How To Coach For Success?

We all agree that coaching is beneficial to all parties involved.

But how often have you felt overwhelmed with just the idea of coaching others and promptly dropped the attempt.

Coaching does not have to be overwhelming, if you understand the basic principles of how to coach for success.

There are steps that can be followed to ensure successful coaching.

What Is The Purpose Of Coaching?

“When you encourage others, you in the process are being encouraged because you’re making a commitment to that person’s life. Encouragement really does make a difference.” – Zig Ziglar

Coaching is a process of providing an appropriate amount of direction and support to assist a learner in meeting required performance standards.

The purpose of coaching is to challenge perceptual distortions, raise learner awareness and challenge underlying assumptions.

Coaches can assist with the following:

clarify what is being said
challenge the distortion
open up other options

How To Challenge Perceptual Distortions?

“The interesting thing about coaching is that you have to trouble the comfortable, and comfort the troubled.” – Ric Charlesworth

One of the purpose of coaching is to challenge perceptual distortions.

Below are the 10 most common perceptual distortions:

All or Nothing Thinking – seeing things as black-or-white, right-or-wrong with nothing in between.
Overgeneralization – using words like always or never in relation to a single event of experience
Minimizing or Magnifying – Seeing everything as dramatically more or less important than they actually are
“Shoulds” – Using “should”, “need to”, “must”, to motivate yourself then feeling guilty when you don’t follow through
Labeling – attaching a negative label to yourself or others following a single event
Jumping to Conclusion – making negative assumptions about how people see you without evidence or factual support
Fortune Telling – making negative predictions about the future without evidence or factual support
Discounting the Positive – Not acknowledging the positives. Saying anyone could have done it or insisting that your positive actions, qualities, or achievements don’t count.
Emotional Reasoning – I feel, therefore I am. Assuming that a feeling is true – without digging deeper to see if this accurate.
Mental Filter – Allowing (dwelling on) one negative detail or fact spoil your enjoyment, happiness, or hope.

Motivation – Part Of Coaching

Selecting the right person for the right job is the largest part of coaching. – Phil Crosby

Motivation plays a big part in the coaching process. But before we can motivate the learners, we need to understand what motivates people.

What motivates people:

1. Autonomy – the urge to direct our own lives

People want autonomy over the following:

tasks ( what they do)
time (when they do it)
team (who they do it with)
technique (how they do it)

2. Mastery – the desire to get better and better at something that matters

become better at something that matters
only engagement can produce mastery
experiences where our abilities are matched to the challenges we face
3 rules of mastery:

– mastery is mindset – capacity to see our abilities as infinitely improvable

– mastery is effort, grit, and deliberate practice

– impossible to fully realize. Constant effort is required to continuously improve

3. Purpose – The yearning to do what we do, in the service of something bigger than ourselves

it is human nature to seek purpose
purpose is expressed in three ways:

– goals that use profit as a means to reach purpose

– words emphasizing more than self-interest

-policies allowing people to pursue purpose on their own terms

Why Is Coaching Important?

“People don’t only use a coach when there is a problem with their technique; they understand that no matter how good their technique is, there is always room for improvement.” – John Perry

The benefits of coaching are wide-ranging for the individuals involved.

Coaching is important for the following reasons:

to obtain maximum performance
to effectively channel an employee’s energy and capability
to provide a clear sense of direction
a process for measuring performance
a process for providing feedback
a way to gain perspective
a way to build more productive teams
improves communication skills
increases employee engagement
empowers individuals and encourages them to take responsibility

What Are The Coaching Steps?

“Coaching is a unique process of human development, one that works to change a person’s life for the better and help him/her achieve a number of specific objectives.” – Ian Berry

The coaching process might seem overwhelming at first, but if you follow the below steps, you will make sure the process goes smoothly.

1. Prepare The Learner

Acknowledge the learner experience
Show empathy for their situation

2. Demonstrate The Process

One step at a time
Encourage learner questions
Explain the relationship between the process and the goals

3. Establish A Positive Atmosphere

Be honest and respectful of the learner’s feeling

4. Have The Learner Perform The Process

Offer support and guidance
Help the learner gain confidence

5. Be Available To Follow Up

Review learner progress
Ensure the learner is in line with the standards

Things To Keep In Mind

“The power of coaching is this – you are expected to give people the path to find answers, not the answers.” – Tom Mahalo

what specifically are you trying to achieve
balance discussions of weak areas with strengths
focus on behaviors – not personality
describe your observations (factually and descriptively – no judgment)
describe why good performance is important
ask open-ended questions to engage the learner
solicit solutions from the learner
end on positive note
discuss consequences of good and bad performance

What Should A Coach Focus On?

“Successful coaches are visionaries. They have a picture of success set in their minds.” Gavin McGinnis

always try to maintain or enhance the learner’s self-respect and self-esteem
actively listen to the learner and respond with empathy
ask for help end encourage involvement from the learner
express confidence in the learner’s ability to perform successfully
agree with the learner on how he/she can ask for your help
be careful not to take over the job from the learner and do not remove the learner’s accountability for good performance
a powerful motivator is personalized, instant recognition
simply asking for the learner’s involvement is motivational in itself
recognize performance that:

– need improvement

– meets expectations

– exceeds expectations

“An evolutionary coach needs to instill five qualities in their clients to support them on the journey to full self-realization – adaptability, emergent learning, the ability to bond, the ability to cooperate and the ability to manage complexity.” – Richard Barrett

Coaching for success is not hard or complicated.

You can ensure that the process is successful by following the outlined steps and keeping in mind the basic principles.

The benefits of properly executed coaching process are worth the effort.