Case Study 1: Closing Gaps and Improving Performance: The Basics of Coaching

One definition of coaching is “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance.” (Coaching for performance, Sir John Whitmore 1992). Or to expand on this; Simply defined, coaching is one person guiding another through a process, leading to performance enhancement. The applications can vary, support to achieve a specific project, helping an individual to do better what they already do well, or developing a skill they don't yet possess.

Coaching and mentoring are generally used to provide on-job training, however it can be a lot wider than this. Coaches in the workplace can become an integral strategy in improving quality by developing staff on a continuous rather than one off basis.

CapraTek’s LMS module topic will be on coaching. Coaching is an important part of leadership within a company. Coaching is a useful way of developing an individuals’ skills and abilities while boosting performance (Mindtools). Offering a coaching module will provide the management team guidance and assistance in leading their team; furthermore, this will enable managers to engage their team and help them build their human capital. The coaching module will focus on leading multiple generations, employee retention, gaining trust/credibility, leading multiple generations, and giving performance evaluations. For CapraTek’s coaching module, material will be presented using Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. The objectives for the coaching module include: 1. Decrease employee turnover by twenty percent within the next year. 2. Offer supportive and directive feedback to employees continuously.

We have learned that executive coaching is important when attempting to assist others in enhancing their full potential to master superior or desire performance levels. Executive coaching is a tool utilized to assist those in need of performance improvement or management skills. It offers them techniques on enhancing their strengths and improving their weaknesses. “The field of executive coaching has grown considerably in recent times” (Page & de Haan, 2014). There are numerous professional coaching accreditations, foundations, and conferences all over nation for several reasons;

The evolution of my appreciation of the facets of Coaching for Performance and its place in applied leadership has been transformative. The initial perspectives shared in my first paper on the personal significant learning about the practice of coaching, although still pertinent, have been refashioned to reflect a more coherent and clear understanding of what my leadership style entails along with a more concrete explanation of how coaching can support and enhance my effectiveness as a leader. This has been influenced by my better understanding of coaching for performance as a way to create partnerships based on equality and trust that can focus on how to solve problems rather than the problems themselves.

Lastly, writer William Arruda (2014) of Forbes in the article “Why You Need to Hire a Coach in 2015”, offered another benefit of coaching. Arruda (2014)

Coaching is generally link to high emotional intelligence, coaches should be good at understanding and relating to people as they are interested in people. Coaching is also about showing empathy and relationship building. Coaches/ managers should be able to transfer their knowledge and skills to their subordinates. Imagine how inefficient it would be if the manager or coach is not able to relay correct instructions or knowhow to his staff in order to perform the job. A communication

Executive coaching entails helping executives who has a negative impact on relationships with co-workers, subordinates, and clients. Feldman (2009) executive coaching focus on not the “executive dreams, goals, interest, passions, and unique characteristics, but what the Board and Advisory Committees perceive is best from their perspective” (p. 152).

Coaching is an exceptionally perplexing and requesting calling. It requires many specialized and individual skills. All coaches have their own style of educating. There is no set in stone system for instructing. All things considered, the coach’s philosophy decides his coaching points and targets, while having competitors and its encompassing surroundings.

The fourth section of the book which is profiling and coaching is described in 7 chapters. The section illustrates the variation between coaching specialties, and providing concrete successful coaches examples. These examples include relationship and creativity coaches, wellness and life coach, career and business coach, as well as leadership and executive coach among others. The book therefore touches on all couching specialties and thus, the book can be useful to anyone who wishes to develop a career in coaching. In addition, the book provide a holistic view of the coaching problem and thus, offering all possible solutions to the coaching problems (Allen & Grodzki, 2005).

Though increasingly professionalised, coaching has no standard definition (ILM 2014 report ‘Coaching for success’). Understanding of coaching and coaching success varies amongst individuals, including coaches themselves.(Please list of definitions in appendix) Part of Wilson’s (2013) definition describes an ‘evolving relationship of mutual confidence’. The ILM definition states the need for ‘people to find their own solutions’. Passmore et al (2011) state the importance of ‘personal responsibility of the participant’. This critical review found the ILM definition below most helpful (key words underlined). It is felt these statements with the ones above most closely match the competencies of evaluating and goal setting that this critical review

The best practice for coaching is positive reinforcement. Implementation of positive reinforcement will be conducted by supervisors have a daily huddle at the beginning of the work day. In the daily huddle emphasis on importance of safety and attention to detail to will stress the organizations

It becomes a popular byword not only in communities, but companies as well because they believed of the power of coaching to change lives and to obtain the desired goals they want. At present, supervisors and managers no longer criticize their subordinates, but they coach them to motivate them.

Coaching as best described by Sir John Whitmore is "unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them learn rather than teaching them." Coaching is a relationship, usually found in the workplace, focused more on task and performance. A coach would likely set goals for the learner and evaluate performance upon completion of a task or at the end of a period. Coaches are usually assigned. John C. Crosby says, “Mentoring is a brain to pick, an ear to listen, and a push in the right direction.” A mentor is a more experienced person that is willing to share knowledge with a mentee in a trusted relationship. Mentorship influences personal development as a whole and his or her career. This relationship does not have to be a formal one; mentors can be beneficial from a distance. Mentors are usually self-chosen. As human nature dictates, we all have to be motivated or see the potential benefits of the things we do. Will taking this course of action make us happier, place us in a better financial position, or get you that promotion? Both mentoring and coaching can benefit individuals in progressing successfully in their careers. Using coaching can increase productivity, build self-confidence, improve skills, and ensure satisfaction of clients. There is a saying in the Bahamas, “fisherman don’t call his fish stink.” Essentially, it means that we often are not aware of or willing to acknowledge our downfalls and deficiencies. In a coaching relationship,

Workplace coaching is a term that refers to the process of equipping people in the working environment with necessary tools, opportunities, and knowledge for total development in order to enhance their effectiveness from an individual, organizational, and work perspective. Workplace coaching has emerged as a major concept in modern organizations since leaders, researchers, and organizations have identified it as a crucial competency in leadership and management (Cacioppe, n.d.). The increase in this practice has also been attributed to the fact that employees continue to request for coaching. As an important competency in leadership and management, workplace coaching has assumed different perspectives and approaches because of the existence of various coaching models such as Systemic Psychodynamic Coaching model.