Coaching for Change: Practical Strategies for Transforming Performance

Identifying your preferred coaching style can be an important part of your development as a coach. Here is a sample of statements for you to consider:

• Create the climate:

  • I am able to create an environment that is conducive to learning.

  • I am able to focus on the needs of the learner.

  • I am not easily distracted by my surroundings.

  • I believe learning can take place anywhere with the right coaching skills.

• Build relationships:

  • I have taken time to identify my interpersonal skills.

  • People have given me positive feedback about the way I interrelate with others.

  • I am a good listener.

  • I am able to ask questions to determine learning needs.

• Open to experience:

  • I can rise above the immediate situation and see new opportunities.

  • I am not constrained by past experiences.

  • I can often encourage learners to take explorative steps forward.

  • I can inspire others to look at situations in a new light.

• Solution partner:

  • Other people often use me as a sounding board for their ideas.

  • I can often see new ways of approaching a problem.

  • I enjoy working as a partner with the business.

  • I can encourage others to work through issues constructively.

• Collaborative:

  • I have a network of professional people that I use to help me achieve my goals.

  • Within my organization I work hard to develop networks and encourage my learners to meet with others.

  • I can see the natural linkages between key projects within the business.

• Appropriate closure:

  • When I am working in a coaching relationship I encourage the learners to plan for their future independence.

  • Once I feel that I have offered learners as much as I can, I encourage them to develop new coaching relationships.

(The author is currently developing a Coaching Profile to measure preferences when coaching. If you would like more information about this profile, or a Motivation to Change Profile, please contact kaye@theinspirationnetwork.co.uk.)