So let’s look at a few specific areas where coaching can enable success and how displaying some of these skills and attributes can make this happen.

Leadership

What many people do not realize is the person that asks the questions controls the conversation. However the ability to ask a question that is helpful and enabling to others is even more powerful. Empowering Questioning is a key and very fundamental skill of coaching and all great leaders have the unique ability to form their questions that gets people’s attention, is informative and helps them contribute in a much more meaningful way.

Team Building

The essence of team work is engaging everybody. This happens most effectively if people truly listen to each other. This is not listening at a level where you only relate to what somebody says as it pertains to you. This is about really listening to what somebody is saying (and even sometimes not saying) as it pertains to them. When people do that, connections become much stronger because Intuitive Listening is selfless and makes it more about the other person. This builds collaboration.

Teaching

Truly great teachers have the uncanny knack of presenting information in a manner that gets people thinking. This ability to access somebody’s Curiosity allows them to challenge themselves, see things from other perspectives and very often identify the appropriate course of action. The real key to teaching is not necessarily the information imparted but rather the action that emerges as a result.

One could say that coaching has always been around. However what is different today is that more people are developing these skills proactively as a means of ensuring that they maximize their potential (and those around them), both personally and professionally.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Of course you might be thinking that this is not realistic and rarely would you have a situation in place when these variables are “in sync”. In fact it might even be suggested that should this be the case then there is no need for coaching. Don’t forget coaching is not about fixing something that is broke. It’s about making a good situation even better; moving from functional to optimal. Research completed by Genos PTY supports this fact that much higher levels of employee engagement can be achieved when both an emotionally intelligent manager and motivated employee are present in the respective individuals. In turn employee engagement manifests itself in low turnover, high productivity, innovation, improved relations, etc, which are most typically the outcomes been sought through coaching support and development.

Similarly within the profession of coaching, it is probably fair to say that all good coaches demonstrate emotionally intelligent behavior; if they don’t, they should. At an intake session a considerable amount of the conversation delves into why a client is hiring a coach and what they hope to achieve, all of which speaks to their motivation.

So knowingly or otherwise, Emotional Intelligence and Motivation are clearly key ingredients for success in any effective coaching engagement.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

In truth the best coaches are also teachers. They are blessed with an uncanny ability of presenting knowledge in a very receptive way because they are doing it with a sense of purpose for their client. One underlying theme that goes with all of this surrounds coaches being of service and recognizing the “appropriateness” of what is trying to be achieved. This can be best illustrated by following these guidelines:

Appropriate Information

Share information that is beneficial to the other person and not something that makes you sound smart. This can be defined very simply as something that helps to positively advance the client and what they are working on.

Appropriate Time

Sometimes a client may not be ready for certain information or receptive to its implications. Choose your timing so that the recipient sees it as a potential to helping rather than a distraction or adding to any overwhelm is critical.

Appropriate Manner

Sharing information so that it is not directing or imposes expectations is critical to the receptivity of information. Presenting as a suggestion via questioning or somebody else’s similar experience can be very effective. (For example, somebody I knew in a similar situation did x, how would you feel about that?)

Coaching and teaching can coexist very well and lead to a very positive and constructive learning environment. Those who can appropriately manage this blend end up being great coaches and of optimum service to their clients (and also great leaders).

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

1.  Leverage Experience – coaching is not about simply learning how to coach and forgetting all the experience, knowledge and wisdom life has taught you. Great coaches are also teachers who can share this information in a way that opens doors of opportunity for their clients.

2.  Pick Your Niche – coaching is probably the only profession whereby you can essentially select whatever niche you want. Obviously this is going to be somewhat influenced by what you want to leverage from your past but the candidacy for coaching is enormous.

3.  Minimal Costs – coaching can be effectively provided either via phone or in person and with the advancement of pretty accessible teleconferencing (eg Skype), it’s becoming even easier. This can minimize overhead and consequently make coaching much more accessible.

4.  Job Satisfaction – coaching affords the opportunity to become an independent player and really shape your own destiny. It provides for significant flexibility in working hours and provides a level of satisfaction not found in most traditional working environments.

5.  Low Barriers to Entry – coaching is a self regulated profession and therefore quite easy to enter. This is a good news / bad news situation. However those that are serious and undertake formal Certification Training while investing in presenting a credible business will undoubtedly succeed.

The profession of coaching continues to be at an evolutionary phase.  However with all the modern day challenges the demand for coaching is ever increasing and coupled with more high quality individuals entering the profession, a tipping point is eminent.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

The main reason is that effective execution of these simple concepts is counter intuitive to how we are brought up. Although well intentioned, the guidance provided by parents, teachers and bosses, tended to be more directing while coaching is much more facilitative. The secret and essence of “doing” good coaching is to be patient with the process and desired outcome.

If somebody comes to us with a question we feel that the appropriate response is to answer it. However what if you thought about questioning them (appropriately) a little more or gaining some clarification? Very often, in the honorable pursuit of helping somebody, we offer an answer that may not be right for them.

People who are good listeners also refrain from making the conversation about then. Again, a natural tendency is to hear what somebody says and relate it back to what this means for you. This is called subjective listening and while most might think it being empathetic, in reality you are shifting the focus of the conversation from them to you – not good!

Whether you are coaching clients or individuals within an organization, a directive approach will simply not work. That is why adapting a strategy where the individual feels listened to, is being questioned in a non judgmental way, is being acknowledged and validated, works far better. This is how you engage somebody, this is how you get them to accept responsibility and ultimately this is how you get them to act appropriately.

Coaching skills, once clearly understood require practice and more practice. These skills are behavioral based and can be mastered in a very authentic way.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

If you are relatively new to the profession of coaching and are doing this with a view to getting clients and establishing a practice of your own, here are a few key tips.

1. Be fully committed to building a business first

Most new businesses irrespective of service or product rarely generate revenue straight out of the gate. So commit yourself 100% to the business from day 1 which should be when you register for training and not when you get your certification.

2. Establish a niche that is a descriptor

If you say you are a Life Coach or a Professional Coach this is very vague and certainly does not separate you from the pack. However if you say you are an Executive Coach or a Wellness Coach this is much clearer in terms of who you help and in general the challenges you work on. So refine your descriptor as much as possible.

3. Speak to the results not the process

Coaching does not sell – it’s the ‘positive outcome” that clients place the value in; so emphasize this. Share how you have helped others long before speaking about how the process works.

4. Leverage your past to build credibility

Most coaches have tremendous knowledge, wisdom and experience; this, appropriately positioned can create instant credibility even if new to coaching.

5. Seek out multiple income streams

What about other activities such as speaking, writing, consulting, training, etc that, not alone will help market your coaching services, but also become additional sources of income.

6. Create partnerships with either other coaches or similar helping professions

In working with a group of like minded individuals you can build scale, credibility and diversity of products offered.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

• The Market – Coaching as a profession still remains at an evolutionary stage in its development and understanding. The market is characterized by multiple individuals creating their own coaching practice with a minimal amount of collaboration. This is meeting the needs of the individual coaches but is preventing the profession from creating the scale and recognition necessary to make coaching more mainstream. Executive Coaching remains widely accepted and valued, while Life Coaching needs further refinement and definition. Life Coaches need to be clear in terms of niche definition to better help the public understand the type of service provided.

• Credibility – Barriers to entry remain relatively low with those serious about this new undertaking as a coach at least investing in being formally trained and certified. Coaches may not be as classroom prepared as therapists or counselors but are receiving much more practical hands on training. This in turn becomes the vehicle through which they can draw on their own knowledge, experience and passion to serve clients effectively. The International Coach Federation continues to gain traction in terms of recognition as the leading professional body of coaches. This alignment with ICF, whether through membership, participation in an ICF accredited coach training program or ICF certification itself, are all important stepping stones to advancing the profession and the individual coach in a credible manner.

• Corporate – More organizations are embracing the coaching concepts and looking to use the coaching model and tools as a much more effective way of managing / leading their people. In addition progressive companies are looking to develop internal coaching capabilities in order to make what might be viewed as “expensive external executive coaching” more accessible to mid level management and high potential individuals. The primary participants are the HR function but management level positions, in all disciplines, are also embracing coaching to help develop more effective communication and interpersonal skills.

The services provided through the skillful execution of the coaching process undoubtedly provide a value on many levels. The key to the accelerated growth of the Coaching Profession is the articulation of this value and the relentless pursuit of helping clients reach their full potential.

Post By: Bill Sex – CEO New England Coaching and Past President ICFNE

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s consider the 7 Key Life Elements to help with this:

• Relationships – what is one way that you could improve a relationship within your family? Maybe it’s your son or daughter, mother or father, husband, wife or partner – pick one! Attend more games, help with home work, go to movies together.
• Recreation – what is one fun activity that you really enjoy doing? Perhaps you like to run, so why not do a marathon? Maybe you like to act, so why not join a cast in play? Or maybe you like a particular team, arrange to attend more games.
• Talents – what are you really good at and who might really appreciate your help – however big or small. Help out at church, school or local charity; get back to the hobby you used to love.
• Health – pick one area that is really important and do something that stretches you a little. Eat a little less; run a little further; spend a little longer in the gym. It doesn’t have to be big but it will feel great.
• Money – would you like to save a little bit more or maybe you want to give to some charity. Maybe you want to speak with a financial advisor or do your college FAFSA application now rather than later.
• Career – what is one aspect of your career that would make it better – perhaps get on better with a work colleague, take that break during the day, complete tasks on time and keep you boss happy – do something!
• Connections – what about all those people outside your family – maybe you set up a Facebook account and re-connect with people, maybe you call that old friend you have been putting off.

People all too often create Goals and New Year’s Resolutions that are unrealistic and therefore, to nobody’s surprise, they never get done. Then they blame themselves (and the Goal Setting Process) and feel worse. The key is committing to something achievable, however small it might appear, realizing a result and experiencing the great feeling that comes from it.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

At iPEC Coaching we look at two fundamental sets of skills.

The Inner Skills are those that allow a coach to engage in meaningful dialogue to build trust and rapport with a client. These skills include:

• Empowered Questioning allows people to think more deeply and raise their energy level to choice and opportunity,
• Insightful Listening establishes presence, trust and builds rapport
• Re-framing helps clients see things differently and be more positive about what is happening.

Additional inner skills would include Acknowledging, Validating and Clarifying, the combined affect of which is that clients open up, tell the unvarnished truth and, the real challenges and opportunities become apparent.

The Outer Skills are used to help a client to move into the action mode. Some of these are:

• Prioritizing helps to avoid overwhelm by choosing what is wanted and valued most
• Accountability achieves commitment and prevents clients from reverting to original behaviors
• Bottom Lining ensures focus is maintained and client stays on track

Some of the other skills include Visioning, Goal Setting and Directing the Action, all of which have the intent of leading the client to a tangible and desired result.

Great coaches utilize these skills consistently and in a very natural way. They are very much like a catalyst in the purest sense – required to initiate but unattached to the outcome.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Here are a few tips to consider ensuring this happens.

• Start with the end in mind. In other words get absolute clarity from the executive in terms of what success would look like for them. Write it down and reference it often throughout the process.
• Speak with his / her boss. Typically the boss has either suggested or acknowledged the need to hire a coach in the first place; understanding their role in the process (i.e supportive) and their perspective of what success looks like to them, is very important for you as the coach to know.
• If there is an HR person involved in the process, get their perspective as well. They very often have knowledge that may not be all that forthcoming from the client or their boss.
• Even though you maybe planning some assessments ask for any that they may have done recently. This may well be their current frame of reference and therefore would be important for you to get on this same page.
• Finally, remember that both the individual and the organization are your clients and be sure to have clearly defined what is confidential and what can be shared.

With all of these activities addressed in advance, you will be well on the way to ensuring a very successful coaching engagement.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.