Quick — who’s been a favorite coach in your life? Whether it’s a sports coach from your youth or a career mentor, chances are there’s been someone who shared their skills and encouragement to help you grow. One of my favorite coaches is Mala Singh, who I first met when I worked for her at Electronic Arts. What I loved about learning from Mala is that she was tough but compassionate: she pushed me hard to achieve and held me accountable, but I knew she really cared, too. That’s the power of great coaching.
As a People Operations/HR executive, I’ve been on both sides of the coaching equation, and I want to share five things that I believe make great business coaches stand out. But first, I want to note how coaching has evolved over the past few years.
Coaching is for all leaders, not just executives – The term “executive coaching” is a bit misleading because coaching is not just for executives or CEOs. Successful companies are using coaches for leaders and employees at all levels in organizations to help people be more focused and productive.
Coaching is results-focused – it’s a myth that coaching outcomes are too indirect to be measured. Coaching is built around individual, team, and company goals. Effective coaching requires collaboration between the coach, the coachee, and company sponsors to define outcomes, which should be based on predetermined goals that can be measured over a specific period of time. For example, coaching can help a manager delegate more effectively, freeing up team members to take on new and challenging assignments. Coaches help managers identify how they can help their people set achievable goals, and build accountability into the process.
Coaching is becoming more popular – coaching has grown to an estimated $2 billion dollar industry, according to the International Coaching Federation. More organizations are using coaches, and there’s been an explosion in the number of personal and business coaches worldwide.
Here are five characteristics of great coaches. In my experience, they:
Truly believe in the people they’re coaching — Yes, this sounds basic. What I’ve learned is that great coaches not only care about the organizations they work for but they also genuinely believe in and care about a person’s potential. They’re supportive and encouraging, but also “tell it like it is” in a respectful, productive way.
Are data-driven and focused on results — productive, effective coaching isn’t just “having a conversation” about someone’s career or problems. Good coaches work with individuals or teams to set goals, give feedback, and measure progress. They check in and help coachees stay motivated by offering encouragement and challenging, without micromanaging or interfering.
Create safety and trust — coaches are curious. They listen carefully and objectively and protect confidentiality. They limit giving feedback or advice and focus instead on curiosity and powerful questions. Coaches believe that the person being coached is resourceful. Great coaches take time to understand the specifics around a coachee’s goals, challenges, and growth.
Ask powerful, thoughtful questions — because they listen closely, coaches zero in on the right queries to help coachees develop new insights and ideas. Coaches also use questions to help get past pushback or inflexibility by drawing people out. They can listen without responding and are comfortable with silence because often silence can help people come to their own conclusions.
Combine “backbone and heart” — great coaches challenge people. They hold up the mirror to help coachees see themselves clearly and fully. They ask tough questions and have hard conversations that help hold people accountable for results (backbone). And they do all this with compassion, empathy, and respect (heart). Maintaining this balance of “backbone with heart” is the focus of a book of the same name by Mary Beth A. O’Neill.
Trained, experienced coaches bring out the best in people enabling them to solve hard problems and weather the ups and downs of leadership. They help organizations achieve more by recognizing each person’s worth and helping them tap into their strengths. The best coaches are curious and results-driven. They create trust, ask powerful questions, and lead with backbone and heart.
Contact us to meet one of our senior coaches or ask about our Coaching for Managers workshop.
Featured image credit: wocintechchat.com
