Postkiwi

I’m working through Coachnet’s coaching accreditation process with a team from the Uniting Church in Australia, Queensland Synod. First textbook to process is “Coaching 101″, by Robert E. Logan and Sherilyn Carlton (Destination Coaching).

At the heart of Coaching 101 is a process involving five layers: relate, reflect, refocus, resource and review.

The “Relate” layer is focused on establishing a coaching relationship and agenda. I’ve found this helpful in clarifying the relational tasks needed at the beginning of a shared journey, and at the beginning of each coaching session. It’s not just about developing rapport and trust. There’s also a need to focus on how the coaching relationship will work, how each person will operate, the perameters of responsbility and accountability. I find myself coaching people who relate to me in many different settings. The ‘relate’ task will help narrow down the reason for getting together for an hour a month.

The “Reflect” layer is focused on discovering and exploring key issues for the person being coached. Helpful questions here are “What can we celebrate?”, “What is important?”, and “What are the obstacles you are facing?”. These allow for critical issues to come to the surface without heading straight into problem solving. Two more questions, “Where do you want to go?” and “How committed are you?”, provide a reality check for the coaching session, a way to filter out wishful thinking and stimulate realistic planning for action.

The “Refocus” layer is about determining strategic priorities and action steps. Logan and Carlton start this chapter by inviting the reader to consider potential barriers to successful refocusing: resistance to planning, fear of failure, living by ’shoulds’, and negative self-talk. With these in mind, the authors provide open-ended questions: “What do you want to accomplish?” “What are possible ways to get there?” “Which path will you choose?” “What will you do?” “How will you measure your progress?”

The “Resource” layer focuses on providing support and encouragement. Once again it’s a matter of asking open-ended questions. “What resources do you need to accomplish your goals?” “What resources do you already have?” “What resources are missing?” “Where will you find the resources you need?” I found the section on the coach’s resourcing role affirming and challenging. Yes - a coach can make connections and network the person being coached. But there’s a point at which a coach can become overpowering. I’ve made a commitment to get feedback on how useful my resourcing is.

The “Review” layer focuses on evaluation, celebration and revision of plans. The two key questions here are “What is working?” and “What isn’t working?”. I’m challenged by section on celebration to find practical ways to express affirmation for people I’m coaching. This section includes helpful evaluative questions to fine tune the coaching relationship.

Each chapter ends with an opportunity for individual or group reflection, often incorporating a sense of spiritual or theological formation. Many of the coaching examples given relate to people with responsibility for Christian communities. However the principles and questions outlined in the book would be transferable in a wide range of settings, in and outside faith environments.