Why Would I Use a Coach?

You might be thinking:

“This isn’t a sport, I can pick up a book and learn how to do this!”, and you might be right.

 

Coaching is an art, and as with all the arts, technique must be practiced, and often. The art of coaching requires an extremely high level of emotional intelligence, and a practiced discipline of removing one’s self interest from the process. This feels counter-intuitive as a leader. We have always wanted to help people by solving their problems.

 

That doesn’t seem right – someone comes to you for help, and you give them guidance. Isn’t that coaching? Unfortunately no, that is not coaching, that is giving advice, and has been found to be of little use in helping to create engaged people.

 

A professional coach can be described as someone who helps you move from where you are to where you want to be. The answers to pressing questions are generally found within each of us, we just need someone to ask the right questions.

 

A professional coach is skilled in the art of asking insightful and explorative questions to suss out the understanding within, so the coach can help to move you from where you are to where you want to be.

 

The coach must be a guide along the path to answers, not the bearer of answers.