#Coaching Part 1 - What Type Of #Coach Are You?

Coaching  is an invaluable tool in developing teams and high performance in the workplace.  There is no right or wrong style. The key thing as a people manager is to actively develop your teams, by whatever means works best.

Accelerate Your Growth Through Coaching

Following on from our recent blog posts on self assessment and coaching versus mentoring I thought it would be helpful to explore some different coaching styles.    

• Are you an accomplished coach? If so, what type of coaching style do you adopt? Do you flex this style according to the individual?
• Do you want to gain coaching skills and experience? What style do you aspire to?

Coaching Styles:

Key Influencer – a dominant figure who leads by example and who inspires others. This coaching style is typical of someone with influence, persona and charisma.

Visionary – this can be the most frustrating of coaching styles for recipients. The coach sees the big picture and enthusiastically talks about their vision - to them it is all crystal clear! However often the result is that recipients lack specific direction, as they have failed to understand the vision or keep up with the pace. This style is most effective when the vision is communicated, but time is taken to check team or individual understanding.

Hands On – common in the workplace, coaching on how to actually complete the specifics of a task e.g. step by step.

Hands Off – sometimes called “coaching on the run” e.g. telling someone where to find the information but then leaving them to figure it out themselves. A hands off coach is happy to help, after the individual or team has first tried the task themselves.

 

Formal and Structured – more “tell” in nature commonly used when there is little time to get the message across or in safety situations e.g. police, military.

Relaxed and Informal - being available when support and guidance is required. The coach understands individual or team strengths and plays an active role and ownership remains with the individual.

Collaborative – an group or team come together to support each other and set goals. Individuals feel "obliged" to follow through and deliver for the sake of the group so as not to lose credibility.

Following soon some coaching models that you might find helpful in developing others

Is Your Career On The Go Slow? Why Not Consider Coaching or Mentoring

What is the difference between coaching and mentoring?

Coaching or mentoring is not just about career progression with a view to getting a new job or promotion - although clearly it can prove beneficial for that purpose. They are also valuable tools for personal development, ensuring you are not overtaken by your peers. The two processes enable individuals to enhance and grow their skills, ensuring they remain current. It can be an equally valuable exercise for both mentor and mentee.

However often people use the terms coaching and mentoring interchangeably as if they are the same things. They are not! They are in fact 2 different tools. So what is the difference between them?

What Is Coaching?

• The coaching relationship is generally short term in duration.
• It is aimed at enhancing individual performance and growing skills.
• It provides a more immediate approach, with regular meetings focused on a specific targets or area(s) of development.
• Coaching provides feedback on both strengths and development areas.

 e.g. you start a new job and you are unsure how to operate a specific computer system or unsure how to apply company processes. You may shadow another colleague who will work with you to support and enhance your learning. Within 2 months you gain a full understanding of the system and processes and so the specific coaching relationship ends.
 
So What Is Mentoring?

• Mentoring is more of an ongoing relationship which can last a long time.
• It is a trusted relationship focusing on career development.
• Meetings are more informal and less structured and often only happen when there is a specific need.
•  The mentor is usually more senior (but not always) and passes on their experience.
• The agenda is set by the mentee depending on the specific career support they feel they need. 

e.g. your career aspiration is to move to a new role but you know it involves a lot of influencing and stakeholder management. You have strong competencies but you recognise that stakeholder management is a development area for you. You therefore proactively identify a colleague who has excellent stakeholder management skills and you meet informally over coffee for a year. They provide you with valuable support. It is a mutual exchange, but you drive the meetings by identifying scenarios you want to discuss. 

I also liked these 2 a articles on mentoring Mentoring a 2 Way Street from @HandleRecruit and Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Help As You Climb The Career Ladder from @GuardianCareers

Don't put your career on the go slow, consider how coaching or mentoring could help you and just go for it! Good luck.