Flor G. Tarriela l 12 May 2022 l Manila Bulletin
Coaching is increasingly gaining recognition as an important intervention for leaders in the organization and now viewed as an investment in enhancing the leadership skills.
There have been some misconceptions about coaching. Some consider coaching as the same as mentoring, which is the sharing of one’s expertise, experience, wisdom and providing guidance. An excellent example is Presidential Adviser Joey Concepcion’s Go Negosyo’s successful mentoring program for entrepreneurs. Others think that coaching is consulting, where the consultant focuses on past problems that need fixing, diagnose the problems, recommends, and sometimes implement solutions. Another is that coaching is like therapy where the focus is on healing of pain and resolving difficulties arising from the past, for the individual to better manage present professional or personal relationships. Others also think that coaching is training where the objectives are defined and set with the guidance of the coach.
Alma Horn, an ICF Professional Certified (Transformational) coach, at a recent Ex Citibank lunch, clarified that coaching is not consulting, counseling, advising, and telling the client what to do. With coaching, she says, the assumption is that individuals or teams can come up with their own solutions, with the coach offering self-discovery-based approaches and frameworks. It focuses on moving the individual forward. The non-directive and participative process allows coaching clients to have greater self-awareness, to gain clarity on desired outcome and to become more confident in their decision-making. The client’s ownership of the solutions creates empowerment and greater commitment and accountability on what needs to be done.
What is coaching then? International Coaching Federation, the global standard for coaching, defines professional coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.
At a Filipina CEO Circle event where members coached students, Carol Dominguez, CEO of John Clements gave us some tips in being a good coach:
- Trust: Giving the person a sense they can trust you by showing a genuine interest in their growth and success.
- Respect: Being polite and courteous for the person.
- Psychological safety: Creating a feeling that it is safe to be open with you.
- Listening: Ensuring that you listen carefully, understand where the other person is coming from, and do not project your own viewpoint and values.
- Insightful questions: Asking questions that allow to see their desires and needs in fresh, insightful ways.
Carol suggested to stay focused on the present and the future instead of the past; and to follow the GROW model in coaching:
- Goal: Get the person to state a clear objective that they want to accomplish
- Realistic: Keep the discussion grounded in reality; check assumptions; do not use the past as an excuse
- Options: Through insightful questions, get the person to explore different opinions
for achieving their goal, after fully evaluating the options, choose the option to pursue
- Way forward: Help the person develop a set of actions they can take to accomplish their goal; get them to commit to a timetable for taking those actions; have them identify possible obstacles; ensure there is agreement on what will constitute success.
Alma said she used to think that she was already a good Coach, as she mentored several high performing talents, often providing the solutions to problems they raised. In fact, she said she was proud to serve as the “go to” person when it came to solving problems and addressing various concerns both in the office and in their personal relationships. She did not realize that her telling them what to do, prevented them to developing being creative and resourceful. Instead, she created their dependency for solutions. It is important to refrain from giving the answers so that the person being coached can develop their own action steps to achieve their goals. This realization paved the way for Alma to enroll and get certified in various accredited Coaching courses, and eventually set up a Coaching career together with her daughter Jen.
Alma said she saw the transformative power of coaching on a client’s mindset and behavior such as the change in focus from self-limiting beliefs to what is positive and possible. Clarity, A Way forward, New perspectives, Sense of Purpose, Confidence, Direction, Peace of Mind, and Enhanced Relationships are just some of the benefits of coaching. Alma says Coaching is sustainable and it works! Well, I like to try it …on my children and grandchildren too!
*****
Ms. Tarriela was the first Chairwoman of the Philippine National Bank. She is a former Undersecretary of Finance and the first Filipina vice-president of Citibank N.A. She is a trustee of FINEX and an Institute of Corporate Directors fellow.
A gardener and an environmentalist, she established Flor’s Garden in Antipolo, an ATI Accredited National Extension Service Provider and a DOT Accredited Agri Tourism Site.
The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of these institutions.