EXECUTIVE

COACHING

1. COACHING: BASICS AND FUNDAMENTALS

1.1. DEFINITION OF COACHING

The ICF (International Coaching Federation) defines the term coaching as:

Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that

inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.

In each session, the client chooses the focus of conversation, while the coach listens and
contributes observations and questions.

This interaction creates clarity and moves the client into action. Coaching accelerates
the client’s progress by providing greater focus and awareness of choice.

Coaches recognize that results are a matter of the client’s intentions, choices and
actions, supported by the coach’s efforts and application of the coaching process.

Retrieved from: http://mossperform.com/coaching-born-or-mage/

Nowadays, businesses and organizations need leaders, not only in top managerial
positions, but also throughout the whole organization. Good professionals and leaders
are rarely born, since leadership is not something that comes naturally to everyone. It is
a skill and talent developed over time that can be strengthened by working with a coach.
Leaders not only need to have knowledge, but they also have to learn skills and educate
themselves in new values and emotions.

We are all learners at the beginning, some of us with more skills and better attitudes
than others, but in the end competencies and skills can always be acquired throughout
a person's life.

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Definition and evolution of the term “coaching”

Defining the word "coaching" is quite simple. It comes from English and French and has
several etymological references that we should know before moving to its current use.

The word coach has a French origin and means "car" (carriage of collective transport
pulled by horses that could transport several people). In English, the term is also
associated with different means of transport: the stage coach (carriage), the mail coach
(postal car) or the railway coach (wagon), and the driver of a car or a carriage was a
coachman.

At the end of the eighteenth century, in England, driving horse-drawn carriages became
a sport, which quickly became fashionable and was called "coaching".

Nowadays, we tend to understand coaching as training, but it does not mean exactly the
same thing. A coach is the one who helps us find the way, eliminate obstacles and make
the most of our abilities.

There are many definitions of coaching. This is relatively justified since, although
coaching is drawn from scientific realities and has a whole series of techniques and tools
for its practice, its application is always tailored to fit each case, which implies that it
requires creativity, insight, analysis and intuition. As each case is unique, it can be said
that, in its execution, it is an art.

Some definitions of coaching:

"Set of individual interviews between a person and a professional (the coach) whose
purpose is to help the person achieve their goals and succeed in their personal and
professional lives. In most cases it is the company that pays for the coaching method,
however, some people turn to a coach on their own initiative, bearing the cost".

François Delivré

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"Accompanying people or teams in order to ensure the development of their potential

and knowledge within the framework of their professional objectives. It is a process
that aims to raise awareness of a person or a team about their particular mode of
operation so that they can overcome the situation in which the person or team is.”
Société Française de Coaching

“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance,

helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”

Timothy Gallwey

Summarising and at the same time being somewhat poetic:

"The art of facilitating the potential development of people and teams to achieve
coherent objectives and in-depth changes".

In times of economic crisis, where the bar for potential employees is set higher and
higher, the optimization of human resources seems to be a priority.

Throughout this manual, we will consider the fact that everyone can enhance their
performance, improving not only their technical knowledge, but also their level of
competency. This includes setting objectives, time management, teamwork, leadership,
self-control and communication. All of these aspects can always be guided by the

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principle of pragmatism, i.e., specifying steps, techniques and indicators of progress that
allow obtaining clear improvements both, for the professional and for the company.

Before we move on to the role of coaching, we need to clarify two concepts that are
frequently confused: mentoring and coaching.

In terms of definition, mentoring refers to a helping relationship existing between a

person and a mentor who, thanks to their experience, is an expert and can enrich the
student (person needing assistance) through their advice and practical guidance. This
implies that a mentor aims to change and improve the student’s attitude.

From this definition we can see that these two concepts are quite similar, so it is
important to get to know the similarities and the differences between them.

Let us take a look at the following explanatory tables in order to better understand the
meaning of mentoring and coaching.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN COACHING AND MENTORING

COACHING MENTORING

Internal or external (when the coach is Internal or external (when the mentor is internal,
internal, he/she usually is the direct any person in the organization can assume the
superior of the coachee) role)
Always formal Formal or informal (managed by the company or
Individual or Collective spontaneous)
Intended for all the employees Individual
Objective: the improvement in Intended for people with high potential
performance Objective: the development of the person.
Short duration: between 3-6 months Longer duration: 1.5 - 2 years

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SIMILARITIES BETWEEN COACHING Y MENTORING

- They are potential development strategies.

- They are focused on the implementation of already existing knowledge and the
acquisition of new skills.

- They are training strategies in the workplace, which are based on the structured
training processes that are used during daily work routine.

- In the more formal application, they are generally coordinated from Human
Resources, although they are usually carried out by the parties directly involved
themselves, without anyone from the larger organization having a direct involvement
on the development.

- They are carried out based on an action plan, which is followed by a list of specific
tasks to develop.

- They have a high attitudinal component for their proper execution.

- The objective of both disciplines is to ensure that talented people work together so
that those with greater experience and knowledge can transmit it to those who are
in a phase and attitude of development, both personal and professional.

- These are two experimental learning programmes, which means that what is learned
becomes part of the behaviour pattern of the interested parties.

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1.2. THE ROLE AND NEED FOR COACHING

▪ Need for coaching

The hectic pace of today’s life, constantly feeling stressed, overwhelmed, lost and
pressed for time seem problems that most of us struggle with. The leading hypotheses
suggest that a change in lifestyle is to blame.

Our heavy reliance on technology, in both our personal and professional life, makes
things seem hectic. Technologies evolve faster every day. If for any reason technology
fails, we feel lost and unable to creatively resolve the problem. The Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) revolution has accelerated human activity, but the
question is whether the technology is liberating us from many tasks or enslaving us?
New organizational models appear as 24/7 services that refer to the total availability of
companies at any time and any day, through mobile phones, emails, voice mailboxes,
ATMs, teleworking, e-learning and other Internet tools. We are starting to have the
sensation that we have less time than in any other moment in recent history.

We feel overwhelmed by competition, both within the organization and outside of it.
We are afraid of transmitting insecurity when speaking with co-workers and we fear
talking with our supervisors about our frustrations, failures and mistakes.

It happens that we have no one to check if we are doing the right thing until an error
occurs and then we only receive corrective feedback.

In today’s world where the culture of rapid success prevails and failure does not seem
to be an option, human issues fade into the background. We are not able to find that
“someone” with whom we can share and discuss our problems, failures, new ideas or
visions.

The lack of commitment in relationships, increased absenteeism, rotation and

demotivation, technological slavery, the reduction in family and leisure time, the
depersonalization of human relations and individualism, the change of lifestyle and

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culture based on the rapid success and punishment for failures, gives a frightening sense
of a future in which the exponential increase in stress, depression and anxiety will likely
result in the increased costs in direct and indirect medical and social security costs.

All of this creates a need for an external person who can motivate us, inspire us and help
us to grow not only professionally but also personally.

▪ The role of a coach

The role of a coach emerges as a need for a professional who can accompany the
transformation process of a person in personal and work situations. Coaches care about
the personal and social integrity of their client; they facilitate the creation of networks
as well as the adherence to common objectives and systemic planning. The areas on
which a coach places importance are: values, relationships and coherence.

A coach accompanies individuals, groups or organizations in their change processes,

teaching them to invent tools and solutions that encourage a personal, professional and
organizational renewal.

At the same time, they help to raise awareness about the idea that we live in a time of
change, which implies that we need a compass, reference points and guides that allow
us to self-manage more effectively. What is more, they tend to stress the fact that a
good leader is the one who has learned how to manage and master change and has the
ability to adapt to it.

The coach's attitude is based on 5 principles: listening, asking, clarifying, not imposing
and not judging.

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1.3 COMPONENTS OF COACHING

✓ The Coach

A coach is a qualified professional who works with their clients to help them grow both
on a personal and professional level. They often refrain from solving problems but
instead ask questions, challenge assumptions or provide resources. The work of the
coach is to stimulate and facilitate, through a scientific, valid and reliable methodology,
the self-reflection of the coachee in such a way that they design and commit to an action
plan resulting from the synergy of the work of both.

✓ The coachee

A coachee or student is a person who receives training from a coach. Coachees should
not get solutions from their coaches, but rather they have to learn by themselves, the
coach facilitates the learning.

✓ Coaching Process

A coaching process can be described as a mutual agreement between coach and

coachee, under ethical-professional principles with the aim of achieving some
professional and personal goals, previously defined by common agreement, through a
working plan based on:

▪ Evaluation, diagnosis and definition of objectives: use of tools such as tests,

development centre, 360º evaluation, as well as an interview to make an in-
depth evaluation of the profile of the coachee.
▪ Training, action plan, application and feedback: development of Socratic method
and self-reflection, with support exercises and implementation of immediate
improvement actions.
▪ Post-evaluation and follow-up: evaluation of results that shows the client or
coachee that the objectives initially proposed by both parties are being achieved.

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The whole process should be monitored, including the coachee’s ups and downs
in their daily implementation of the action plan.

In addition to these three above-mentioned stages, we will briefly introduce the four
stages that we will develop later in Chapter 3 in which we will discuss in detail the
Coaching Process.

The four phases of the coaching process are:

- Needs assessment phase.

- Design phase.

- Start-up phase.

- Monitoring and evaluation phase.

This process mainly deals with detecting the needs for improvement, planning and
carrying out the action plan necessary to achieve this improvement. Additional areas of
focus should also be monitoring and evaluating the whole process in order to verify that
the expected results are being obtained.

✓ Duration

Each coaching process is different but the minimum advisable time to obtain results is
three to six months, distributing the number of sessions depending on the stage of the
coaching programme in which the subject is.

▪ Evaluation, diagnosis and definition of objectives: 1 weekly session.

▪ Training, action plan, application and feedback: 1 weekly session, and then every
15 days in the online feedback phase.
▪ Post-evaluation and follow-up: 1 monthly face-to-face session, with a weekly
online follow-up.

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✓ Coaching session

Coaching sessions consist of dialogues between coach and coachee and last between
60-90 minutes. The coach guides the coachee, by challenging their thinking and asking
strategic coaching questions to help them clarify their ideas, find resources and solutions
and as a result achieve their goals. This methodology has to follow the guidelines of the
Socratic method.

✓ Socratic method or maieutic

The Socratic method is based on modelling an inquiring mind by constantly probing into
the subject with questions, thanks to which the coachee makes decisions. This technique
was used by the first coach in history: Socrates. By means of the questions that he was
asking his students, they could reach virtue. Socrates pretended to be ignorant so as to
expose, by continuously asking questions, the ignorance of his interlocutors. Becoming
aware of one’s own ignorance was the first step to learning.

Then maieutic was applied, which through dialogue with the person, who was already
willing to learn, led them to the definition of virtue. Thus, the Socratic method states
that everyone has the necessary tools to achieve their objectives; people simply need a
guide to be able to examine those internal tools of change. With the help of a guide,
students will be able to follow a more organized and efficient method and devote less
time to reaching the initially proposed objectives, skills and competencies.

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1.4. COACHING AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT

Competence is the ability to successfully put into practice different skills, knowledge,
thoughts, and values in different interactions that human beings have in their personal,
social and work environment. It refers to the knowledge, skills and abilities that a person
develops to understand; transform and make a difference. Thus competence is a set of
behaviours, and therefore something observable and evaluable. For this reason,
competencies have become a focal point when recruiting personnel, establishing career
plans, carrying out performance evaluations or making compensations based on the
competencies required for the position.

Competencies vary according to the job, company and time in which changes take place.
They usually change over time; increase as employees improve their performance,
leading to the growth of skills at a professional level.

Components of competencies:

▪ Knowledge

▪ Skills and abilities

▪ Attitudes and concerns

▪ Motivation

▪ Means and resources

These five elements are interrelated: for example, without technical knowledge of how
software works, we cannot acquire the skills; we will not be able to put into practice the
knowledge, as we have not yet acquired the skills. On the other hand, as soon as we
have acquired this knowledge, we will need to put it into practice to strengthen it and
be able to be skilled at working with this software. The same applies to attitudes and
interests; if we have a positive attitude and we are interested in that software, it will be

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much easier for us to acquire knowledge and then skills. Motivation also plays an
important role and it is intimately related to attitude. Motivation is an internal and/or
external factor that inspires a person to achieve a behaviour or competency, that is, to
modify their attitude. And finally, the means and resources, which might be more
applicable to an organization or company, need to also be available so that a subject can
achieve the required competencies.

But coaching is not only intervening in changes related to competencies and behaviours,
which have an average magnitude, but also in those that have a great magnitude; such
as beliefs and values, which are more ingrained in the coachee and are much more
difficult to modify or root out. In fact, what a coach tries to do is to make a change from
the inside to the outside, first changing values and beliefs, then workplace tools and
finally competencies and behaviours.

Behaviour is considered the tip of an iceberg, the visible part of everything behind it. It
represents much more than a simple way of acting, since it reflects our motivation,
feelings and emotions.

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Taking this into account, behaviour is understood as something very important, since
the opinions that people have about us will be based on it. However, if our way of acting
differs from our emotions, this will be reflected and it will generate distrust.

The same happens with the opinion that we have about others. It is based simply on
their visible behaviour, free of prejudices and emotions that may alter the credibility of
that change. Our behaviour will also influence the behaviour of others, especially if we
are leaders. For this reason we need to set an example of change because, as we have
mentioned before, our change will entail the change of others.

In spite of knowing that behaviours, competencies and changes are essential, the
resistance persists when modifying predominant leadership attitudes, which are often
autocratic, rigid and difficult to root out.

1.5. COACHING, CHANGE AND LEARNING

The world we are living in constantly changes and evolves extremely quickly. However,
awareness of this change does not occur ipso-facto or in real time, but the change in our
environment is noticed when it has already been evident enough to be able to be
perceived, i.e., there is a latency of awareness of change, and therefore, also of reaction
towards it.

The perception represents a fixed frame of the reality, that facilitates its compression
but it also implies some limitations. For example, it is more difficult to be aware of the
transformation and it may happen that when we notice the change, other processes or
other circumstances that can make it obsolete have already occurred. Success is
reserved for those who have learned to recognize, follow and anticipate the flow of
change which, although it occurs at a much higher speed than before, this is not a new
phenomenon.

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Ability to change is also a necessary trait of leaders. Coaching is essential in order to
train them, since a philosophy of change can begin on a large scale from the
transformation of leaders. Leaders are the ones who clarify the path so subordinates
know which way to go and are the ones who help them along the way. They need to
have the ability to motivate their team members to grow by showing faith in their
capabilities as well as concern for their development and well-being. At the same time,
leaders need to be aware of the power that they hold, and therefore, avoid
manipulation, which implies a lack of moral integrity. They also should consult with their
subordinates and take their ideas on board when making a decision even if the
consequences might turn out negative for them.

Studies on modification of behaviour start in modern psychology.

Ivan Petrovich Pavlov (1849-1936) was a Russian physiologist known primarily for his
development of the concept of the conditioned reflex. He won the Nobel Prize for
Physiology or Medicine in 1904. According to Pavlov, dogs were demonstrating classical
conditioning. He summed it up like this: There is a neutral stimulus (the bell), which by
itself will not produce a response, like salivation. There's also a non-neutral
or unconditioned stimulus (the food), which will produce an unconditioned
response (salivation). But if you present the neutral stimulus and the unconditioned
stimulus together, eventually the dog will learn to associate the two. After some time,
the neutral stimulus by itself will produce the same response as the unconditioned
stimulus, like the dogs drooling when they hear the bell. This is called a conditioned
response. Unconditioned response is completely natural and a conditioned response is
something that we learn. This experiment laid the foundations for classical conditioning.

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Subsequently another psychologist, B.F. Skinner, proposed operant conditioning, by

which he established that all behaviour could be modified by rewards and punishments.
Thus, the reward was a positive reinforcement that stimulated the repetition of such
behaviour, and the punishment caused the weakening of that behaviour. Then the
negative reinforcement would be included, which implies removing something
considered negative and strengthening the response or the negative punishment which
is characterised by removing a favourable element with the goal of decreasing the
behaviour. His experiment, simplifying it, was to make a rat learn to press a lever for
which in return it received food.

These forms of behavioural modification have been used by behavioural psychologists

in different psychological or psychiatric disorders, as well as in early childhood education
techniques.

Obviously today, it would not be a good idea to treat the learning processes of humans
and dogs equally, nor is it in our interest to know someone's response to food when a
bell rings. Currently, the first thing to define in the behaviour change action plan is what
we want to change. We need to specify what we want to change, define and identify the

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habits that we consider inappropriate, and secondly, identify the new habits we want to
acquire and the behaviours we want to obtain. Gradual implementation of the new
behaviours together with a positive and motivating corrective feedback will help us to
maintain them.

Reflection
Needs
Problems
Reviewing
Anchoring
beliefs and
Rewards
values

Monitoring
Analizing the
Evaluate
need of change
Feedback

Identifying
Applying new unsuitable
behaviours behaviours

It is of utmost importance to know what behaviour we want to modify, why we want to

change it and how to carry out maintenance feedback; otherwise the behavioural
change will last for a short period of time.

As we already know, the nature of authority has changed in the 21st century. Now it is
no longer a matter of directing, dictating or imposing, but rather about forming a
participatory authority, encouraging, motivating, mobilizing and uniting efforts and
needs by means of consensus. This form of management is equally applied to couples,
families or companies.

The words “change” and “learning” convey a much deeper meaning than you may think.
There are different types or levels of change and also of learning. We will explain this
below:

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▪ 1st Level changes are those that intervene within a system. This level includes
those changes that allow maintaining balance and homeostasis in a changing
environment. Homeostasis is none other than the self-regulation of the human
body to remain "the same", to make sure that nothing changes or affects the
individual in order to ensure survival. Thus, the changes at level 1 would be those
that refer to the internal environment, but sometimes these changes are
insufficient, which is when second level changes are required.

▪ 2nd Level changes are those that affect or modify the system, i.e., these are those
involving "external changes", and thanks to them the system itself is modified.

A very typical example of both levels of change is that of the car going up a ramp. The
vehicle will initially accelerate to be able to climb (first-level change) and later, unable
to do it, it will continue to change to a lower gear (second-level change) so that it can
keep ascending little by little.

Another point that we need to make clear is that in order to change, it is necessary to
be eager to change. However, being willing to change is not enough since we need to
have the necessary means to bring about change. We can differentiate two types of
changes: on the one hand, the quantitative change, which depends on material solutions
and, on the other hand, the qualitative change, which refers to the intangible elements
that will help us to achieve it.

A qualitative change cannot be imperative or dictatorial and it should never be imposed.

It requires a different vision that gives rise to new forms of interaction. The more
unconsciously it is applied, the more powerful it will be. The changes that are made in
an inquisitive manner, are usually rejected by the system and generate resistance
against that imposed change, as it is conceived as a disruption of the equilibrium or
homeostasis.

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In contrast, the respect, appreciation and recognition of others is the driving force
behind the system change. Thus, it is much easier to obtain a change from the resources
of the human system than by resorting to orders, so that the cooperation of the system
(voluntary, without giving orders) is essential, although it should always be supervised
by the promoter of the change. In this way, second-level changes guided by an external
force (in this case the change promoter) are more successful.

The attitude of the promoter of change has to be exemplary. They should not focus on
the defects and malfunctions of the system they wish to abolish, as this will only
reinforce these defects and generate resistance. For this reason, they should focus their
attention on the useful functions and virtues of the system in order to enhance them
and use them as resources in the process of change, which in turn will reinforce the
subject’s appreciation and recognition.

Now we need to mention the transformation of the company from the 20th to the 21st
century. In the 20th century the value of a superior was measured by the number of their
subordinates. However, the 21st century brought about an important change and this
pyramid image of a company has been discarded. Nowadays, companies promote
teamwork, multidisciplinary, equality and autonomy. They are characterized by the
capacity for self-management and innovation, taking on business risks, creating
commitment to the company, as well as focusing attention on the service of excellence.
This change has resulted in eliminating middle managers, reducing the hierarchical
levels and making the business structure horizontal.

Let us now move on to the different levels of learning.

Gregory Bateson, anthropologist and social scientist who had a great influence on NLP,
differentiates 5 levels of learning or logical levels of learning:

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▪ Learning Level 0: it is characterized by the fact that the reaction is not subject
to any adjustment or correction. This group includes all stereotyped behaviours,
not determined by experience but by genetics. An example of this learning would
be moving the hand away when it is burning or closing our eyes when a loud
noise is heard. The rest of the levels of learning are based on experience and the
concept of trial and error, unlike this one that is inherent to the subject and more
primitive.

▪ Learning Level 1: implies modification in specificity of response by correction of

errors of choice within a set of alternatives. An example would be the
phenomenon of habituation. If we hear the same noise continuously, in the end
we no longer close our eyes. The system gets used to it; we adapt to it and we
are not afraid. Pavlov's classical conditioning is included here as well.

▪ Learning Level 2: is the modification of level 1. Learning at level 2 provides the

basis upon which to choose a certain alternative. The organism, instead of simply
acting in a specific way in a specific context, learns how to act in certain ways in
certain situations. This is the learning that forms most of the human behaviour
as it implies approaching new situations. When patterns of behaviour are
repeated and linked with the beliefs and values of the system, they provide
stability and security, but they are more difficult to modify if in a certain context
they are not valid.

▪ Learning Level 3: like the previous one, it involves modifying level 2. The choice
between alternatives is not made at the level of situation (level 2) or action (level
1). Level 3 requires reinterpreting reality, redefining one's own identity and the
context of the complicated situation. It is characterized by an intense
predetermination of the “I” to increase the resolving alternatives.

▪ Learning Level 4: it would imply the modification of the previous process, but
this change does not develop or happen in any organism.

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Learning Stereotyped behaviours

Level 0
Primitive Reactions

Learning Level 1

Classical conditioning
Instrumental conditioning

Learning Level 2
Human behaviour
Personality, Beliefs, values

Learning Level 3
Predetermination of the "I"
Releasing beliefs and values

Learning Level 4

Modification of the Level 3
Still not developed by any organism

Regarding change at a more practical and individual level, Edgar Dale’s cone of learning might
come in handy. It highlights what is remembered depending on whether the activity is
passive or active.

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Another way of classifying different forms of learning is based on the way in which an
instruction is acquired:

▪ Through traditional training: it is based on the simple acquisition of knowledge

and information. It is economical and easily available. However, its main
disadvantage is that it is based on concepts that are too theoretical and the
acquired knowledge is not put into practice, therefore, it is difficult to apply it in
everyday life.

▪ Through experience: it is the most frequent and common form of learning,

where the individual learns by trial and error. The attitude of the person who
learns through experience is very active, thus, the learning process is more
effective and it reinforces the image of self-esteem and strengthens the ability
to solve problems autonomously. On the other hand, if the people carry out their
instruction in isolation and for a long time, their self-image can be
overestimated; this in turn can lead to a rigid and uncompromising attitude
towards the opinions of others.

▪ Through instruction and training: In this form of learning, a mentor or teacher

such as the coach guides their training through dialogue and facilitates the
independence of the coachee or student, making them responsible for their final
decisions.

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METHODOLOGY KNOWLEDGE SKILLS COMPETENCIES

Theoretical courses, High Low Low

e-learning

On-the-job training Medium High Medium

Elaboration and Medium Medium Medium

resolution of cases

Simulations, group Low High Medium

dynamics in/out
door

Role play Low Medium Medium

Job rotation Medium High Medium

Internal Promotion Medium Medium High

Performance Medium High High

assessment

Coaching Medium High High

Mentoring Low High Medium

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1.6. OBJECTIVES OF COACHING

When it comes to the specific goals of coaching, we can highlight:

✓ Deepening the understanding of new models that influence the processes of

personal change and facilitate personal and professional changes.

✓ Promoting new values and beliefs in order to facilitate the change and personal
development.

✓ Facilitating the growth of managerial skills and competencies: communication,

assertiveness, active listening, leadership, planning and organization, teamwork,
initiative and decision-making, self-control and self-awareness.

✓ Improving individual and organizational performance and effectiveness.

✓ Providing tools to unite the team members and to achieve the organizational
goals, in the case of group coaching.

✓ Stimulating training so as to optimize resources and effectiveness in a perennial

way.

✓ Facilitating the learning process and quick implementation of new skills that have
been acquired.

✓ Giving corrective and reinforcing feedback.

✓ Increasing the balance of professional and personal life, adhering to your own
principles and values, and avoiding inconsistencies with the person we want to
be and what we want to have.

✓ Providing support for reaching goals and targets.

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“The coaching method is gaining in importance as more than half of the companies on
the Fortune list of the United States use this method for training their managers.
Asked for a concrete estimate of the monetary payoff from the coaching they got,
these managers described an average return of more than $100,000, or about six times
what the coaching had cost their companies.”

Manchester Inc. 2001

Coaching needs to focus on three aspects:

1st Developing potential 2nd Adapting to new realities 3rd Increasing contribution

● Adapting to the trends of

the environment
(demand)
● Enhancing performance in
● Adapting to business
order to achieve goals.
● Optimizing potential. trends.
● Solving a performance or
● Being successful in a ● Moving towards the
contribution problem.
developing mission. cultural requirements of
● Solving a problematic
● Adapting to a new role. the organization.
situation.
● Advancing towards a role
change.

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To start a coaching programme we need to explain the process, define the objectives
with the coachee (indicating which ones will be achievable and which not; otherwise,
the process will be seen as useless), as well as provide a confidentiality protocol. The
definition of objectives has to be consistent with the "SMART" rule:

It is very important that strategic objectives comply with the SMART technique, which
states that goals should be:

● Specific
● Measurable
● Attainable
● Realistic
● Time based

Let us now take a careful look at the characteristics that make up the SMART technique.

Specific

Goals should be as specific and detailed as possible, so that they are easy to understand
and they are not misleading. To ensure that the objectives are specific, we have to
answer the following questions:

● What do we want to accomplish exactly? And why?

● Who is involved?
● In which field are we going to work to achieve what we want?
● In what time frame do we want and have to achieve it?

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● What strengths and weaknesses do we have?
● What threats and opportunities can we come across externally?
● What benefits will it bring us?

Measurable

It is very important that the goals we set can be measured. Thus, if we are devoted to
sales, we should not simply want to boost sales, but we should set the specific
percentage by which we want to increase it, so that, by analyzing the results, we can
measure what we have achieved and what we have left. Therefore, if our objective is to
increase sales by 10% over the next 6 months, it will be easier for us to measure the
achievement of this objective than if we simply set for ourselves to increase sales since
we will not be able to compare what has been achieved with the established objective.

Attainable

As we have already seen, it is important that the objectives that we propose are
achievable. Of course, we need to be ambitious and never settle for less, but we should
always be realistic about the goal we set.

Regarding this aspect, we must highlight the motivation of workers. In this case, if an
enterprise establishes a target which is beyond their reach, it risks discouraging its
workers as they see that it is impossible to achieve the goal, while if it sets goals that are
achievable, employees will feel motivated seeing that, step by step, the set objective is
being reached.

Realistic

As we have already mentioned, objectives should be realistic, so they need to be in line

with the values of the company and its vision. In addition, they have to be achievable
with the use of the tools already available in the company.

Time-bound

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Finally, it is important to establish these objectives according to a specific time, i.e., we
need to set a time frame in which the objective should be achieved.

When it comes to duration, we can distinguish between three types of objective; long,
medium and short-term.

1.7. WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM COACHING?

Coaching as a tool of growth can be useful for anyone who wishes to achieve their full
professional and individual potential. Coaches help clients to open their horizons and
push themselves beyond their limits.

If we focus on the professional level only, we refer to executive coaching, which is what
we are interested in. It is intended for:

✓ People who want to enhance their career and professional development or those
who have to make decisions at high levels of commitment and stress.

✓ Junior managers with high capabilities, seeking help from an external coach to
guide their potential.

✓ Executives and workers who need to face situations of change (workplace, skills,
abilities...).

✓ Workers who are responsible for the management of a team and are in charge
of the team’s professional growth.

It should be emphasized that the return on the investment in coaching is superior when
it is applied to people who have subordinates; the more responsibility they have, the
more effective their actions are.

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In executive coaching we find two types of coachees or trainees: those who believe they
have achieved their maximum potential, but are facing problematic situations which
they do not know how to manage (economic crises, organizational culture, bosses,
collaborators, clients ...) and those who believe they have high capacities but require
help to maximize them.

Companies may need the coaching method for different reasons; the most common
are:

▪ To verify, through an external and objective perspective, the competencies,

abilities, management capacity and adaptation to change that will facilitate the
process of change.

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▪ To enhance effectiveness and control in high-risk decisions and increase the self-
assurance of the individual who takes them.

▪ To project or prepare a professional career plan for managers of great potential.

▪ To help the company in the adaptation of the incorporation of young

professionals.

▪ To teach team leaders how to get the most out of their subordinates by
facilitating the development of their collaborators' talents.

▪ To help companies with difficulties in progressing in their adaptation, integration

or operational capabilities.

To sum up, it is a discipline directed at:

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1.8. COACHING PROFILE: TRAINING AND COMPETENCIES

As we have already mentioned, coaching is a scientific discipline that is growing in

popularity because of its good results, a fact that encourages companies to use this tool
as a way to enhance their performance.

The main objective of executive coaching is to improve business, professional and also
individual performance. So, if this discipline does not achieve its main objective we
cannot say that it is valid and reliable professional coaching because the title of a coach,
a word that is used freely nowadays, is restricted to those who have the training-
competencies required for this profession.

One of the problems with recognition of this discipline is the lack of consideration by
public institutions. However, it seems that it is slowly being incorporated into
postgraduate programmes in the faculties of psychology. In any case, the fact that a
coach has a degree in psychology does not guarantee that they have the necessary
competencies for this job.

The profile of the executive coach focuses on several features, among them: the
consultant, the coach, the teacher/trainer, the psychologist and Socratic coach.
Regarding the necessary studies of the coach, they need to have training in psychology,
pedagogy, management (in the case of executive/business coaches), human resources,
adult learning theories and managerial skills.

When it comes to professional experience, they should have at least 5 to 8 years’

experience in management positions, in the management of work teams and/or in
human resources and/or management consulting.

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The ideal skills of a coach include:

▪ Leadership: ability to propose new alternatives and strategies, being the guide
of the team in search of the results and feeling of cohesion.

▪ Development of employees: stimulate the autonomy and development of their

team by establishing objectives, marking preferences and offering feedback
(positive or negative, according to the behaviour). They take the responsibility
for the motivation that their team has on a professional and even on a personal
level.

▪ Empathy: ability to put themselves in the other person's shoes or to see things
through someone else’s eyes. A coach should identify and understand another’s
situation, feelings, perspective and needs.

▪ Flexibility: They should have the ability to accommodate and work with different
people or environments. Coaches should know how to deal with setbacks and
how to change objectives and manoeuvres to achieve results.

▪ Assertiveness: They express feelings, thoughts, beliefs or needs, without hurting

the rest, encouraging dialogue and trust.

▪ Innovation: They put forward new, original and bold ideas, as well as useful and
achievable alternatives to solve unexpected problems.

▪ Impact and influence: They have the ability to convince and persuade the rest
to achieve their own goals.

▪ Self-control: They have self-control over their physical and psychological

reactions that allow efficient behaviour.

Obviously, ideally a coach should possess all those skills to offer good and effective
service but, depending on the reason as to why the coach is required, some
competencies will predominate over others.

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1.9. THE NEED FOR THE COACH LEADER

First of all we need to establish the basic differences between a boss and a coach
leader:

§ Generating trust
§ Saying "We"
Boss

§ Showing how to

Coach Leader
§ Instilling fear in
the group build a career
§ Saying "I" § Cooperation
§ Knowing why a § Guiding
task has to be § Correcting and
done teaching how to
§ Authority solve problems
§ Giving orders § Promoting
§ Looking for the enthusiasm
culprit of the § Interesting,
problem original, active
work
§ Increasing
resentment § Seeing problems
§ Routine work as learning and
§ Perceiving growing
problems as a opportunities
destructive for the § Authority is a
company privilege
§ Authority as § Being involved in
power their actions
§ Forcing the group § Existing due to
§ Existing due to goodwill
authority § Being praised for

§ Being secretly better and worse

hated and § Preparing team

criticised members
§ Empowering
employees

▪ For a boss, authority is the privilege of controlling and giving commands. For a
leader it is the privilege of serving others. A boss says: "Here, I am the one who
gives orders"; a leader says: "Here, I am the one who serves"; a boss tends to
push the team instead of working alongside the employees, whereas a leader
leads the way and commits to the common goal.

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▪ A boss exists due to authority and a leader, due to goodwill. Bosses believe that
authority should be imposed on workers and they depend on positional power
to have an impact. Leadership influence, on the other hand, is not dependent on
power or position. Instead, leaders inspire team members by being invested in a
project, taking initiative, “rolling up their sleeves” and showing a positive
attitude.

▪ A boss uses fear to control others. In contrast, leaders understand that

intimidating employees and attempting to create a fear-based workplace will
lead nowhere. They want to empower and motivate their team members by
showing trust, enthusiasm and empathy.

▪ A boss is looking for a culprit when there is an error. They tell off their employees
or even threaten them in front of others. Leaders, on the other hand, offer sound
advice and give constructive criticism which they perceive as an opportunity to
learn and improve.

▪ Bosses only interact when they give orders; they like to assign tasks and then
stand aside and “monitor” other people doing the job. Unlike bosses, leaders set
an example by working hard together with their team and truly committing to
the objectives.

▪ A boss makes work a burden; the leader makes it a privilege.

▪ A boss knows how to do things; a leader shows how they should be done.

▪ A boss needs and uses other people having his/her own interest in mind; leaders
want to make other people feel successful by continuously empowering them.

▪ A boss manages people; a leader teaches them. Bosses dehumanize their

employees perceiving them as numbers and constantly exploiting them for their
own financial gain. Leaders connect with the team members on a more personal
level; they respect their views and incorporate their ideas into the decision-

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making process showing confidence in their employees when it comes to taking
decisions on their own.

▪ A boss says: "Go!”; a leader says: "Let's go”.

▪ A boss arrives on time; a leader arrives ahead of time. A true leader is always one
step ahead of the group, looking beneath the surface and being prepared for
future challenges. They want sustainable solutions, whereas bosses focus on
what is right now and quick fixes.

Currently, due to the need to generate more competitive organizations there has been
a change that is based on:

✓ Delegating in order to carry out the work.

✓ Allowing taking decisions at more operational levels.

✓ Developing teams and individuals so that they can effectively self-manage.

✓ Creating more cooperative leadership and extending it to other levels.

All these changes and results have occurred mainly in recent competitive companies, in
which the development of the role of coach leader in executive and middle management
has been stimulated. A coach leader needs to train, develop and place trust in the
initiative of their workers so that they can find solutions by themselves, since the speed
of the current market does not allow the coach leader to provide all solutions
imminently.

Stimulation of employees is carried out through the Socratic dialogue, feedback,

delegation, empowerment, performance evaluation, the development of career and
career guidance. All these tools are used to motivate employees to be autonomous in
decision-making process. Leaders are more interested in the development of the
professional career of their subordinates and success is achieved through cooperation
of both parties.

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▪ Competencies of a Coach Leader

✓ Employee development: being focused on intellectual and personal growth,

training and employability. The behaviours essential to enhance this competency
include: identifying the potential of each employee, studying their development
needs, providing resources, tools or ideas necessary for their development,
being available, setting an example, offering support and career guidance,
proposing goals, and giving feedback based on results.

✓ Empowerment: being focused on the empowerment of employees by giving

them freedom to make their own decisions. In this way, they take responsibility
for the results, form part of the business management and develop their talent
and capabilities. Among the behaviours necessary to strengthen this
competency are: division of new responsibilities, recognition of results, support
and advice, as well as supervision.

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▪ Characteristics of a Coach Leader

Interest in enhancing the perfomance

Follow up assessment, diagnosis and planning of the

development of their employees

Personalization and use of an effective feedback

Reliability

Active listening, empathy and assertiveness

A visual example of leadership change from the 20th to the 21st century is that in the
20th century the business organization was based on a leader that everyone
followed, jointly performing the same movements as if they were in a kayak. On the
other hand, in the 21st century, organizations are more cooperative and
participatory which means that everyone is rowing in the same direction, but
employees are allowed more freedom of movement and decision making as if they
were going white water rafting.

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