The Trend Of Coaching

By Wendy Adams



Coaching has been around as long as people have. It is the kind of activity that, if we were lucky, we first would have experienced through our parents. If we were scouts or were involved in sports, we would have had another kind of coaching. Now, coaching is fast becoming a new trend in the workplace.

Within organizations, coaching is viewed as a new method of management, a different way to support organizational goals. In this use, coaching serves to solidify and preserve the competitive edge, while also developing the individual in hopes of retaining talent. As client needs and coaching tools continue to evolve, new approaches are being developed to address the immediate and appropriate choices within the career/life integration. Holistic coaching is on the rise.

So why this trend of coaching? Perhaps we are not seeing as many natural mentors in the workplace, or maybe the world has gotten too complex for us to handle things on our own. Whatever the case, the topic of coaching is causing controversy within the ranks and without. More and more university institutions are stepping up to the plate to create programs and credentials to accommodate coach "wannabes."

The trend of coaching in the last decade has generated a number of schools, certifications and training venues for this new field. The promotion of coaching as a new career path in itself has prompted many new coaches around the world to "put up shingles." Included in this population are clinical counselors who often feel that they are qualified as coaches and perhaps, in some ways, rightfully so. Not since the advent of counseling regulations has such a field generated so much discussion and fervor, placing the public in the middle, confused as to what coaching is really all about.

Coaching is a guiding and learning process. Performing in the role of an effective coach presumes that the client is in a transition and recognizes a need for assistance in developing the skills to accommodate that transition appropriately and successfully. The client, rather than just doing, is learning, rather than just completing, is implementing and being guided successfully into specific activities and processes.

A client-centered coaching approach, based on the philosophy of Carl Rogers, focuses on developing and managing positive conceptual perceptions, concrete measurable competencies and creative experiential expressions as they are integrated within life and work. It is primarily a partnered approach, identifying the respective roles of the coach and the client as the process unfolds. Ideally the coach, using a typology model, has the potential to identify the position of where the client senses (and the coach defines) that the individual is situationally positioned within the landscape of life and work. The coach may then provide a client-centered starting point for the implementation of customized coaching service delivery. Through the implementation of specific advances that are identified as relevant to the immediate situational needs, the coach thereby provides the client with the capability to progress. The client, empowered with the new capabilities, has the potential to "self-coach" should the situation be repeated, thereby achieving some future progress on his or her own or with minimal support. Client-centered coaching allows for brevity in the coaching relationship while offering the greatest impact.

The ideal goal of the coach is to provide the necessary support and guidance to allow the relationship to become unnecessary as quickly as possible, while also establishing an open-door connection for future needs.

There are a variety of coaches available. These include: career coaches, life coaches, soul coaches, business coaches, executive coaches and others. Frequently, coaches will allow the client the first session by phone without cost. When looking for a coach, consider these guidelines:

1 Have a success goal in mind. Set an

agenda for calling a coach. What is it that you want to achieve? What work are you willing to do to achieve it? Refrain from calling to see what a coach can do for you, as he or she cannot possibly know until the relationship has begun.

2 Interview the coach to ensure that you

can create a relationship with that individual. A good personality match is important to the process. Matching communication styles, knowledge of your background or industry and previous experience in your field are pluses.

3 Reputation is important, but coaches pro-

tect their clients much in the same way that clinical counselors do. Be mindful that references may or may not be available. Check credentials and affiliations. Ask the number of individuals that they are presently coaching or that they have coached in their career.

4 Refrain from expecting the quick fix.

Coaching is a process requiring a commitment. The best coaches are committed to your success.



Wendy Adams is The Career Coach, guiding individual and organizations to achieve their best. Visit the web site at www.coach compass.com.