Coaching - What is it in simple terms? Coaching - what is it. Methods and technologies of effective coaching for self-development and achievement of goals

coaching method

Basic definitions of coaching

"Coaching" is the disclosure of a person's potential in order to maximize its effectiveness. Coaching does not teach, but helps to learn (Timothy Galwey).
Coaching is an alternative management behavior to command and control (John Whitmore).
"Coaching" is an action that has the goal of achieving the goals.
"Coaching" is an increasing process during which a person learns about his own capabilities that make up his hidden potential.
"Coaching" is a process that helps a person to look at the development of his personality, at a specific stage of its development, that is, to open a person's eyes to many things that are useful to him.
"Coaching" is a process that allows a person to achieve the highest results using the necessary methods and techniques.
"Coaching" is a process during which a person must effective way manage yourself.
"Coaching" is a process in which the person involved in it receives great joy from his successes and achievements.

Definition of coaching by the ICF (International Coaching Federation): "Professional coaching" is an ongoing collaboration that helps clients achieve real results in their personal and professional lives. Through the coaching process, clients deepen their knowledge, improve their performance and improve their quality of life.

Another name for the method: "Developmental counseling".

The point of coaching is to move towards a goal. Using coaching, people achieve their goals much more efficiently and quickly, and gain confidence that the direction of development they have chosen is really exactly what they need. With the professional support of a coach, a person independently formulates goals, develops strategies and implements the most successful one.

Unlike psychotherapy, coaching is future-oriented. It helps, working on your present, to take a different look at life, to realize your true, not imposed public opinion, desires, needs and values, get rid of internal barriers that hinder the achievement of goals and learn to find your own solutions.

There are several dozen models of coaching definitions of coaching, all of them correspond to reality to some extent, but it is extremely difficult to single out the only correct one, since all researchers have their own opinion on this matter.

It is used to solve a wide range of tasks and problems in various areas of life and activity. Coaching is one of the tools for developing creative thinking.

The purpose of the method is to maximize the effectiveness of the individual in her personal and professional activity.

According to one version, coaching originated in the 80s of the last century. The key figures in this process were: Thomas Leonard - the founder of personal coaching, Timothy Gallway - the ideological forerunner of coaching and John Whitmore - the founder of the corporate business direction and management in coaching.

To refer to the work that T. Leonard did with his clients, he used the sports term "coaching". "Coaching" is a transliteration of the English "coaching". This is simply English coaching rewritten in Russian letters, which can be translated as "training, tutoring, preparation." It so happened that the word "coaching" does not reflect the essence of the concept itself. In fact, this concept includes something more. Coaching arose at the intersection of psychology, management, philosophy, logic and life experience. This is a process aimed at achieving goals in various areas of life and activity. One of the equivalents that expresses the idea of coaching is "joint achievement" or "developmental counseling".

According to another version, shared by many academic practitioners, coaching, in a sense, arose out of nowhere. This approach to planning and implementing positive change was not entirely new. Many of those who are introduced to coaching and its possibilities have actually used it to some extent in their lives.

It is fair to say that the ideas of coaching were mostly proclaimed by Socrates, but his philosophy did not find proper understanding in society. "I can't teach anyone anything, I can only make them think." Socrates (470-399 BC), ancient Greek philosopher.

The merit of Gallway, Leonard and Whitmore is that, having realized the need for personal support for professional activities, the ideas of coaching have taken on a more perfect form.

By definition, coaching is a technology for unlocking a person's potential. However, it is more than technology, it is a way of thinking. The main task of coaching is not to teach something, but to stimulate self-learning, so that in the process of activity a person can find and receive necessary knowledge. In coaching, including within the framework of the goals of the organization, the client himself formulates his goals and achievement criteria, strategies and steps, comparing them with the goals of the organization.

The essence of the method is a set of techniques borrowed from various professions, supplemented by a number of specific techniques and aimed at quickly achieving results.

The basic procedure for coaching is dialogue, asking effective questions and listening carefully to the answers. During this dialogue, the full potential of the client is revealed, his motivation increases, and he independently comes to an important decision for himself and implements what he has planned.

Stages of coaching

Coaching takes place in several stages:

1. Determining the goals of coaching. Establish rules for interaction between coach and client.
2. Analysis of the current situation.
3. Clarification of goals, setting goals, identifying ways to achieve.
4. Drawing up an action plan.
5. Control and support in the process of implementing the plan.

Advantages of the coaching method

Coaching contributes to the clear setting of goals and their successful implementation.
Coaching is applied both at the individual and group levels.

Disadvantages of the method

Psychological resistance of the individual, since the implementation of coaching ideas involves the destruction of many stereotypes in the mind and the formation of new habits.
- Strong dependence of the results of the method on the personality and training of the coach - coach, which leads to instability of learning outcomes for the same program.

By Areas of use There are career coaching, business coaching, personal performance coaching, and life coaching. Career coaching in recent times call career counseling, which includes an assessment of professional opportunities, assessment of competencies, career planning counseling, development path selection, support in finding a job, etc., related issues.

Business coaching is aimed at organizing the search for the most effective ways to achieve the company's goals. At the same time, work is carried out with individual managers of the company and with teams of employees.

Life coaching consists of individual work with a person, which is focused on improving his life in all areas (health, self-esteem, relationships).

By coaching participants There are individual coaching, corporate (group) coaching.

By format- face-to-face (personal coaching, photo coaching) and distance coaching (online coaching, telephone coaching) types of coaching. It is important to understand that the above areas of coaching are inextricably linked and organically fit into the client training system.

More about coaching:

1. Evaluation of the effectiveness of coaching is carried out by the client according to his own criteria by comparing the results achieved with those declared at the beginning of work with the coach.
2. Coaching is painstaking and hard work, long and painstaking joint work of the coach and the client.
3. A person develops only when he makes every effort to formulate and practically solve his problems.
4. Only actions and the achievements that follow them can lead to sustainable changes in human consciousness.
5. According to the Fortune 500, coaching provides more than 5 times the return on investment.
6. Often, under the attractive brand of coaching, the client is offered various services that are quite far from him.

Terms used in coaching:

A coach is a person who provides coaching.

Client - a person ordering coaching services. In the terminology used by British coaches, the person receiving the coaching service is also called a coache.

A session is a specially structured conversation between a coach and a client.

The meaning of coaching

Coaching works at the level of consciousness and serves to expand the boundaries of awareness of reality in the course of analyzing the task. The collection of all the necessary information to solve the problem and its analysis are carried out by the client independently with the assistance of the coach. To do this, special techniques are used, the main of which is question coaching technologies.

The coaching procedure harmoniously combines two principles: the principle of awareness and the principle of responsibility.

The level of professionalism of a coach is determined by the availability of certificates and the number of hours worked by him. The first coaching session lasting from 30 to 90 minutes must be provided by the coach free of charge. It is during the first coaching session that the client must determine for himself whether he needs coaching and whether this coach is right for him. The personality of the coach plays an important role in coaching. The result in coaching is achieved, among other things, due to the personality of the coach, his skill of active listening and the ability to ask the right questions at the right time, as well as due to the ability to use the toolkit in a way that would benefit the client. A coach is right for you if you like this person, you understand that you can open up to him, he inspires confidence, and your sincere and deeply elaborated answers to his questions bring you closer to your goal.

Philosophy of coaching:

Each person lives with the feeling that he is capable of more. Coaching is a help in realizing this feeling.
every man can do whatever he wants.
every person knows what he wants.
in order to achieve your goals, you need to be aware of reality, be courageous and not stop.
If you want to be happy and successful, be. The criteria for happiness and success you choose yourself.
Each person is responsible for how his life goes.

Professional coaching involves a partnership between the coach and the individual client to achieve tremendous results based on the client's stated goals.

In the coaching process, the client focuses on the skills needed to succeed and improve their own performance. After the client has chosen a topic for the session, the coach observes, asks, and listens to help analyze concepts and principles that help uncover opportunities and plan actions. As a result, the client becomes clear about the most effective ways to achieve the desired. Solutions are usually found from the hidden resources of the client, coaches believe and find evidence of the uniqueness and high potential of their clients, in their creativity and resourcefulness. A career coach provides support to develop the client's existing resources, abilities and creativity. It enhances awareness of one's own capabilities, which leads to more productive life choices.

Today we will learn what coaching is and what is the secret of its effectiveness. Coaching is not just regular counseling or training. Yes, this method took a lot from psychological counseling and borrowed elements of training, but it has its own distinctive features expressed in this technique.

Definition of value

What is couching?

First of all, it is worth understanding what is inherent in the concept of coaching. With English word"coach" is translated as "train", "instruct", "inspire". Why did the method get such a name? The fact is that its origins lie in the field of sports. BUT methodological principles and techniques were borrowed from organizational, positive, cognitive psychology.

Coaching is a method that combines the principles of counseling and training, but not in a classic way.. First of all, the difference lies in the fact that in coaching the main place is given not to instructions, but to motivating the client to change.

A professional coach (trainer in coaching) will never give any hard recommendations. . He, together with his client, is looking for answers to questions that arise in the process of consulting. That is why the main tool of a coach is the art of asking questions that allow you to gradually lead the client to the right exit. In the process of a kind of interview, he helps a person to reveal his potential and develop it to the maximum.

Coaching recognizes that no one knows as much about personal problems as the person himself, so it is he who must find the right solution. And the coach in this process plays the role of a conductor. It is possible to learn coaching in Russia in several organizations, for example, training is offered by the National Institute of Professional Coaching, they provide a good education and are located in Moscow.

In coaching, all work is built on four stages, each of which must be completed to achieve a sustainable result.:

Goal setting.
Checking if the goal is realistic.
Development of a plan for the implementation of the goal, which should include ways to achieve it.
The direct realization of the goal is the stage of will.

Coaching is a system of interaction aimed at quickly achieving positive results . In the "here and now" mode, the coach, together with the client, is looking for ways to achieve a clearly defined goal, for example, in the field of work, personal life or self-development. But, unfortunately, coaching will not be able to help the person who does not want any changes. This is expressed in the fact that he wants to get a result, but at the same time he is not ready to take any action, looking for excuses for his passivity.

Key concepts of coaching

We have dealt with the concept itself. There are also other concepts that exist within the method:

Customer. A client can be either an individual or an organization. That is, this is a person who uses the services of a coach and expects positive results. British coaches can still call a client a player.
A session is a process of conversation between a coach and a client, taking place according to a well-defined structure.
The coaching format is, directly, the interaction itself or the means of interaction between the coach and the client.

By the way, in coaching for effective relaxation, which contributes to the openness of consciousness to the search for the right solutions and positive changes, elements of yoga can be used, breathing exercises and even NLP.

Who founded the method

We owe the advent of coaching to Timothy Galwey. In his book The Inner Game of Tennis, published in 1974, he formulated the concept of this method. The main idea is that the main rival of an athlete is not another person or some circumstances. An obstacle to achieving the goal is the so-called "enemy in the head". It is he who hinders the achievement of goals.

The coach acts as a mentor who, however, does not impose anything on his client. It teaches the player to independently look for ways to achieve the stated goals by overcoming internal obstacles. When a person learns this, he will no longer need a coach.

In 1992, John Whitmore continued to develop the ideas of coaching, applying them to management and business. He embodied his thoughts in the book High Performance Coaching.

Not to mention Thomas J. Leonard. He became the founder of the University of coaches and a number of organizations that educate and unite coaches who practice the coaching method.

Most popular varieties

Known today different types coaching, which were developed as this method developed, based on the need to adapt it to certain conditions or areas of application. It can be classified according to several parameters:

By number of participants:

Individual coaching.
Group (or corporate).

By area of application:

Business coaching. Its purpose is to find effective ways to achieve the goals of the company. The coach must work both with the leaders of the organization and with groups of employees.
Career coaching. Its purpose may be to accompany the client in finding a job, in assessing professional opportunities and competencies, in choosing the most effective development path, etc.
Life coaching. It involves individual work with the client. A person can turn to a coach with various problems: in work, personal relationships, self-esteem, health. Together with the coach, the client is looking for ways to achieve positive results in problematic aspects of life.

Modern technologies open up wide opportunities for both the client and the coach himself. If previously only face-to-face coaching format (personal meeting) was available, now the correspondence format is also being successfully implemented. For example, telephone coaching and online coaching is becoming more and more popular. social networks, programs.

Reading this article:

At present, different methods and approaches are used in the field of management. And one of the newest, combining different methods and techniques that provide new opportunities, coaching is recognized as an excellent tool for influencing the performance of different people and the company as a whole. Innovation Management in the style of coaching is a view of employees as a significant additional resource of the company. Where every employee is presented as a unique creative person, able to independently solve most problems, demonstrate initiative, make choices, take responsibility and make decisions.

Coaching is a tool for personal and professional development, the formation of which began in the 70s of the XX century. The origins of coaching lie in sports coaching, positive, cognitive and organizational psychology, in ideas about conscious life and the possibilities of continuous and purposeful development of a person. There are many definitions of coaching. One of the founders of coaching, Tim Gallwey, gives the following definition:

Coaching is the art of creating, through conversation and behavior, an environment that facilitates a person's movement towards desired goals in a way that is fulfilling.

The main goal of coaching as a way of development is to assist the employee in finding a solution to a particular real problem or task on his own. Home characteristic feature coaching is that the coach helps the person find their own solution, rather than solving the problem for them. Thus, the coach is not necessarily the leading expert in any problem area. But he must be an expert on how to help others reach their own potentials. To be successful, a coach needs to know and understand both the coaching process and the many styles, skills, and techniques used in coaching.

Types of coaching for an organization:

Individual coaching provided by an external consultant, usually for managers and executives;

Management coaching as employee management focused on the development of the organization, raising the efficiency of performers;

Group coaching aimed at a group of individuals without strict functional relationships;

Coaching for a single project, for example, the formation of a group of performers;

System coaching is similar to group coaching, but is carried out with persons between whom there are strong systemic ties in order to streamline interaction, clarify critical points in time, take into account the interests of the organization as a whole and have their own specifics at each hierarchical step.

To develop the managerial personnel reserve, RM Consulting LLC plans to use both individual and group (corporate) coaching. Individual coaching will be presented in the form of developing coaching sessions separately with each of the leaders, which will reveal the motives of each of them and skillfully direct them to achieve the company's strategic goals. During group coaching, specially prepared trainings with elements of group coaching sessions will be held, which will help develop team spirit among managers, as well as come together to achieve results and search for answers to pressing questions.

After training managers in coaching, they will be able to apply this method in working with subordinates to a greater extent through managerial coaching, but in some cases that require a special approach, systemic and individual coaching will be indispensable. This approach develops a team spirit in employees, increases motivation, the staff feels responsible for the work done to the company and to colleagues, because they understand that it is an important component of the restaurant's working mechanism.

The development of performance is the main thing for which coaching is used. It brings out the best in individuals and teams. Coaching does not have one single correct implementation option. Its framework defines the desire to understand reality by obtaining reliable information about it and based on self-respect, self-motivation, self-reliance, taking responsibility for one's actions and life in general.

Its key tools are: active listening, question techniques, effective questions, training elements, and the Personal Development Plan (PDP) technique. The main tasks of coaching are presented in Table 1.5.

Table 1.5 - Key tasks of coaching in the actions of the coach and employee

	Coach consultant	Employee
Definition of tasks (setting targets)
Study of the current situation (determination of available resources and constraints)	Tries to understand the current situation (problem) by asking questions and actively listening	Explores the situation and his attitude towards it together with the coach
Identification of internal and external obstacles on the way to the result	Tries to understand what hinders the employee in achieving the goal, and help him to recognize and explore the obstacles	Examines its internal and external obstacles
Development and analysis of opportunities to overcome obstacles	Asks questions and uses other methods that provoke the employee to find solutions and overcome limitations	Explores opportunities to overcome obstacles
Choosing a specific course of action and drawing up a plan	Helps the employee in the analysis of opportunities, agrees with the employees on what exactly should be done by the next meeting	Analyzes opportunities, chooses an option and draws up an action plan, agrees with the coach to complete tasks for the next meeting

The essence of the introduction of coaching is a change in the administrative culture of the company to create an atmosphere of searching for the most effective ways to achieve the company's goals, sustainable development and striving for maximum results through the self-improvement of each employee.

Prerequisites for introducing the coaching method into the culture of RM Consulting LLC:

Demotivated, inert, lethargic service staff, shift managers;

No or low level of initiative among service personnel;

In a team, only the leader thinks;

Subordinates see no future in what they do;

- "cold" relations between the leader and subordinates;

Low level of employee efficiency;

Big "turnover".

In 2011, three main methods were taken as the basis for the personnel development system - mentoring, training, and consulting. When analyzing the trend towards a decrease in the effectiveness of managers, it was concluded that these methods are outdated, as managers have grown up and need more relevant methods. To identify the weaknesses of such training methods, it is necessary to consider these methods of personnel development in more detail, taking into account their advantages and disadvantages in comparison with coaching (see table 1.6).

Table 1.6 - Differences between coaching and consulting, training and mentoring

		Usage situation	existing restrictions.
1. Training	The acquisition of specific skills, sometimes - a change in attitude to work.	When the performer does not have enough knowledge and skills to effectively perform the work.	The need to "transfer" skills from the audience to reality. Lack of post-support, as a result of which all efforts at trainings are useless
2. Professional advice	The solution of the problem through the "purchase" of this solution.	If certain questions arise that are within the competence of training managers, restaurant employees	It is not always possible to analyze questions without practice and “living through” the problem that has arisen, which makes it difficult to get a high-quality answer that will help the employee in the future in work.
3. Mentoring	Solving the problem through the exchange of experience. Help from a more experienced employee in training newcomers, their adaptation in the company	When there are employees within the organization who are competent in solving certain issues. When it is necessary to transfer the experience already accumulated within the organization from more experienced to less experienced employees.	Basically, “ready-made” solutions and “wisdom of the past” are transmitted. This rarely encourages the development of new initiatives.
4. Coaching	Solving the problem through the development of independence and responsibility for the result of the employee.	When the ability of an employee to innovate and a sense of personal responsibility for the result are critical for the success of a business.	Requires special skills from the "coach". The organization should encourage the independence, responsibility and entrepreneurship of employees.

It is necessary to highlight the following advantages of using coaching over other development technologies in personal and professional activities:

Improving the productivity of activities. This is the main thing that coaching is used for;

Personal development of personnel;

Coaching involves quick learning "on the job", and this process is a joy and pleasure;

Improving relationships in the team;

Improving the quality of life, relationships and the success associated with this changes the whole atmosphere at work for the better;

Better use of people's skills and resources, coaching opens up many previously undiscovered talents among group members;

The personal effectiveness of the employee and the speed of his progress towards the goal increase many times;

Greater flexibility and adaptability to change.

This comparison demonstrates the superiority of coaching over other development methods, both for training company executives and for line staff, because this method develops employees' initiative and increases motivation, which are the driving factors in the catering industry, where the human factor is at the forefront. place.

The introduction of coaching is possible only when the staff strives for development and realizes the need to improve their work activities. Over the past year, the management staff, which is the backbone of the company due to the high turnover among the service staff (waiters, bartenders, cooks), gradually came to the conclusion that the current development system is becoming less effective. This fact confirms the regular assessment of management personnel, including testing, audits of the work of managers and restaurant managers at enterprises. The level of training and professional training of this category of employees is getting lower and lower every year, and, accordingly, the service personnel do not show high results in inspections, which adversely affects the level of service in establishments.

The coaching method is a kind of mix in the field of personnel development. It contains elements from all teaching methods. A valuable result from the use of coaching is the clarification of the goals and motives of employees for themselves, understanding their points of growth and directions of movement. The abundance of forms and methods used in coaching is very effective for the development of both managers and line employees. Actually, thanks to this, this development method is the most effective for use in the development system of RM Consulting LLC.

After analyzing the systems and available methods of personnel development, we can conclude that in modern world There are a variety of ways to train employees that are widely available for use in companies. But, unfortunately, in the work of many companies, such a practice has become widespread when employees are sent for training or advanced training, without making any efforts to ensure that their work after graduation becomes more meaningful, more serious, so that new opportunities for individual growth open up, career advancement or expanded the scope of their work responsibilities. This reduces not only the return that a company can get from its staff as a result of training, but also the motivation of employees to learn. Therefore, the organization needs to opt for such development methods that will provide employees not only with new knowledge and opportunities for further growth, but also with post-training support. One of these methods is coaching.

strategic coaching staff informational

There are times in life when we are looking for someone who can help us deal with difficult situation, define the goal and suggest the right way to achieve it. As a rule, we rely on the support of relatives and friends, but today we have the skills and experience of professional coaches at our disposal. They help people arrange their lives, resolve conflicts in the family and at work, achieve professional success - in a word, live life to the fullest.

Interest in coaching in Russia is growing rapidly: this type of service is offered by training and consulting companies, psychological centers in almost all major cities. “I wanted - I set a goal - I achieved it” - such a formula not only captivates with its directness, but also raises a logical question: is it really so simple?

"Therapy for the Healthy"

The English word coach literally translates as "coach", "mentor" - the one who leads to the result, to victory. For many years coaching ideas have been developed in the world of sports performance. It was here that his principles were formulated: focusing on one's capabilities, and not on past mistakes, unlocking a person's potential to achieve the best results.

They turn to a coach when they subjectively experience the feeling of a “ceiling”, a stop, a loss of vital fuse

At the end of the last century, coaching practical method came into business. “The main focus of the coaches’ work has become the development of leadership qualities that allow them to generate ideas in business and inspire other people with them,” says Leonid Krol, director and lead coach of the Klass Personnel Training Center. And now coaching has come into the sphere of individual assistance, the development of a “life”, “personal” direction has begun - lifecoaching.

“They turn to a coach when they subjectively experience a feeling of a “ceiling”, a stop, a loss of vital fuse, Leonid Krol continues. “Those who need to develop further are contacted.” And "life" coaching promises to help them. “This method is suitable for very different people,” says Svetlana Chumakova, Russian representative of the International Coaching Federation (ICF). - It is from here that his paradoxical definition arises - "therapy for the healthy."

Who is coaching for?

The method of life coaching helps those who solve a specific life problem, strives to take a certain bar: pass exams, resolve a conflict. A coach is not a life expert, but an attentive and qualified interlocutor who helps to clarify the goal, make the right decision for the given circumstances, and develop an effective and flexible behavior strategy for similar situations in the future.

Result orientation

From the client's point of view, the most forte coaching is focused on quick and tangible results. However, this is also the main reason for the vulnerability of this approach: it is well known that even local difficulties - for example, the inability to change housing or work - often hide underlying problems rooted in a person's past.

“Life coaching does not work with the past (as psychotherapy does), it focuses on modeling the future,” continues Svetlana Chumakova. - The main task is formulated as follows: “What can be done to achieve the goal?”, and not “Why can't I achieve what I want?”.

Coaches do not offer to ignore the past, for them it is a kind of starting point: how can I - the way my nature and my unique life experience made me - live and act further in these circumstances?

“Psychotherapy allows you to get to know yourself better, but deep changes do not always involve external changes in a person’s behavior or lifestyle,” says psychotherapist Margarita Zhamkochyan. - Life coaching, on the contrary, is aimed at quick behavior correction, but does not specifically affect deep-seated traumas that prevent you from moving forward. These are two different, complementary approaches.”

Sometimes new method compared with short-term types of psychotherapy: transactional analysis, gestalt therapy, psychological counseling. However, they are fundamentally different. “Instead of the psychotherapeutic task of “help to understand”, instead of studying the problem, its causes and mechanisms, life coaching solves the problem of “help to achieve”, allows a person, taking into account his difficulties, to achieve the desired result,” says Svetlana Chumakova.

“Coaching exists at the intersection of training, psychological and business consulting,” explains Leonid Krol. “And this is not just “three in one”, but an alloy of special value, which allows you to simultaneously achieve spirituality and practicality, touching the corresponding strings of the human psyche in the right proportion.”

Pitfalls of coaching

Despite the growing demand for coaching services, their work is being criticized from a variety of angles. The main complaint is that life coaching is an undefined and unsupervised discipline. “The passion for this method has led to the emergence of hastily trained “specialists” who do not meet the expectations of customers,” says John Whitmore, a British business consultant and one of the founders of the method in business.

“The term “coach” itself leaves the level of education and training of a specialist to whom we trust our lives, work, career, relationships with others uncertain,” Andrey Rossokhin, psychoanalyst and coach of the French business school INSEAD, supports him. “There is a high risk that when working with a coach, we will hear the advice of a person made only on the basis of his own life experience.”

To be eligible to be called a coach, a person must undergo serious training and receive the appropriate diplomas.

“Life coaching really recruits specialists from those who “made themselves”, managed to achieve their life goals, understood how they did it, and are now ready to help others find their own way to change their lives,” says Margarita Zhamkochyan. But in order to get the right to be called a coach, a person must undergo serious training and receive the appropriate diplomas, certificates, certificates confirming his education. As a rule, the basic education of life coaches is psychology, pedagogy, medicine. Among them are many practicing psychotherapists.

“In the West, the professional community is more developed, and clients have the opportunity to check the reputation of a specialist,” continues Svetlana Chumakova. - Our community is just emerging, and among the consultants there are unprofessional people. The International Coaching Federation has adopted a code of ethics that clearly states what a coach can and cannot do. But in each case, everything remains on the conscience of a particular person.

How not to make a mistake? “Watch, ask, be interested in the recommendations of others,” advises Leonid Krol. - Listen to yourself, your intuition, subjective first reactions. Be ready to change coaches and leave with a small but positive experience.”

Stages of work

Coaching takes place in several stages. At the first meeting, the client talks about what he wants to achieve. The coach helps clarify the goal (sometimes it turns out that the true goal is completely different). The rules of interaction and the duration of the course are established. At the next meetings, obstacles on the way to the goal, resources are analyzed, an achievement strategy and specific steps are formulated.

The client independently implements the plan and from time to time turns to the coach for support. The duration of work depends on the client's request: from one meeting to several months, when communicating once a week or once every three months. The first meeting is always face-to-face, and then communication can go on the phone, the Internet.

Psychotherapy or coaching - what to choose?

For many in Russia, psychotherapy remains something that is not sufficiently understood, and therefore does not inspire confidence. Moreover, formed in Soviet time the idea that a mentally healthy person does not need the services of a psychotherapist often prevents us from resorting to the help of a professional even when we feel the need for it. Perhaps it is these features of the national mentality that stimulate interest in life coaching - a method whose main features are an energetic pragmatic approach and the absence of medical associations. However, the possibilities of coaching should not be overestimated - it cannot replace psychotherapy.

“Coaching does not work out psychological problems as such,” warns Margarita Zhamkochyan. “The psychotherapist subtly adjusts to the client, capturing the slightest movements of his soul, and the coach focuses on the implementation of the plan and does not go into details, which in many cases are not key.”

According to Andrey Rossokhin, the coaching method is useful mainly in the professional sphere: it helps top managers to better understand themselves, motivate and support their subordinates. It is also useful for those who are at the beginning of their career path and want to develop qualities that will allow them to express themselves as effectively as possible.

And, of course, coaching should not replace the already existing professional areas of helping a person, in particular psychological counseling. The main thing is to make sure that you have an experienced professional who has special knowledge and is able to help you.

How to set the right goal?

The method developed by the American coach Robert Dilts helps to realize and clearly articulate the goal. If the final formulation of the goal is positive (“be a good speaker” instead of “not be a bore”), if it develops abilities and is combined with other life guidelines, then this is the goal that you can safely start moving towards.

Other names of the method: "Developing counseling".

Purpose of the method

It is used to solve a wide range of tasks and problems in various areas of life and activity by those who have already achieved a lot and want to achieve more. Coaching is one of the tools for developing creative thinking.

Purpose of the method

The maximum increase in the effectiveness of the individual in her personal and professional activities.

The essence of the method

Coaching (coaching) is a tool designed to unlock the potential of a person in order to maximize its effectiveness in personal and professional activities.

Coaching is a set of techniques borrowed from various professions, complemented by a number of specific techniques and aimed at quickly achieving results.

Action plan

The basic procedure for coaching is dialogue, asking effective questions and listening carefully to the answers. During this dialogue, the client's potential is fully revealed, his motivation increases and he independently comes to an important decision for himself and implements what he has planned.

Coaching takes place in several stages.

Determining the goals of coaching. Establish rules for interaction between coach and client.
Analysis of the current situation.
Clarification of goals, setting tasks, determining ways to achieve.
Drawing up an action plan.
Control and support during the implementation of the plan.

Method features

Intertwined in coaching age-old wisdom ancient and modern business technology.

The merit of Gallway, Leonard and Whitmore is that, having realized the need for personal support for professional activities, the ideas of coaching have taken on a more perfect form.

By definition, coaching is a technology for unlocking a person's potential. However, it is more than technology, it is a way of thinking. The main task of coaching is not to teach anything, but to stimulate self-learning, so that in the process of activity a person can find and receive the necessary knowledge himself. In coaching, including within the framework of the goals of the organization, the client himself formulates his goals and achievement criteria, strategies and steps, comparing them with the goals of the organization.

Additional Information:

Evaluation of the effectiveness of coaching is carried out by the client according to his own criteria by comparing the results achieved with those declared at the beginning of work with the coach.
Coaching is painstaking and hard work, long and painstaking joint work of the coach and the client.
A person develops only when he puts maximum effort into the formulation and practical solution of his problems.
Only actions and the achievements that follow them can lead to sustainable changes in human consciousness.
According to the Fortune 500, coaching provides more than 5 times the return on investment.
Often, under the attractive brand of coaching, the client is offered various services that are quite far from him.

Advantages of the method

Coaching contributes to the clear setting of goals and their successful implementation.
Coaching is applied both at the individual and group levels.

Disadvantages of the method

Psychological resistance of the individual, since the implementation of coaching ideas involves the destruction of many stereotypes in the mind and the formation of new habits.