Coach

Why coach? Out of selfishness as much as philanthropy.

Investing ten minutes in coaching will save an hour.

A coach is responsible for identifying and inducing productive discomfort

—Kent Beck

A coach aims to:

• enhance the performance and learning ability of others;
• help people to help themselves;
• build trust in the coaching relationship—a powerful way to do this is to disclose something of your own strengths, weaknesses and experiences;
• give feedback;
• include techniques such as motivation and effective questioning;
• recognize the coachee’s readiness to undertake a particular task, in terms of their location in the skill will matrix for a leader coach.

As a great coach, you:

• create more time for yourself and others—working the skill will matrix with your people, you will in the position to delegate more;
• enjoy the fun of working with a band of colleagues who actually relish working with you;
• achieve better results with your stable team more quickly;
• build your interpersonal skills more broadly—which often means you interact and relate better with those around you: family, friends, customers, vendors; and
• ‘groove’ coaching skills and habits into your daily lives.

Are you a great coach? Assess yourself using the coaching self-assessment.

Also see mentor.

Facts:

1. the number of enlightened leaders seems to be much greater than people normally think;
2. many people have found these techniques also help them talk better with their customers—not just with their own teams; and
3. the coaching tool kit seems to be relevant well beyond the mere corporate world.

A coaching leader takes coaching a step further.

Person being coached by a coach. Closely related to mentor.

Sources

• The Tao of Coaching by Max Landsberg
• University of Tasmania » Coaching conversations for change (part 1)
• HBR » Jack Zenger, Joseph Folkman » Finding the Balance Between Coaching and Managing

See also

• category:coach
• Change
• Culture
• agile coach