What Is the Coach Approach?

This month’s theme is all about the Coach Approach –

What is a Coach Approach?

We didn’t do ourselves any favors by naming ourselves after an existing profession. We definitely do share a lot of attributes with sports coaching – but not the same.

Let me start off with an official definition of coaching from the ICF and a couple of ‘amplifications’

The International Coaching Federation defines coaching as: partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. The process of coaching often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership.

So let’s pick this apart – our first verb- partnering – This means partners coach and client are equals – Not a superior-subordinate relationship like you might see with a mentor, teacher, or sports coach.

Thought-provoking – We are coming from a Socratic method of asking great questions – We focus on open-ended, future, and goal-oriented questions. We also look at the context: how clients see themselves and how they see the world.

Creative- We want to leverage gifts, talents, skills, and networks to solve challenges with growth in mind. How can we not just solve this particular situation but any others like it.

Personal and Professional potential- We look to the present and future for the whole person. We don’t focus on the past or fixing something broken. Our therapist friends are the professionals for that. A big portion of our work is eliminating what is holding people back – what Jack Canfield calls ‘releasing the brakes’ so that our engine can move as designed.

We unlock sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership. The coach is a partner completely oriented to the client’s goals – we don’t have our own agenda – we uncover assumptions that are being treated as beliefs, and our questions don’t just uncover what it would take but who they would need to be – the values that would be honored, and the dreams that were unspoken for fear of judgment.

They take clients from where they are now – to who they want to be. Better creators, better leaders, better humans. Not for us but for themselves.

What don’t we do – we don’t advise or promote a particular method. We don’t mentor – we aren’t acting as subject matter experts – saying ‘here’s how I did it – do it my way.’ We don’t teach, we aren’t promoting subject learning. And we don’t provide therapy – our efforts are not geared toward healing the past. Finally, we don’t judge. We accept clients where they are, we meet them there and practice curiosity through and through. We partner- sharing when asked- if appropriate. We celebrate growth and achievement – both process and milestones. It’s personal – vulnerable – sometimes messy – and all directed by the client’s goals.

Could you use a trusted partner? Someone, to help you increase your creativity, productivity, and leadership? Get your life where you want it to be? Be the person you want to be? Schedule a sample session by emailing: shawna@shawnacorden.com

I’ve had some amazing clients – transforming the industry and themselves. What makes an amazing client? An ambition- one with a bit of fear- something they haven’t done before, something aligned to their goals – of importance to them. We break down their goals into behaviors, habits, chunks, activities – something far more manageable. We can get deep but also have lighthearted moments that shine a light on amazing opportunities we never imagined at the outset. In our closing we cover where we started, and the journey. What were the ups and downs – what did they learn? What do they know to bring along in their toolkit for the next journey? We celebrate.

I’ve had my own journey. My coach was one of the first I’d call to share a win – how things went- what didn’t- how to make it different. Every great coach engages a coach – they know the power of the relationship.

Occasionally I have a client who doesn’t approach the relationship fully. They have been recommended for coaching. Maybe their 360 Survey pointed out some areas for improvement. They want to appear as if they have accepted the opportunity – checking the box.
Can I change their mind? Sometimes- it really depends if they are motivated. Do they need to change for someone else vs. want to change for themselves? And what happens if they don’t? If their habits and behaviors remain the same- are they under threat? Or will the organization, or their family members, put up with the way they are? Accept their flaws. Especially if they make a show of effort – going through the motions. These clients who do this – don’t have successful change- because they didn’t allow themselves to be vulnerable and authentic. They were not willing to question their beliefs.
But- for those I can convince to create a hypothesis, an experiment to prove a result- who are willing to get curious and try a few new behaviors on – those become my raving fans. They transform from that skeptical reticent participant to an eager player.

This brings us to our tool of the week: The Coach Approach

What is the coach approach? So let’s break it down – We start with a goal – what is it- why do we want it? What’s today’s reality? Where are we starting from? What’s the metric? Cash flow, the free time you name it – in relation to the goal. What are the options? What are all the ways we can reach that goal – and play with variations- what would be the most fun? least expensive? involve the most friends? Take the shortest amount of time? Develop you the most? Add a credential to your resume? Be the most spiritual? Be sure to ask the questions in your options that honor your values After exhausting the options, what is the way forward you have chosen? What will you do and when

The Coach Approach uses a model and questions – Asking instead of Telling to find solutions.

SO HERE’S YOUR fieldwork –because COACHING WITHOUT ACTION ISN’T COACHIng – IT’S JUST ENTERTAINMENT

Practice this GROW model in your conversations – both your goals and your conversation partner’s goals. See how much more possibility you find in the coach approach vs. your standard reliance on personal knowledge and providing answers.

Let me know if I can provide a webinar teaching this model to your team by emailing shawna@shawnacorden.com