Big Brother Blog, Little Sister Coach

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Comments

[Joanna Young]

Hi Rosa, thanks for this interesting piece. I was initially surprised there weren't more (UK) coaches blogging, but as my discovery of new sites widens I am finding more and more.

Perhaps of greater significance is the number of people who coach through their blogging (including those who don't call themselves coaches). As you say I guess this is because of the close connection in values and approach - commitment to learning, the importance of trust and rapport, the realisation that "people are not meant to live alone".

I think that last point is maybe what drives my writing. It's an interesting thought.

Thanks for the mention of my Confident Writing site - I'm glad you are enjoying reading it, I'm having great fun writing it. And I'm looking forward to learning more through it about how to write with aloha :)

Joanna

[Rosa Say]

Joanna, you already are writing with aloha! You've very concisely summed up what I said in a very long post (I really need to work on brevity ...) when you say, "this is because of the close connection in values and approach." That's exactly it!

[Greg Balanko-Dickson]

Rosa, you always find the most interesting perspectives and observations.

When I started coaching in 1990, consulting was more mainstream and coaching had more of a new age image.

Is coaching now mainstream?

I think we still have quite far to go. Certainly we have come a long way and will know when we hit the mainstream, when it is common for companies to retain or employ their own in-house coaches.

[Rosa Say]

We may have a long way to go Greg, but the possibilities get brighter every day. That said, I do wonder about the struggle ahead of the in-house coaching you mention, for there exists the assumption that managers are supposed to be coaching as part of their jobs right now, so "fix" that, when in fact both initiatives would deliver a powerful partnership working toward in-house talent creation.

Coaching seems to be enjoying a slight cachet over 'training' and yet optimizing that cachet is still challenging. SLC will get far more requests for 'Train the Trainer' programs than we will for MWA Coaching Certification programs. It might sound like semantics at first, but there is a sensitivity to which one people feel they can get more easily approved by their budget parameters. Coaching is still considered a luxury.

[Greg Balanko-Dickson]

I think what is between mainstream and where we are today is a closer examination and scrutiny of the Coaching profession.

IMO, the Coaching profession has not done a great job of identifying new opportunities to integrate coaching, training, and management.

I think the rise of peer-to-peer business owner groups illustrates the gap between traditional life coaching and the unique needs of business owners.

As a founding member of the Professional Business Coaches Alliance I can tell you that we are working hard to bring more trained 'business' coaches to serve the market.

Your point that coaching is considered a luxury illustrates that we have a ways to go to move coaching from the expense side of the ledger to the revenue/asset side.

I think part of the perception that coaching is a luxury is that as a profession we have not coordinated our marketing efforts to emphasize how the outcomes from coaching actually become assets and not liabilities.

In other words we do not fix people, we help people become more effective, focused, and passionate.

[Rosa Say]

Now you've done it Greg, got my mind racing! There are several posts possible on these thoughts, and as you point out, "identifying new opportunities to integrate coaching, training, and management" is the stuff of which new business strategies are born! This is Greg the Business Performance Coach in action!

It also strikes me that we have these asset/ not liability viewpoints in every proposal we'll submit which outlines what we'll provide in our coaching programs, and all our contacts need do (to start) is pass it along, but they get lost in all the other stuff that's there too.

A coach must be part 'business coach' no matter what our specific expertise is.

[Chris Owen]

Now THIS has been an interesting debate!
As I have gained confidence in my coaching abilities and headed out there to network in my community, i have watched with frustration the loose use of the term "coach" predominantly in business consulting settings.
This is not about me being precious about the title "coach" but rather frustration that potential customers would so fervently believe that the business consultant they were paying was coaching them!
There was plenty of valuable business advice coming there way but little development of the "person" as business owner or manager.
I have had many people wonder why I have not included business coaching in my services when I can/do clearly coach business men and women to be the best business owner they can be.
My focus is on developing the person and nurturing a capacity for these people to source education to build specific skill sets. That's what I do in relationship coaching. Develop the person, nurture the awareness and the desire for skills development and voila the beginning of growth and change nets results.

[Phil Gerbyshak]

It's amazing to read about all the powerful things a coach can be, and yet, some still wonder of their legitimacy.

Tiger Woods has a coach. Michael Jordan had a coach. Lance Armstrong had a coach. Why not business people? That trusted third party who can help you look through a new lens, at the same old vision, and see something new. Asking great questions to help us see the light inside of us is another thing a coach does well.

Thank you Rosa, and Greg, for being my coaches. You both help me FAR more than you know. Just knowing when I get stuck I have someone trusted to turn to means the world to me!

And thank you for including me in your list. I am honored to be among the great ones you've listed.

[Deb Call]

Love your comments that coaches are continual learners, and that many have a gift/passion for writing. Blogging has indeed provided a platform for coaches to naturally display their credibility. Wonderful post, Rosa.

[Rosa Say]

Mmmm... the growing happens as we speak of it! This is a discussion we will need to continue as time goes by. Chris, Phil, and Deb, I am so happy you have jumped into the conversation.

Chris, I think there is the possibility for both good and bad practice in every profession, and clearly coaches and consultants can learn from each other as both seek to improve. In my own area of expertise I make a distinction between the two to clarify the coaching arrangement I'll get into with a client, for our work together will invariably involve both disciplines; each has its place and time. Like you, the ultimate goal for me is to help the person I coach grow within their strengths: I know I am successful when they no longer need me and I have coached myself out of the job!

Phil I think part of the confusion for people is that coaching is such a big word with so many applications. Yet ironically, people have to open their minds to even more possibilities once they decide to engage in it personally. Letting someone into your business thinking can be much more difficult than the skills (and mental) training that goes into athletics.

Deb, forgive my oversight, for you should definitely have been one of the coaches on my list! I have learned much from your wonderful book and blog.