How does Coaching work?

Coaching is a field of professional performance that is gaining more and more importance and is becoming more diversified; however, there are still many people who do not have even a rough idea about what the tasks and goals of the coach are. To resolve this type of doubt, in this article we will summarize how coaching works before the type of problems in which it is usually applied.

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What is coaching?

First of all, it is important to address a definition, albeit a summary one, about the term "coaching", which is the core of the coach's work. This is a set of practices designed to help individuals and groups to achieve their objectives, especially in the field of professional and/or personal development.

In this sense, coaching analyzes each particular case, identifying both needs and problems to be solved as well as potential opportunities for improvement, and establishes a coach-coachee communication flow that allows the results of the applied strategies to be evaluated in real time. However, it is important to distinguish between coaching and applied psychology: while historically the second has focused on helping to solve problems that are damaging the quality of life of people (mental health disorders, difficulties in school performance...), coaching rules out intervening in those problems that require the intervention of health professionals. health or education, and focuses on areas such as personal development, leadership dynamics and team management, vocational exploration, the development of communication skills, etc

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What is the operation of coaching?

The first thing to keep in mind is that the solutions applied by the coach depend on his area of ​​expertise, which delimits the kind of needs he addresses. For example, sometimes you work with teams in the context of companies or organizations, helping to improve their communication and coordination processes; in other cases, CEOs, executives and department directors are trained to develop their leadership skills; There are also coaches who work focusing on personal development processes regardless of the job profile of the coachee...

On the other hand, although what we have seen so far are the "branches" of coaching, it is also there are different approaches from which to perform as a coach: Systemic coaching is not the same as ontological coaching, for example. But leaving these categories aside, it is possible to identify common aspects in the functioning of coaching in general. Let's see what they are.

1. Detection of improvement potential

The starting point of the coaching process arises from the identification of an opportunity to improve the present situation, proposing positive measures. In general, coaches focus on the present and project it into the future, without giving great importance to the remote past of the people or the teams they help, since in the here and now the elements are already present that allow people to explore their potential.

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2. Impulse of self-knowledge

Another of the pillars of the functioning of coaching consists of applying strategies of self knowledge. Are allow the coachee to connect with their real values ​​and interests, instead of always acting in function of external pressures.

3. Application of dynamics to reinforce communication and mutual trust

This is especially important in organizational coaching or team coaching, since it allows avoiding communication blocks and the appearance of misunderstandings. However, it is also key in coaching focused on individuals, since you have to make sure that the coach and coachee are on the same page and establish an alliance from which to speak openly about the challenges to face, the values ​​behind the motivations of the person, and the priorities to take into account account.

4. Application of distinctions

Distinctions are category systems that allow us to differentiate between concepts that, until then, had been confused each other and therefore made it difficult to advance towards the objective. This is a process inspired by cognitive restructuring used in psychology.

5. Training in emotional self-regulation skills

Knowing how to modulate one's own emotions and recognize the emotions of others is important to adapt to the social context in which one lives, something that is always one of the pillars of any process of coaching. We must not forget that personal and professional development always take place within the framework of a relationship with other people and with oneself.

6. Training in motivation and/or self-motivation techniques

Finally, the application of techniques that enhance motivation is another of the keys to the functioning of coaching, since it helps to commit to the defined objective in the medium and long term in the first phase of the process. For this, routines are used such as the creation of a personal diary, very defined schedule guidelines to delimit the beginning and end of each task, the subdivision of the objectives to be achieved in several simpler and short-term challenges, etc

If you want to know more about coaching contact CEC.