Dispelling coaching myths

In his best-selling sports book, The Inner Game of Tennis, pioneering coach Tim Gallwey developed a revolutionary programme for overcoming the self-doubt, nervousness and lapses of concentration that can keep a player from winning.

He later applied these principles to the corporate world in The Inner Game of Work, his precept being that there is always an inner game being played in your mind, no matter what outer game you are playing. Gallwey believes that in every human endeavour there are two arenas of engagement: the outer and the inner. The outer game is played on an external arena to overcome external obstacles to reach an external goal. How aware you are of this game can make the difference between success and failure in the outer game.

Coaching is a relatively new activity, but one which has had a great impact on the business world since its emergence and adoption in the 1990s. In a period of 10 to 15 years the coaching profession has grown exponentially, particularly in the US, Australia, Europe and SA.

As with any high-growth industry that does not have prescriptive parameters of control and conduct, there are both great and poor coaches out there. The former includes people who are well positioned to assist and enable people who wish to make major leaps forward in terms of who they are and what they do.

Companies need to be diligent and stringent around the selection of coaches. Factors such as background, experience, references, timeframe and modalities all need to be taken into account prior to the appointment of a coach. Occasionally, people may have a negative coaching experience, but it would be unwise then to conclude that all coaching is ineffective - that would be like suggesting that one bad romance means you should never fall in love again.

Rather than demonising the experience, companies should seek to determine what went wrong. Why did the participants have a bad experience? How did the coach in question make it through the system? Where was the flaw in your system of engaging with external suppliers? These lessons must be applied to other service providers so as to prevent a recurrence.

The quality of reference is a key criterion when it comes to the selection of a coach. Talk to people they have coached and find out what were the outcomes, and how long the engagement lasted.

Qualifications are equally important. There are almost no formal professional coaching qualifications, but there are a variety of accreditations being provided by business schools. Find out what it is that equips them and qualifies them to be a professional coach, and what qualifications they have to do the work you require of them.

Coaches should themselves look to being coached on an ongoing basis, so find out who coaches your prospective coach.

Ask what methodology they use, and find out their areas of specialisation.

Know what you want to accomplish, and your desired outcomes, and make sure the person you choose is equipped to assist you with that.

In larger organisations it is sensible to have a number of service providers. A major bank, for example, would have a selection of approved coaches, to cater for the potential volume and need for close match and synergy between coach and client. The relationship between the coach and the client is highly personal, and the ability to cultivate success requires mutual trust.

Companies need to be diligent and stringent around the selection of coaches.

Bryan Hattingh, CEO, Cycan.

Coaching is not the transfer of knowledge, insight, wisdom, skills and expertise via instruction, demonstration and collaboration; therefore it is not mentoring. Coaching is not about advising people on the way forward, so it is not consulting. It is not counselling either - that is the work of psychologists and therapists. It is the teaching of technical skills, but it is not teaching.

Most importantly, coaching is not about telling - it`s about asking, listening, and facilitating the changing of perspectives, views, expectations, aspirations and the sense of purpose of the individual. Importantly, it is about the development of action plans to inculcate the behaviours required to bring about the attainment of the desired outcomes and consequent lifestyle.

Coaching enables people to constantly improve their concept of "best" and to continue to strive for it. It enables them to create, maintain and express an ever-enriching sense of purpose. It allows them to develop, pursue and live the dreams that impassion them. It empowers them to increase their sense of ownership and to take action in their lives. It prepares them to transform ideas and concepts into capabilities and reality, ultimately unleashing their latent potential. Coaching can be a catalyst for new ideas and a vehicle for transformational learning.

There is a myth that coaching is for people who are under-performing or in a state of inertia. In fact, coaching is for high achievers and people who want to realise greater amounts of their potential, because the truth is that in today`s world, the more successful you become, the more difficult it is for you to increase and reach your true potential without some form of focused assistance.

Coaching can take numerous forms, the most prominent and impactful one being transformational coaching for business leaders and executives.

The role of the coach in every instance is to pave the way for increased performance and capability. Transformational coaching brings about revolutionary changes in people, through which they can change their behaviour and themselves on a permanent basis - it`s all about inculcating new behaviours. But people will not do that unless they have a meaningful reason and basis for doing so. Behaviour change requires significant effort, and breaking down of historical self-limiting beliefs. It demands that people move into spaces that are not comfortable, so they had best have a clear vision of why they are doing that. The primary outcome of transformational coaching is to give people a richer, broader, deeper view of what they want in and from life, why they may not be experiencing it, and how they can attain it.

The ideal candidates for coaching are high achievers and current or potential leaders. More than anyone else in an organisation, CEOs have few available sounding boards and ways to compare and measure themselves. If nothing else, he or she can benefit simply from having a creative, attentive listener who will help to ask the questions neither the executives nor anyone else will ask.

These questions are determined by the depth of the coach`s ability to listen and assimilate. Coaches are there to open pathways, but they must not lead the coachee down them. One of the greatest challenges for coaches is to develop a gift for listening and to quell any desire to offer advice or ideas.

The benefits to business are numerous. Coaching enables top achievers to realise more business and personal goals than ever before and extend their view of "best". It puts an end to burnout, and enables people to manage their time more effectively. People who have been through a successful coaching programme thrive on change instead of merely coping with it, and can thus make better choices and decisions, both for themselves and their companies.