A633.8.3.RB - How do Coaches Help?

Based on the 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?

As Constantine von Hoffman notes in Coaching: The ten killer myths (1999), coaching means helping people define clear goals and set a specific time frame in which to meet them. This is different from mentoring, which is characteristic of a long-term relationship. The goals can be anything from overcoming a problem with personal interactions to achieving a professional objective. Coaches provide value to their clients by showing them how to utilize their talents and pointing them into the successful direction.

Great coaches have been coached, and continue to look for development. Just as leaders do, coaches model what they expect of others. As Joe Girardi, manager of the New York Yankees baseball team notes,

You ask your players to be prepared mentally and physically, so you have to be prepared. Beyond that, you’ve got to adapt to the type of players you have. If you’ve got a home-run-hitting team, you can’t make them all base stealers, and vice versa.

Coaching can help the employees discover and communicate their goals for their career (Freeman, 2014). We must do things that great coaches do to earn the right to coach others. Establishing clear linkages between leadership development programs and overall business objectives can be achieved through effective coaching. Some managers fear that helping someone achieve a professional goal will encourage the person to quit and look for something better. When you form relationships in which others are inspired, challenged, appreciated and held accountable for their performance this will enhance and contribute to organizational strategy; most people looking for development are NOT looking to leave.

Coaching can have a direct impact on employees in an organization for a lasting affect well after the a session has taken place. Coaching can have a positive impact on performance when employees realize how cultivating new abilities can help them advance.

Embry-Riddle does not have any formal coaching programs in place; however, the Director of my department provided me with informal coaching sessions that help me to establish short term goals and personal objectives. I believe this was a good start and I hope it will continue, but it only began as a plan to quell an issue between a superior and I, which has been resolved. I would like to see more opportunities for more formal coaching and development opportunities within my department because it can positively benefit staff, leading to workers being more motivated and satisfied.


References

Carmichael, Sarah Green. How to Coach, According to 5 Great Sports Coaches. Harvard Business Review. Accessed at https://hbr.org/2015/02/how-to-coach-according-to-5-great-sports-coaches

Freeman, C. (2014). Coaching Is Important Piece of Engagement Strategy, Webinar Hears. HR Focus, 91(4), 14-15.

von Hoffman, C. (1999). Coaching: The ten killer myths. Harvard Management Update, 4(1), 4.