When a coaching session is successful, who should take the credit? While it may seem like the coach made it happen, the real credit is the client’s who actually made the change. However, there is one more factor that aided the success – that was the process. The coaching process is designed to make a client successful. Here is how the process contributes.
The client chooses to participate and brings the agenda. What can be a bigger contributor to the success than this!
The process is contractual. The coach and the client and working towards the goal stated by the client
The ownership of the issue and the change is with the client. That is the fundamental principle of development.
People often say that they might have arrived at the same solution if they had thought about it on their own. That is possible. But do they? Another simple but significant reason why coaching works it makes people take time out for reflection. They focus on problems that they may have otherwise ignored. And there is something about articulation and the supportive relationship that helps open up options, the way just reflection doesn’t. The safety and the inquiry all adds to the person coming up with options he/she is committed to.
At the end of a session, a client states what he/she is going to do. We take promises that we make to others much more seriously that we do promises we make to ourselves (remember new year resolutions!). Thus a lot of change may happen, just in the process of listening without the coach having to do anything significant. Quite a humbling fact for coaches. The process is powerful.
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