The Coaching Manager: Part 2 – The Goals of Coaching

Like most processes in business, the process of coaching has desired deliverables.  In the world of professional coaching, the coach, (if they have gone through professional training,) is working within a methodology that helps them understand in a general way the benefits that the coaching process can deliver.  For a good coach, these potential benefits are always in the back of the coach’s mind.  The coach understands that in the course of the coaching relationship there will be opportunities to give value to the client, and the great coach will act on them.  The coaching manager has the added challenge that they not only want outcomes that will benefit the client (the subordinate), but also benefit the department, the organization, and the coach!  These more defined deliverables are possible, but we need to exercise additional care, as there are more stakeholders in the coaching manager, and client/subordinate coaching relationship.
 In considering how the coaching manager’s process will work, let’s consider the general outcomes, or desired benefits of the coaching process.  Every coaching practice has a slightly different mission as there are multiple coaching niches.  In the process of going through coaching training I was educated that active coaching niches include life coaching (probably the most common), wellness coaching, relationship coaching, addiction coaching, spiritual coaching, leadership coaching, and my niche career coaching.  This list is not all inclusive.  My point is for every conceivable problem a person can experience, there is most likely a coach that specializes in that area.  The outcomes I will list reflect coaching benefits at the highest level:

• Provide a sound board.  To some it may seem odd that I list this benefit first.  But to me actively listening, being a good sounding board is one of the biggest values a coach and provide, and one of the biggest benefits of coaching.
• Assess client frame of mind: A good coach will start a coaching session with the question “how do you feel today”.  This is not a greeting.  The coach honestly wants to know how the client is feeling.  A good coach will relate to how the client is feeling, and by expressing that build empathy, and trust.
• Establish Client Goals: Professional coaches help clarify the client’s goals.  They capture the goal and state what they heard back to the client. The coach may ask the client to write down the goals and read them back.  Often the coach may also record the goals, or ask the client to send them the goals for tracking.
• Agree on action: Once the goal or goals are established, the coach will ask for what actions or tasks the client needs to perform to deliver on the goal.
• Set Dates: When actions, and tasks have been agreed upon, a good coach will ask the client to set dates to complete the tasks.  Depending on the goal, and tasks, the dates can be aggressive, but need to be do-able.
• Remove or minimize obstacles: A coach can provide value by working with the client on identifying, and removing or minimizing obstacles to achieving goals, or tasks toward goals.  A tool that a good coach will use is a brainstorming session to map out alternatives to removing, or working around constraints, or obstacles.
• Setting guardrails: A good coach will keep the client focused.  They will set guardrails.  If there is a side issue, they need make a decision if it is better to take the issue on in the current session, or to park that issue for a future session.  A great coach will ask the client “I think this is n important, but side issue.  Is it more helpful to discuss this issue now?  Or to park this issue for a future session”.  The client will know what is most helpful for them to work on.
• Build Confidence: When the coach recognizes a client’s strength, especially when it comes to achieving goals, they share this.  A short statement like “I absolutely believe you are capable of achieving this goal” can go a long way.  If the client has long expertise in a subject, the coach will recognize this and tell the client so.  This builds the confidence of the client. 
• Improve Wellness: A keystone in my career practice is I want clients to feel better.   I want them to feel better about themselves.  I want them to feel better about the work they do.  I want them to have the best relationship they can have with their job, and career, and their life in general.  Another way of saying this, I want the client to have the best business quality of life (BQL) they can have.  This wellness, health, and strength of the client snowballs in a good way.  The client will feel more motivated, and less stressed out.  The client will have a positive energy that others will respond to – motivating other as well.

 Now that we have a deeper understanding of the goals, the outcomes of coaching, let’s imagine how these could play out in the manager ó subordinate relationship.  As we visualize these outcomes, we realize that all of the above can be leveraged by the coaching manager!  Coaching can indeed be a powerful role for the manager.  Consider how this approach can be successful in your work place, and in the next segment, I will give examples.  The persona of the manager and the coach are closer then we first suspected!