One myth that often surrounds coaching and associated work is that coaching leads to higher motivation levels almost instantly. At RainKraft, we’d prefer to replace the rather transient ‘motivation’ with a more consistent ‘inspiration.’ Coaching is an individual journey of transformation. It does not ‘fire up’ people. Instead, it works to change them fundamentally.
Ravi Kumar, 36, works in the renewable energy sector. As a startup CEO, he is not new to the stresses of everyday demands, shifting goalposts, and the general uncertainty that surrounds his job. He is acutely aware of just how shaky the ground on which he stands is. When he turned to executive coaching, he wanted to reduce a few of these unexpected outcomes and figure out how he could get his team to be more motivated to meet targets that are sometimes amorphous.
Like Ravi, top-level executives at startups and Fortune 500 companies alike are surrounded by uncertainties. We are today, in a landscape that is set to change massively, thanks to revolutionary technology. How do people prepare for all eventualities? They cannot, which is why they prepare themselves to face these circumstances. This is where coaching can help immensely.
The Coaching Process
In fact, coaching can be a valuable replacement to the two-day new hire training programs we are used to. There’s nothing like a three-month engagement to get an employee started off on the right foot.
The first few sessions in coaching are dedicated to finding goals that inspire you enough to work towards them. Usually, in the first session, people come up with a lot of ideas. The coach discusses them in detail to understand which ones have the potential to become reference points.
The next step is setting meaningful goals. Most people usually work with three primary goals, but if the engagement is longer, more goals may be accommodated. We remember what SMART goals are– specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. The goals you set need to match all of these criteria. You need to have ways to measure progress.
Moreover, you need to be able to make good progress on them during the coaching period.
‘But If I Do All The Work..’ Ever run a marathon without knowing just how far you’ve come, or how much longer you need to keep going for? Coaching and its action items are mostly oriented towards you. The coach plays the role of a guide. This is because no coach in the world can tell you what you should be inspired by, or what you need to work towards. Moreover, no one can do the actual work for you.
[Also Read : Coaching The Individual To Coach The Organization] However, in each coaching session, you come away with a few significant tools: • An action plan for the days/ weeks until the next session • A vision of where this plan is taking you • Awareness of limitations and beliefs that may be stopping you • A long, hard look at the issues you’ve been unwilling to face, but stand in the way of your goals This is a support mechanism that most of us do not have as individuals, and yet this is a system that works. When you’re running a marathon, it is always wise to have a pacer, isn’t it?
What You Can Expect From Coaching
Coaching comes in many flavours, including personal coaching, executive coaching, and leadership coaching. Based on the goals you’ve set, coaching can help you achieve some or all of these outcomes: • Overcoming behaviour that is self-defeating, personally and professionally • Increased engagement and satisfaction with work, and an action plan for the future • Better management of issues such as time and anger • Flexibility, a better ability to set goals and achieve them in the future, resilience • Better leadership skills (employees reporting to a coachee often report that the coachee is a better leader after coaching) • Increased self-awareness, feelings of workplace wellbeing • For an organization- better employee engagement, consistent work towards business goals, more productivity, a culture of coaching. Need more information to make the call? Take a look at the coaching offerings and write to us for more information.