Coaching Cafe provides you simple tips to bring back to your team management. They do not require any formal coaching skills: all you need to do is make time to talk to your teams first rather than learning skills.
The Greatest Value of Having a Coach
July 12, 2023
"What is the greatest value you think coaching can provide to a client?" I frequently pose this open-ended question to our colleagues because I believe that our perception of its value directly influences what and how we coach. I personally believe that the greatest value lies in helping a client recognize their own unconscious perspectives and tendencies in judgments. If individuals can become aware of these, they can manage life events from different angles and gain new interpretations.
We sometimes look back at our past selves and reflect, thinking, "At that time, I could only think in a certain way," and nostalgically remember our younger days. These are exactly the moments that we feel a sense of personal growth and maturity when we are able to come up with new interpretations.
Having this belief in mind, when listening to a client, I consciously try to keep myself in a neutral mindset, without adding any biased interpretation of "right" or "wrong." And when I notice the client is speaking with an attitude of "Of course this is how things should be!", I curiously ask questions such as, "What made you come up with those thoughts?" and "Are there any other ways to see this situation?" Then, I begin the exploration with the client.
I also allow my own thoughts to evolve when it comes to the greatest value of coaching. What really matters is through continuing asking this question, coaches can reflect on and update our coaching practice continuously.
--Extracted and translated into English from "One Question Shows What Is Influencing Your Coaching" written by Hitoshi Murakata, Executive Coach
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