What skills does it take? How is it done? What would a “Coaching Culture” look like? What kind of manager can make the transition?

The question is often asked - “Could our Managers/Leaders become good Coaches?” The answer is - Maybe.

Here’s the reality - Most managers in corporate America are good technicians at what they do. They typically have deficiencies in the “soft skills” area.

Here is where a big distinction needs to be made:

There is a HUGE difference between Leaders and Managers. The difference is that Leaders have mastered the soft/people skills necessary to inspire people to work up to their full potential. Managers often have solid technical skills but don’t inspire others to work toward a collective goal. A symptom of a typical manager is that their people are often in need of a “task with consequences” approach to their work vs. leaders who inspire self motivation for the good of the cause.

Here are the skills that Coaching takes:

1. Desire - a true desire to help others succeed.

2. Awareness - a trust in ones’ intuitive “gut.”
 
3. Focus - on the individual and their challenges vs. a need to “solve” things for others.

4. Listening - a sincere desire to truly hear what others are saying.

A Coaching culture is typified by these attributes:

1. Respect - you would see interactions that respect the word of the individual.

2. Worth - individuals within these cultures feel valued and appreciated.

3. Real Communication - not your typical “force fed” communication. You would see fully duplexed communication throughout the ranks.

4. Stability and progress - these cultures display more stability and retain their best people better than others. That leads to greater personal and business success.


Corporate Leaders that can make the transition to Coach are those that truly believe in investing in the individual - in time and money. It takes a sincere desire and belief that investments made in people pay off for the company.

Does this resonate with you?

Take good care,



Drayton Boylston

Founder and CEO - Executive Coaching University

http://www.ExecutiveCoachingUniversity.com

© 2013 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.

by Drayton Boylston

There is much confusion about what Coaching is- and isn’t. Many consulting firms have simply gone through their marketing materials and changed the word “consulting” to “coaching.” For many in the business world, that sums up what they perceive Coaching to be, a new word for consulting.

Nothing could be farther from the truth!

.. Coaching IS NOT about giving advice or consulting. It is not about mentoring. It is not about “helping” others by providing solutions to problems.

.. It IS about working intensely with people, utilizing provocative and powerful questions, to enable people to find answers themselves. At its essence, Coaching is about equipping people with the tools to discern the real issues at work and then to employ the right actions to best deal with the realities that they face.

.. Coaching is not therapy. Coaching should not go anywhere near what is considered the domain of therapists and psychologists. If it does, it’s not coaching. Coaching is not about the past- it is about the present- and the future. Good Coaches know when they are getting near the areas where others need to be called in- and do so.

.. While some Coaching can appear to be ethereal and too “out there” for companies, that is a much different type of Coaching (Life Coaching). There is a distinct form of Executive Coaching that is used in the corporate environment. It is directly tied to personal improvement and increased productivity that in turn pays off handsomely for the organization.

.. Coaching does not “fix” people. It is rare that Coaching can be deployed to “fix” those that deem to be in need of a quick change by their manager.

.. Coaching can have dramatic short term impact. But the reality is that it will take from 6-12 months of quality Coaching to make sustainable changes. Those that tell you that it can be done quicker are not well informed.

.. Coaching is about individual planning, goal setting, and achievement. It’s also about personal discovery and enlightenment. It is about realizing one’s full potential.

With all that being said, Coaching is about so many things that would benefit every company. Coaching helps create stronger and more productive people that are more valuable to the organization!

Be well,

Drayton Boylston
Founder and CEO - Rescue Institute, Executive Coaching University

http://www.executivecoachinguniversity.com

© 2013 and beyond Executive Coaching University. All rights reserved.