What is business coaching?

Coaching is a process.

The aim is to evoke excellence, improve performance and clarify goals.

The coaching process we see in sport works in business too, although it focuses on different skills.

– In simple language:

I coach you - You perform better - Outcomes improve

Coaching is a form of learning

Not like being in school.

This is the sort of learning that you gain from life experience.

A coach supports a leader or manager through their self-development & there are two main benefits.

- The change is greater.

- It happens faster..

Why do organizations use a coach?

To improve staff performance or when they need to increase the organization’s capability through new skills acquisition.

For instance:

I need to improve productivity rapidly
I want to help new staff hit the ground running.

Improved performance might mean new ways of thinking or more effective ways of approaching situations.

New skills might mean better communication with other team members

The government uses coaching… so coaching is now standard for all new CEOs in the NHS & is used by many County Councils for new heads of schools.

Big business uses coaching…companies such as Shell or Astra Zeneca or British Airways employ coaches or have their own.

They find staff:

become more organized and effective at work,
have confidence in handling difficult problems with staff and the public
relate to other people more constructively

How does it work?

In sport the coach supports the individual as they improve their performance and get better results.

What is coached depends on the goal. For a golfer, the goal might be winning a major tournament (an end goal), or simply the need to improve their swing (a performance goal).

The role of the coach is to apply specific principles of success. The learner (sometimes called the coachee) learns by fast tracking the normal learning by experience model.

The principle
of coaching
is the same
in all fields...

Things that coaching alters