Coaching is all about bringing people to where they want to go in life and work. It is the process of drawing out solutions from the people being coached so their potential is unleashed. In a coaching conversation, the coach does not provide the solution or even, suggestions, unless expressed permission is obtained. Instead, a coach uses various coaching techniques to empower the person being coach to come up with their own answers.
According to the International Coach Federation (ICF), coaching is “as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership.”
At ITD World, our CEO and World #1 Strategic Innovation Coach Dr Peter Chee, together with World #1 Success Coach Dr Jack Canfield have defined coaching as an “an empowering process of unleashing human potential by drawing out solutions from people through effective listening, asking great questions, using feedback, appreciating and continuously supporting people to take ownership and be accountable for taking action to realize their goals.”
Dr Peter Chee ITD World, our CEO and World #1 Strategic Innovation CoachDr Jack Canfield World #1 Success Coach
Coaching is an empowering process of unleashing human potential by drawing out
solutions from people through effective listening, asking great questions, using feedback,
appreciating and continuously supporting people to take ownership and be accountable
for taking action to realize their goals
Coaching has many benefits. One of them is transforming behaviors and habits positively and to make the impact the coachee wants in their life. This is done when the coach helps the person being coached leverage on their strengths, talents, and passions to drive transformation. They do so by engaging in coaching conversations where asking great questions triggers creativity and exploratory process. The coachee is prompted to discover and tap deeply into key motivators for attaining their desired outcomes.
The key action steps in the coaching conversation are then converted into a personalized action plan for massive action. This record is a key document in keeping the coachee accountable as it records their commitment towards the change they are striving for.
People become highly motivated when they have a sense of deep accountability towards results and are supported by systems which drive them forwards. In moving for the desired outcomes, they generate higher influence for bigger impact on the organization and stakeholders.
Organizations and corporations use coaching and mentoring to accelerate performance for sustainable success. The use of these two approaches to develop talent has grown tremendously as organizations and leaders seek ways to optimize talent.
Although people may use the terms interchangeably, the two approaches are different in their methods. Coaching empowers the coachee to establish their own goals and solutions. Mentoring meanwhile lets the mentee be systematically guided to enhance their competencies and capabilities.
Coaching and mentoring let decision makers maximize time in a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous) world. Leaders want high productivity while simultaneously engaging and developing their team to resolve issues. Coaching gives people a tremendous sense of ownership, accountability and commitment to empowers them. The process of drawing out solutions unleashes their potential to overcome challenges.
People experienced accelerated growth from being mentored by senior leaders or experts who share their wealth of experience, expertise and connections. Mentors also teach, advice, guide and support others on the journey for results. For more, see how both coaching and mentoring unleashes people’s unlimited potential
Coaching in the workplace is usually known as executive coaching. Executive coaching makes successful leaders even more successful by driving positive transformation for outstanding outcomes. This process empowers leaders to add more value to their organizations and others.
Executive coaching paves the way for leaders to tap deeply into themselves to build upon past wins for greater achievements. They are also transforming vital behaviors by closing the gap between performance and expectation. Leaders who overcome their internal and external derailers and roadblocks emerge from the process better positioned for future growth.
The challenges of coaching can come from both the coach and the person being coached, the coachee. A roadblock the coach can face is when they tell the coachee what to do instead of listening effectively. When people are not challenged to unleash their ideas and solutions to address the issues they face, and instead are told what to do, the effectiveness of the coaching process diminishes. See why coaches should listen rather then tell to create an effective coaching conversation.
Another challenge in coaching is when the inner voice of the coach drowns out their coaching spirit. Instead of focusing on the agenda of the coachee by being present, the coach’s mind and spirit may be wandering on other matters. Being present means being focused on the other person’s agenda, available to interact, able to show that you understand the situation, challenges, resistance, and fears. Being present is being in the moment and to enjoy the moment by turning off the inner dialogue.
One of the biggest challenges coaches may have is asking leading or judgmental questions. These are questions which can disempower the coachee from seeking their own solutions. An example of a judgmental question is “Why were you so rude to her?”. A wise coach would instead ask, “What could you have done to maker the client feel better?.” It is important to avoid judgmental questions by prefacing the question with curiosity and concern. When the coach shows genuine interest, care, and sincerity, the coachee is not triggered to adopt a defensive attitude which may derail the coaching conversation.
For the coachee, the challenge may come from being unprepared for the session. Wise coaches usually would get in touch with the coachee before a formal coaching conversation to ask them to reflect on what they want. Coaches would send their coachees questions to reflect upon. If the coachee doesn’t take the time to do so, the coaching session may not be as fruitful as can be.
ITD World CEO and World #1 Strategic Innovation Coach Dr Peter Chee, along with World #1 Success Coach Dr Jack Canfield have detailed 30 coaching principles on their book Coaching for Breakthrough Success. The 30 principles are collectively known as The Coaching Principles (TCP).
These 30 principles are group under eight areas which are The Coaching Spirit, Relationship and Trust, Asking Questions and Curiosity, Listening and Intuition, Feedback and Awareness, Suggestions and Simplification, Goals and Action Plans, and Accountability and Accomplishments.
The Coaching Spirit is the attitude wise and successful coaches would want to adopt to bring the performance of their coachees to the next level. In Relationship and Trust, Peter and Jack show how coaches can build these two critical elements for a successful coaching conversation. A key skill in coaching is asking questions, and showcasing how this skill can be built is in Asking Questions and Curiosity.
Listening and Intuition demonstrates the importance of the oft overlooked art of listening, while Feedback and Awareness showcases how the coach can use both to get the coachee to reflect deeper and seek out insights. In Goals and Action Plans, and Accountability and Accomplishments, Peter and Jack explain the need for coaches to move their coachees to massive execution and detail how this can be done with the proper documentation and support systems.
To see how a coaching session is structured, we will be looking at the example of coaching an executive, otherwise known as executive coaching. Executive coaching usually begins by gathering feedback. This feedback is obtained from bosses, direct reports, peers, stakeholders and direct reports anonymously. Such information reveals the strengths they can leverage on to transform and any potential areas for improvement.
Leaders are then coached to focus on the areas they want to transform. This could be a personal development goal or a business goal, which is aligned to the organization’s goals. It is measurable and sits within a timeframe.
Employing powerful questions and motivational techniques, the executive coach works to unleash the potential of the leaders and helps them set breakthrough goals which challenges leaders to bring out the best in themselves.
Leaders are coached to tap deep in their creativity to come up with innovative solutions. Doing so allows them to formulate winning strategies for sustainable competitive advantage as well as identify potential roadblocks.
All these powerful ideas are generated by the leaders themselves. These ideas are translated into strategies, tactics, and action steps which are captured in a coaching log. This log serves as a record and “success diary” throughout the entire coaching journey. The executive coach will also assist leaders to create a personal accountability system, establish strong support structures and formulate scorecards to ensure leaders stay the course to obtain the desired results. Learn more about executive coaching for success and results that drives successful leaders to be even more successful.
Becoming a coach demonstrates the willingness to help people achieve their goals. Having this mindset of believing in the potential of people is vital. People who do not believe in the potentiality of others would find themselves hampered as coaches from the get-go. When coaches believe in the human potential for greatness the seeds of success are already sown.
In addition to having the right mindset, a key skill in becoming a coach is asking questions. These are not questions that are asked just for the sake of asking. Great questions are those which trigger creative thinking, solution-seeking, and empowerment. Doing so requires knowledge and regular practice. When coaches effectively ask questions that empower, they raise the coachee’s self-esteem by demonstrating confidence in their capability and potential.
Although it may not be necessary to have a coaching certification to be a coach, most coaches at the professional level have certifications. These certifications are there to demonstrate capability and credibility. Just like people who hesitate to hire a plumber without the proper qualifications, coaching certifications are a strong signal to others that the person is a qualified coach and knows what he or she is doing.
ITD World’s vision is to be Your Global Coaching and Leadership Development Partner. In line with the vision, ITD World has developed a full suite of coaching and leadership development solutions to equip people with the cutting edge skills that enable them for coaching success.
We have created a clear pathway for professional certification in the coaching industry. The foundational-level programs are designed to establish a strong grounding for professional coaching and mentoring practice in the industry. Advanced programs are also available. These enable professional mentors, coaches, and leaders to take their coaching practices further by going in-depth into the various coaching domains.
Many of the coaching programs offered by ITD World are recognized by the International Coach Federation (ICF). For example, the Certified Chief Master Coach (CCMC) program is approved by the ICF for 160 Approved Coach Specific Training Hours (ACSTH). These hours allow holders to apply for ICF credentials if they so choose.
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