WHAT IS COACHING?
Coaching
can be generically defined as a series of techniques and
processes taken to fruition by a professional (a coach)
that help people better do that which they already know
how to do, boosting their abilities and discovering new
possibilities. We should also add that the greatness of
coaching
streams from the fact that it is not only a rigid form applied
in certain circumstances but is also inherently a form of
relating with people, of directing and is definitely a way
of thinking and being that activates creative qualities
we are unaware of possessing.
We can liken human beings to a seed that contains all the
genetic potential for becoming a great oak. It needs is
the correct stimulation, nourishment and light in order
to grow.
Coaching
enables us to undertake necessary and sustained action toward
achieving our goals. The coachee
(the client) doesn’t learn from the coach;
he instead learns from himself thanks to the stimulation
provided by the coach.
Coaching
teaches us to think for ourselves, find our own answers
and to discover the potential we have within ourselves.
Instead of teaching, coaching helps us learn.
The coaching
concept, like other management concepts, is not new. Its
roots can be traced to ancient Greece when Socrates used
the Mayeutica method, which stimulates through questions
to which the disciples find answers.
The use of coaching
is relatively new. It was first used in sports in the U.S.
in the seventies and was quickly introduced into the executive
world with extraordinary results. Coaching
reached Europe in the mid-eighties, already established
as a new personal and executive culture and not as a passing
fad.
The use of coaching
techniques allows people to consider new goals that can
vary from keeping in shape to changing profession. In the
personal and executive worlds, from becoming an excellent
public speaker to increasing the effectiveness of professional
direction in any area. Within the company, from bettering
the communication of the directors to increasing the effectiveness
of the efforts made by departments and, consequently, that
of the company as a whole. Any goal can be obtained as long
as it can be concretized, measured and defined in time.
The differences
between desires and goals, the things that would be truly
beneficial for a person as opposed to those that result
from wants which once obtained do not bring true satisfaction,
can be defined with
coaching.
The collaboration of a good
coach allows people to
reconsider those things they would have liked to be or
do but that the circumstances did not permit.
FOR WHOM IS COACHING INTENDED?
Coach y cia specializes in working with people with high levels of responsibility who direct companies, departments or delegations; people who own their own business and freelance professionals.
Coaching has evolved from its relatively modern application in the sports world to being used in the executive world. Large companies incorporated its use once they understood that the element that would mark the difference between their success and that of their competitors would be the speed at which they could adapt to changes, an ever more frequent characteristic of the market. This process requires that executives be prepared and motivated to lead a team. In the end, they have understood that the difference lies in the human element. Companies are composed of people who are immersed in social and familial environments that are separate from the professional environment. It is therefore necessary to find a balance.
Today’s coaching is intended for all people and for the obtainment of any goal, whether personal, professional or corporate. Coaching techniques potentialize the concepts of conscientiousness and responsibility, guiding people toward taking conscious control of their decisions in the familial and work circles.
Statistics show that the majority of people that use coaching are those who have elevated levels of professional and/or social responsibilities; people that reach a point in their careers where they question many things or want to obtain determined or new goals. In other cases, the clients simply want to know what they need to do to feel satisfied in their personal or professional lives. Others are people who have not discovered what they want, but do know that they are not satisfied with their current situation.
Other studies show that a higher percentage of women have incorporated coaching abilities in their professional and personal activities sooner than men have. It seems the feminine sensibility has allowed them to sooner appreciate the advantages of coaching. These studies also reflect that men and women obtain similar results from coaching; both experience a sustained increase in their work capacity, allowing them to reach their objectives equally.
Our clients, both men and women, are usually people that hold a high position in the company hierarchy and consequently have many professional or social responsibilities. These circumstances create a situation in which the person lacks the support of others; a support system in which the person can discuss and consult problems with others. For this reason, they do not have access to impartial opinions concerning their direction. We could define this phenomenon as that of the solitary leader.
On the other hand, they are people who are aware of the importance of their health and family life but their professional activity causes them to leave untended the two pillars basic to their stability. This creates a vicious cycle that generates feelings of dissatisfaction and guilt for low levels of energy y for the deterioration of family relationships.
They are very hard-working, but the simultaneous nature of the responsibilities they take on are obstacles to the creation of guidelines of priorities. They often see their own work interrupted by demands for help from their collaborators. They often end the workday with the feeling that they have more matters pending than when they began and that they have not advanced in the matters that are truly important.
In the corporate world, directors are increasingly being trained to use coaching techniques leading their teams, obtaining surprising and long-lasting results because the concept becomes a way of being and doing.
