Creating a Coaching Environment
Written by Heather Wringe
Coaching others to implement positive change requires the fundamental element of trust.
Coaching is one of the most important tools in a manager’s toolkit. It identifies issues, breaks down barriers, addresses challenges, explores options, and calls for accountability and commitment that result in real action. An essential leadership behaviour, this development approach supports the realisation of goals from an idea into a reality, not only effecting positive outcomes for an individual, but also ultimately impacting organisational performance and results.
More than just a practical tool, coaching is a skill, a mindset, and a vehicle for learning that requires strength of relationship, clear intention, and effective communication. When we coach we think of people in terms of potential rather than performance. While training involves giving advice, direct instruction and offering solutions, coaching facilitates a more empowering, self-directed approach to behaviour change.
To coach well, we must listen actively and ask powerful questions in a safe and trusted space, thereby giving others the opportunity to uncover their own limiting beliefs, explore opportunities and arrive at their own solutions. From here, our coachees make a commitment to focused action towards achieving their overall goal.
In order to coach effectively, we need to create a coaching environment that allows for coachable moments. The fundamental element of the coaching environment is trust.
Intention. The underlying intent of every coaching interaction is to build the person’s self-belief. Self-belief is fostered when we: make decisions, take successful actions, and recognise our full responsibility for doing so. When coaching our focus is on the coachee; on his/her goals, objectives and definition of success. Our work is geared to move the coachee forward along a higher path of development towards his or her answer and action.
Relationship. Coaching is successful when an established reason to work together based on mutual respect exists. Establishing rapport is integral to fostering this relationship.
Communication.
Language - the words we use when coaching are selected for ease of understanding, importance and relevance to the coachee’s unique situation. We use them with a sense of economy, they are not judgmental in nature and are delivered in a neutral manner in order to be fully understood by the coachee.
Direct communication – through active listening and powerful questioning, we maintain focus, practice presence, acknowledge what is being said and demonstrate our genuine interest.
When all three elements of Intention, Relationship and Communication are in place, then trust is possible. Trust is imperative in the coaching relationship for a “coachable moment” to occur. A coachable moment is when an individual is open to taking in new information that will affect a shift in his/her knowledge and behaviour.