Coaching has been around for centuries. Many know that Socrates was really a coach. One of his famous quotes was, “I cannot teach anybody anything, I can only make you think.”
Coaches are different than teachers and mentors. They come with no bias and share no experiences, instead they ask questions (thoughtful, guided questions) so that one can think about the answer and become more self-aware. This process enhances and builds ones clarity, confidence and thought process in the conscious state versus the unconscious. It can move you through obstacles, open up possibilities and use the tools you inherently were given to be successful.
As you can imagine and probably have heard, many athletes use coaching. They use it to find focus for their game, balance in their life and increase productivity.
Well great leaders do the same. It’s not really a secret, it just isn’t publicized or talked about like their accomplishments.
Coaching can also have an impact on an organization’s performance. Many innovative organizations are beginning to contract or hire “job coaches.” A study by ICF and HCI showed that 60% of respondents from organizations with strong coaching cultures reported their revenue to be significantly impacted by the result of coaching, versus their peers. Employee satisfaction was cited most significantly impacted (54%), along with work quality and work output.
One of my favorite statements is from George Bullard. He wrote, “Coaching is an emerging right brained approach that sees relationship as more important than tasks, significance as more important than success, stories as more important than strategies, experiences as more important than rule books, people as more important than institutions, soaring with the strengths as more important than ‘problem solving’.”
Coaching is powerful and continues to be proven to work for many. It helps one feel empowered, find and focus on their strengths, create balance and think inside the solution. The goal of coaching is to help others achieve their full potential and feel fulfilled. What else can define success better than that? It’s a no wonder so many leaders have coaches and organizations are investing in them, too.
Visit her at Visionplangrow.com or message her at amy@visionplangrow.com