I’ll be honest. It concerns me when companies or organizations don’t think that coaching is worth their time, effort, or resources. So, in keeping with the theme of “look,” let’s take a look at three important reasons why coaching is so very valuable to any organization who desires growth and change.

1. We don’t change well on our own. Think back to a time when you were dealing with a challenge, and just could not get clarity on the best way to move forward, or perhaps you made a hasty choice, moved forward and it did not go well. And, let’s add heavy emotions to the situation. Daniel Kahneman, in Thinking Fast and Slow, says that we tend to resist self-exploration especially when emotions are involved. “We need someone outside our head to disrupt our thinking by listening to us, reflecting back our thinking and then asking us questions that prompt us to wonder why we think the way we do,” says Marcia Reynold.
2. Coaching conversations bring about changes in thinking and behavior better than teaching, telling and mentoring. This may sound strange to some, and yet – there is much evidence that in order to change the thinking patterns of another person, by disrupting their thinking, it’s not about telling them what they should do, or telling them what you would do, or pointing out how they are wrong. It’s about asking them to stop and examine their thinking behaviors in order to see and feel more clearly. Consider how you feel when someone tells you that you are wrong in your thinking. That feels like a personal attack. A coach would never say “You are wrong.” They might say, “You sound very determined about your decision. What will moving forward with your decision give you and your team?” It’s all about supporting an expanded view of thinking and decisions. And, when we tell people what do, Reynolds says, “we access their short-term memory in their cognitive brain, where learning is least effective.”
3. We think in stories and sometimes the story we are telling is not the story. Honestly, think about it – we do think and communicate in stories. If I ask you, “What is the biggest challenge you are dealing with today?” You may answer in one word and then follow up with a story. This is what happens in a coaching conversation. You tell your coach a story as you accurately see it and feel it. Your trusted coach listens without judgement, reflects back what they have heard as the big messages and then asks about possible gaps in your story, or about unsupported beliefs or fears connected to your story. Through the conversation, new insights open up, as if a fog has lifted and there is clarity on your story and best ways for you to move forward. And, “once you have a new insight, you can’t unlearn it,” says Reynolds.

Need more proof about coaching? Sign up for one of our upcoming seminars and experience it for yourself. Resource: Breakthrough Coaching, Marcia Reynolds, 2021 (WBECS)