Coaching Principles Part Ten - Coach is a Mindset

Over the last 20 ish years of training people in coaching skills, there is one 'pushback' I have often received.    

'That is great, but when would I have time to do all that coaching stuff...asking those questions takes time.'

I agree actually.

In my world, a coaching session is 1 -2 hours.  That is the world of a coach.

In your world, maybe that is not possible or even required.  Coaching is a mindset.  It is about stopping and thinking, 'What is the best way I can get the best from this human or humans in front of me?'  'How can I help them to raise their game?'

Cartoon by Alan Evans

Stopping and asking yourself those questions is what a coaching mindset is about.  This stops you just reacting and doing what you would always do.  

Opportunities to coach are not always long, massive private conversations - they need to be snatched in the moments.  

For example, someone comes up to you with a problem.  Maybe, they are even moaning...?

In John Whitmore's business coaching model G.R.O.W. this is the 'R' bit - Reality.  It is certainly their current reality even if their comments seem a bit negative or unhelpful.






A coaching mindset means:

• Stop, ask yourself 'What is the most useful thing I can say, not say or do, not do right now?
• Flip it round to them in some way and it becomes a coaching moment.

Here are a couple of examples:  (not great just quick)

Human - 'I am not sure whether we should do X or Y decision...'

Coach - 'in the moment' options:

1. What do you think you should do?
2. If I wasn't here, what decision would you make?
3. Using your experience, what do you think is the right decision?
4. What are your options?
5. I trust you to make the decision, you decide and let me know how it works out.
6. I have to shoot off to a meeting, back in an hour. Let's talk when I get back.

No.5 and No.6 seem a bit weird and look like abdication?  

However, as I said earlier, coaching is a mindset. Coaching is about getting the best from the person in front of you - getting them to 'up their game.'   This means sometimes, the best way to help someone is not help them.  Choosing to be temporarily 'unavailable' can be just the jolt the person needs.

TTFN,

Paul