For this issue we asked a number of coaches to come up with their own definition of what it means to coach. Their answers throw light on the difficulty of pinning down such a flexible resource
How would you define coaching?
How easy is it to come up with a single definition of coaching? Most practitioners agree that it is virtually impossible. No single explanation is applicable or acceptable in any given situation, be it with individuals, teams or organisations. More important, perhaps, is that the definition is tailor-made to the situation and that it is consistent throughout
Geoffrey Ahern
Leadership consultant and executive coach,
Geoffrey Ahern Associates
I see coaching as a solution for the emptiness of the virtual Zeitgeist. Coaching brings in typically Northern Atlantic values of development and humanism. Organisations today become fit for purpose partly through investing in appropriate value generation, such as helpful knowledge of what’s going on in the self and in others and its wise application. This includes aligning the individual (increasingly emphasised in the virtual environment) and the corporate. Coaching, with its boundaries of confidentiality and rituals of regular, secluded meetings, provides the maximum safe space for risk-taking experiment towards, and consolidation of, beneficial change.
Lester Desmond
Coaching and mentoring consultant, EP
Learning and Leadership Development, Shell
International Exploration and Production BV
In response to questions from our internal coaches and leaders in Shell Exploration and Production, we developed the following definition: ‘Coaching is a task-focused relationship, helping people do their work better by providing them with the tools, knowledge and opportunities they need to discover solutions for themselves.’ We recognise that this is a limited definition, however it is intended to reflect the organisational context that our coaches operate in, and to differentiate it from mentoring. We provide further guidance by stating that coaching involves the increase and stretch of individual skills, competence, confidence and performance through feedback and focused conversations.
Alison Hodge
Founder, Alison Hodge Associates
For me, coaching is a collaborative relationship where I usually facilitate my client through several one-to-one sessions. Together we help to identify and define the client’s goals and strategies for personal professional change. These may include changes to enhance individual performance perhaps at a behavioural level and/or developing personal presence and effectiveness in a professional working environment, particularly at senior management level. Through a process of dialogue and feedback, we identify and apply their personal knowledge, skills and behavioural attributes that can be built on, and we highlight any personal or environmental hindrances and find ways to overcome these. Working towards balance at a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level are the cornerstones of my practice as a coach.
Terry Ingham
Performance coach and senior consultant
Clarity is key to helping people get their heads around coaching, its purpose and its benefits. We now define coaching as ‘a process an individual or organisation can use to develop a person or team’s skills and knowledge so they can maximise their performance and achieve their goals and objectives.’ Coaching focuses on the present and the future and deals with issues that affect the client and what they want to do or are doing already. Coaching can impact on both work and personal life.
Paul Stokes
Course leader, MSc Coaching and Mentoring, Sheffield Hallam University
The problem with looking for single definitions of coaching is that there will never be one that everyone agrees with. In fact, there are likely to be as many different definitions of coaching as there are coaches writing them! This is because coaching is a context-dependent activity. Some coaching will focus exclusively on executive job performance, whilst other coaches will explore a wide range of life skills and issues. Therefore, searching for a single definition is to strive for what we refer to on our MSc course as ‘misplaced concreteness’. What is important is that all parties in the relationship understand and agree on what they are supposed to do whilst recognising that these things can change and develop over time. Therefore, descriptions are more helpful than definitions.
Lynne de Lay
Director of coaching, CCL Europe
Coaching is increasingly popular and there are many definitions. Many coaches emerge from the field of psychology, but coaching is not therapy; others enter through business and consulting, but coaching isn’t consulting either: the content, context and goals of these areas are different. The Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) views coaching as one way to facilitate learning. Our Framework for Leadership Coaching identifies three essentials: a collaborative relationship (the context within which the coaching occurs); assessment, challenge & support (core elements necessary for a leader’s development), and results (direct and indirect outcomes of the coaching). For a coach, leveraging these areas effectively is an art form.
Ben Renshaw
Director, Success Intelligence
Coaching has one overarching purpose: to help individuals, organisations and teams be more successful. It is a process that involves having important conversations that we are normally too busy to have. Coaching is counter-intuitive in our society because it requires us to stop and think. At the heart of great coaching is a profound enquiry about success. Defining a vision for success inspires us to make better decisions for living our best life and doing our best work. Coaching is a flexible resource, which can help us save an extra 15 minutes a day or transform our work, life and relationships.
Jessica Jarvis
Author of the CIPD’s guide: Coaching and Buying Coaching Services (2004)
Coaching develops a person’s skills and knowledge so that their job performance improves, hopefully leading to the achievement of organisational objectives. It targets high performance and improvement at work, although it may also have an impact on an individual’s private life. It usually lasts for a short period and focuses on specifi c skills and goals. www.cipd.co.uk/guides
Jenny Summerfield
Founding partner
Working One-to-One Partnership
Can you separate the person from the performance? The latter in a job is as much defined by who the person is, as by what they do. Performance at work contributes to our sense of who we are. For me, coaching is a dual process:
- the giving of information and development of skills what I call ‘acquisitional’ coaching, and
- being a catalyst for behavioural change what I call ‘transformational’ coaching.
For this to happen, we need to accept that coaching is not just a process but, a relationship based on trust.
Every issue, we will post a topic for discussion which will also be posted online. Let us have your thoughts. www.cipd.co.uk/coachingatwork/discussion or email liz.hall@peoplemanagement.co.uk The question for the next issue is: How would you define mentoring?