I have recently run a mini research among professionals in MedTech industry to understand how they perceive coaching. Majority of the people I approached were enthusiastic and agreed being interviewed on this topic. Although some of them had reservations admitting their experience with coaching is limited, and couple of them were concerned that will turn into “mumbo jumbo” psychological explorations, they were willing to help and curious to learn about the subject. Whatever their reason I am deeply grateful for their support, as for me it was a great and insightful learning experience.

Here are some key findings:

  • Although majority of the participants experienced some form of coaching across their lives and careers, most of the time it came in combination with other methods of growth and personal development like mentoring, training, or formal education.
  • The expectations from the coach is to be an expert in the field they are coaching, to help putting theory into practice, explore the challenges and help clients through these challenges, to guide them and keep them accountable. The coach is also regarded as a professional friend, someone with high level of trust who provides a safe environment to reveal yourself, gives confidence in own abilities and enables you to perform at a level not thought possible.
  • Some key words used by the respondents in connection with coaching are below:

Leadership

  • Majority of them admitted that the coaching process impacted positively their lives: “lessons learnt from coaches are lessons for life”, “impacted my relationships both in my professional and personal life”, “eye opener, influencing me for good” and “made me grow.”
  • In the corporate world, coaching is perceived as: a support tool for newly promoted managers mostly in senior management positions to adjust to the new role, a corrective measure for changing/improving coachee’s behavior in the workplace or a tool to access when managers have a problem to solve and got stuck in the way.

So, what is coaching….

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) defines coaching as partnership between the coach and the client/coachee in a thought- provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential [1]. Gallup defines coaching as an investment and interaction between a coach and an individual, partnership or team for the primary purpose of stimulating, motivating and facilitating the growth, development and performance of that individual, partnership or team [2]. The coaching relationship is based upon the client taking full ownership and accountability for the decisions or choices they make [3]. For many this is a life changing experience that dramatically improves their outlook on work and life while improving leadership skills. Coaching helps people tap into their potential, unlocking sources of creativity and productivity [1].

Individuals who partner with coaches have reported several benefits: improved communication skills, increased self-esteem and self-confidence, increased productivity, optimized individual and team performance among others. (source: 2017 ICF Global consumer awareness study).

Coaching in general is a process that “transport” people from where they are to where they want to be [1]. This is a journey of self-rediscovery and self-reinventing for the coachees, during which the coach acts as guide and GPS, challenging their thinking, encourage them to see differently, offering them support when they feel overwhelmed and help them to remain focused on their goals.

Although, many people usually confuse or mix coaching with other methods of personal development like training, mentoring, consultancy, counselling, etc., coaching differs significantly. Coaching is specific in its aims and objectives. It is about goal setting and achieving and is focused on the individual creating self-awareness and self-discovery, intentionally investing in their talents, expanding horizons and getting rid of limiting beliefs. In other words, “provoke people to do work they never thought possible”. (R. Sharma).

Coaching is therefore not:

  • Training which focuses on imparting knowledge and building expertise in a particular area or in a particular skill.
  • Mentoring which involves guidance from a more senior / experienced individual to a less experienced individual. Mentoring tends to be based on a long-term relationship between the individual being mentored and the mentor.[3]
  • Counselling which focuses on helping the individual understand and deal with events in the past that are impacting upon their present life. [3,4]
  • Consulting which involves an expert who advises clients in a specialist field of knowledge. They will use their understanding to impact something within an organization. They will not necessarily impart this knowledge to others but will be a resource for the time they are there. [3,4]

The typical coaching journey takes around 6 – 10 coaching sessions across about 6 – 8 months. The timing might vary from case to case, the main objective being that between the sessions the clients take full responsibility of their learning process and executing the actions they set for themselves.

The coaching process is the beginning of the coachee’s transformational journey, not the end. Completion of the goal is essential for the coachee and for the coach. However, the broader goal is that the coachee develop new behavior and approach to life and work. At the end of the journey the coachee should easily integrate all they have learned to their wider life; in everything they do in their personal and professional life. By encouraging the coachees to keep stretching themselves, they will always be discovering themselves. They will never stop learning.

What is your experience with coaching? Feel free to share your thoughts/comments below. I would love to hear from you.

Curious to learn more? Book a 30 min free discovery session.

References:

  1. The International Coaching Federation website  https://coachfederation.org
  2. https://courses.gallup.com/coaching
  3. Gillian McMichael, Full Circle Global. Copyright © 2001-2017 Gillian McMichael & Full Circle Global, Certificate in Professional Coaching Practice™, Course Manual; Full Circle Global, Full Circle Development Ltd., 90a George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3DF. www.fullcircle global.com
  4. https://internationalcoachingcommunity.com/what-is-coaching/