Coaching. A word used in so many contexts over the past decade, it’s sometimes difficult to know what it is and what it is not. Within organizational life, we often lump coaching in with similar capabilities such as mentoring, consulting and advising to name a few. We’ve also become accustomed to coaching as a profession – of which it is – whereby individuals are educated and trained in coaching standards and competencies, then delivering these skills to clients willing to pay for these specialized services. There are various frameworks that coaches utilize, but at the end of the day it’s about moving people into action – shifting behaviors to get some type of result. Regardless of the preferred framework or model, all coaches learn how to listen closely to what is being said, ask key questions and challenge people into action – sometimes referred to as guided discovery. When you’re in coach mode, you are raising questions so that others unearth their own answers and reveal solutions. In its purest form, this is the essence of effective coaching.
You don’t have to be a professionally trained coach to add value to your employees and team members, but learning how and when to deploy the coach approach is an important consideration for people leaders. Here is a simple tip to power up your coaching skills: Under the proper conditions, try asking a question instead of providing the answer. This can prove to be difficult for most of us because it seems counter-intuitive, but challenging yourself to allow people to think through a process while guiding them with high-gain questions can be more impactful for them and rewarding for you than you’d ever imagine.