues to a
coach, they already made a complete inventory of their personal or professional
issues and of all possible options. Clients have already tried working out their
issues alone, and have not succeeded.
- Given
the statement above what is it that coaches do to provide value to their
clients?
- Why
is coaching a vital aspect of both leadership and strategy?
- How
can it make a difference in an organization?
- What
does this mean to you and your organization?
Each
coach cannot have experienced every experience.
This is especially true when it comes to business coaches and life
coaches. One can generalize and use
common sense when those being coached have clouded thoughts. Coaches bring clarity in times of turmoil.
I am
reminded of the movie, “Hitch”, starring Will Smith. The movie, in a nut shell
goes something like this, “Alex Hitchens, better known as Hitch, is the date
doctor. His latest project, Albert Brenneman, is a nerdy financial consultant
who fell in love with the famous Allegra Cole. While Hitch helps Albert with
his love life, he struggles with his own. He starts falling for work-a-holic,
Sarah Melas. After boyfriend problems with her best friend, Sarah labels Hitch
with a reputation that he didn't deserve. Hitch proves his love and goes to
great lengths to win a love of his own.”
(IMDb: Hitch, 2005)
You
see, Hitch can see clearly when it comes to Albert’s issues yet he cannot see
his own. Albert is an open book and this
makes it easy for Hitch to offer advice.
Hitch is a coach.
Just
like Hitch, coaches try to find the attractors that will stimulate those being
coached. Obolensky discusses coaching
attractors in his text, “Complex Adaptive Leadership”. According to Obolensky, “Coaching attractor. Of all the periodic attractors on paired
strategies, this is the most powerful and also demands the greatest skill. On
the one side of the divide (Tell–Sell), the leader acts as the leader. On the
other (Involve–Devolve) the leader encourages the follower to take the lead.
Coaching is a good technique to bridge the divide, as well as move an
individual towards level 5 followership (gets on with things without
supervision and reports in a routine way). There are many different coaching
approaches and methodologies. The most effective one for Complex Adaptive
Leadership is the GROW model coupled with a questioning technique which makes
use of a mix of open/closed and suggestive/non-suggestive questions. Let’s look
at how this works. In phase space the action is a mix of Selling (using
suggestive questions) and Involving (using non-suggestive questions).”
(Obolensky, 2014)
So,
what is the GROW model? According to Obolensky, “The GROW model is a
questioning technique. GROW stands for the questions asked: Goal, Reality,
Options, Will. It is a coaching questioning technique designed to enable the
person being coached to find a way through a problem. It assumes a level of
knowledge by the person answering the questions and is very much a ‘pull’
technique. As such, it would belong as part of the S3 (involve) strategy. The
GROW model assumes open questions. The line of questioning follows a natural flow,
although in reality one would jump about a bit. For example, having identified
the goal and why the person wishes to achieve it, the options may indicate that
the goal stated is in fact an option of a deeper goal – one would need then to
cycle back and clarify the goal again. Open questions cannot be answered by
‘yes/no’ and non-suggestive questions do not imply an answer in any way. This
is an important distinction. If questions were suggestive (for example, ‘Would
such-and-such a solution work?’), and the person took the approach suggested it
would not be wholly owned. Non-suggestive questions mean that any answer or
solution which emerges is wholly made by the individual and so is more easily
owned. If there is success, the sense of achievement is enhanced. If there is
failure, the accountability is clear. However, the GROW approach does assume
the individual has the tacit knowledge to uncover the solution or the way forward.
If that tacit knowledge is incomplete, then the leader will need to suggest
solutions. So questioning can be suggestive and non-suggestive. When coupled
with open/closed questioning technique, four basic types of questions can be
employed during the GROW process.”
Goal
What
would you like to achieve?
What
benefit would you gain?
What
would happen if you failed?
Reality
How
far are you from your goal?
What
are the barriers that you face?
Who
could help you?
Options
How
could you achieve your goal?
If
that approach failed, what then?
How
could you ask for help?
Will
What
is the very first step?
When
will you take it?
Do
you really want to do this?
The
GROW model makes sense since it asks open ended fact finding questions. This is what coaches do to provide value to
their clients. Coaches help their
clients think through their obstacles.
Coaches help their clients think about the “what ifs”. Coaches help their clients achieve their
goals by engaging them.
Coaching
a vital aspect of both leadership and strategy because it enables and engages
leaders while clarifies strategies by allowing the stakeholders to do their own
thinking through critical thinking based on open ended, fact finding
questioning. This could be the
difference between success and failure.
Coaching brings action to stagnation.
Regarding
my organization, secondary education is fluid.
Teachers self-coach themselves based on policy, syllabi and curriculum
but sometimes need a bit of a kick from the administration. However, teachers must be flexible because of
changes in requirements, testing and policy.
References
IMDb. (2005). Hitch. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386588/plotsummary
Obolensky, N. (2014). Complex Adaptive Leadership. (2d ed). Gower Publishing: Burlington,
VT
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