The Smart School

How can coaching be defined and what does it try to do?

Put simply, coaching enables a person or team to move from where they are now to where they want to be through a process of empowered and client-owned reflection, decision and action. Key to the aim of coaching is change and forward movement. Coaching does not stop at reflection – it moves forward to decision and then to action. These three aspects mark it out as a particularly solutions focused activity.

Underlying all forms of coaching are certain principles which generate its powerful impact. These can be summarised as:

• Non-advisory: coaching encourages the client/coachee to dig deeper for their own solutions recognising that the coach does not necessarily have the right answers
• Action-oriented: coaching aims to create change and tangible results outside of the coaching environment
• Empowering: coaching should ultimately leave the coachee with greater skills of self-management for future success
• Non-judgemental: once the coach agrees to work with the coachee, then the coach ceases to judge the decisions or actions of the coachee but instead creates a conversation that enables self-scrutiny
• Measurable: coaching needs to be measurable in its impact by focusing on clearly defined goals and outcomes
• Equal: the relationship between coach and coachee is one of mutual respect and trust with a shared ambition to generate the desired results from coaching

Within that framework of principles, there are various approaches that a coach will take whilst working with their coachee, including:

• Establishing clear, motivating goals and outcomes
• Identifying specific actions and timeframes for their completion
• Reinforcing existing strengths and identifying areas to tackle
• Asking powerful and incisive questions to generate deeper thinking and reflection.
• Challenging assumptions, limitations and excuses
• Seeking out the real motivations for a coachee’s goal and building on this
• Discovering the real challenge behind someone’s goal
• Giving feedback on clearly observed behaviours or language
• Offering conceptual frameworks to explore emotions, problems or barriers
• Using specific approaches to unlock the client’s self-belief, confidence and determination

These are just some of a coach’s approaches and together they make up a powerful conversational process which can succeed in unlocking a client’s true potential and supporting them to take greater control of their own development going forward.