I am sure a lot of people know about coaching and I am almost certain everybody has their own understanding about coaching. Through no fault of anyone, coaching has a lot of interpretation since the word has been used quite carelessly by almost everybody.
While I was driving to a hotel with a friend, jokingly she nudged me and said “hey, that’s you” pointing to a parked bus at the signage coach only. Anyway, based on my internet search the word “coach” is thought to have originated from the name of a town in Hungary (Koc, pronounced “kotch”) that used to build carriages in the fifteenth century. The English word “coach” is believed to derive from the Hungarian word “kocsi” which means “from the town of Koc”. It is believed that coaches (and the word “coach”) came into use in England in the sixteenth century. Hence, it has been used rather extensively to cover almost anything about teaching and the coaching profession per se.
However, through professional practice, the world has consensually accepted coaches certified by International Coaching Federation (ICF) as the most sought-after coaches. So, coaching defined by ICF is “a thought-provoking and creative partnership that inspires clients to maximize their personal and professional potential, often unlocking previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity and leadership”. So, that is coaching.
Professional coaching process does not include the coach giving solutions to the client, as the client is personally capable of producing his own solutions to his situations. What normally happens, a person, is bottled up, no one to talk to and not asking the right question to derive to the right solution. He needs a sparring partner to challenge his thoughts and explore his potentials.
Normally, coaching is done one-to-one, i.e. one coach and one client. Somehow, in certain organisation and structure, they need a team coach to conduct coaching sessions for teams. So, what is the difference between a one to one coach and a team coach? A team coach is normally well versed with how team works. He knows the psychology of team and how they function.
It is based on preference as some coaches prefer one-to-one session and some others prefer team coaching session. The preference, I think, is based on what they enjoy most. The are some situations encountered by team coaches that are not favourable to other coaches, for example:
· Silence from team members
· Team members are not being honest
· Too much energy needed to coach a team
· The head/CEO talks to much
· Team members are not committed to team goal
Although, the above examples are manageable, they do extremely exert a lot of energy for the coach to coordinate the team. Thus, the preference for one-to-one coaching. However, the level of satisfaction and excitement do differ for both.
So, what are some of the elements that a team coach needs to be aware of?
· The differences between characters in a team
· Different stages in team development
· Dealing with conflict in teams
· Keys to inspiring team members
· Excellent communication skills to promote team acceptance
Both one to one and team coaching is detrimental to developing the wealth and health of organisations. Coaches not only help clear the minds of the clients, in terms of finding their own voices and getting the exact solutions to their problems; coaches are also able to help clients with dilemmas and depression issues. Of course, there are guidelines when coaches encountered some critical mental issues.
With so many virtual sessions going on since the pandemic, the need for team coaching is very much significant than before. A lot of people are not familiar with virtual teams even though it has been the practice of some organisations for decades. Covid 19 has pushed this virtual work phenomenon by forced to almost all organisations globally. Those who were totally against virtual work or work from home had accepted that this is the way that is going to stay for years to come even if it not forever. So, as for everything new, changes, new norms, new lifestyle plus new work ethics; some people get burnt out unnecessarily.
People get depression, anxiety, and myriads of other mental sickness in quite an alarming rate. Coaches, counsellors, and therapist are important occupations now. Individuals, teams, organisations all need help from these professionals. Whether we like it or not, coaches and the like must keep on harnessing their skills. However, not many people have the luxury to hire coaches and worst still not many people understand the roles and functions of coaches. In fact, the scariest of all is some people do not even aware the existence of coaches!
If you are a leader or a manager having remote teams and you do not possess coaching skills, at the very least you must have knowledge on simple conversation skills. The example below can help anyone during interaction with team members.
Never interrupt a conversation even though you have an excellent idea, you can always say “can I add something?” ‘But’ is never an appealing word to hear, so just say “yes, I understand what you said… and…” or you can always say “Would it help if I…”. Since, everybody is going online and you cannot see the facial reaction, at least you must learn to manage your intonation and choice of words in your virtual working platform. Your word is your face in virtual world. Learn to make full use of it.
The most important thing, logically, is to wait until a person finishes his sentence. Once you fail to respect others you are inviting disrespect in return. Every little thing boils down to reciprocity, nothing comes freely. If there is an action, there is a reaction. Once the team member finishes his sentences, it is quite common to say thank you for his effort and contribution or for the sake of courtesy. You may say “may I suggest …” it may not be common is some culture, but courtesy is common universally. Everybody is tired, your team and you have been working round the clock during this pandemic. Appreciation is key to motivating your team.
Comments