Coaching: Debunking the Myths

One of the most important tasks performed by executives, managers, team leaders and supervisors – all whom have responsibility for others in their organisation - is that of unlocking individuals’ potential to maximize their performance.

Coaching, as a collaborative process, enables individuals to maximise their own development and performance. It represents a professional partnership between a coach and an individual that promotes achievement of a range of goals set by an individual, team or organisation.

It is often the case that organisations use external coaches with their people but equally valid and important is the idea of using an organisation’s own executives, managers, team leaders and supervisors to coach others.

Although interest in coaching in organisations has grown over the last ten to twenty years, a remarkable number of executives, managers and supervisors are yet to be involved in coaching on either side of the equation.

Why is it then that the whole concept of coaching has not been taken up in some organisations despite its enormous potential to contribute to the creation of high performance work environments?

The reality is that the practice of coaching is often misunderstood and numerous myths have sprung up around this invaluable management tool.

So what are some of the myths surrounding the concept of coaching?

The Myths Exposed
Myth 1: Coaching is a Passing Fad. Coaching is not new. Organisations have increasingly used coaching over the past twenty years. What is new is the way in which coaching has been redeveloped and reinvented to meet individual, team and organisational performance needs.

Myth 2: High Performing Employees Don’t Need Coaching. The reality is that coaching can be applied successfully to enable high performers to reach new and stretched performance standards and it can be used to help under performers become high performers.

Myth 3: Coaching Breeds Dependence. The truth is that coaching represents the exact opposite. Coaching is all about empowering others and is not about making them more reliant.

Myth 4: Coaching Represents Yet Another “One Size Fits All” Model. On the contrary, the coaching process and model is always adapted to suit an individual’s needs and the process adopted is responsive to an individual’s stage of development.

Myth 5: Coaching Must Be Done Face to Face. With the use of technology, coaching is no longer exclusively a face to face activity. A coaching session can be conducted in person, via email or through a platform such as Skype.

Myth 6: Coaching Is Simply Giving Feedback. It’s true that coaching involves feedback but giving feedback is only part of the process. Coaching has multiple purposes including helping an individual to identify learning needs, assisting with the setting of goals and facilitating the development of plans to achieve goals. In this context, coaching maximizes the use of feedback.

Myth 7: Coaching Should Be Used As a Last Resort. Some view coaching as a way of solving individual or organizational problems when other strategies have been tried and failed. In fact, coaching can assist an organization to prevent problems becoming major issues.

Myth 8: Anyone Can Be a Coach. This is not necessarily the case. A coach does need to be familiar with the process and its applications. Coaches also need to be good listeners and have a passion for empowering others. It is true to say that executives, managers, team leaders and supervisors need coaching in the coaching process.

Myth 9: Coaching Is For All. Most employees are coachable – that’s a fact! But there are some people who actively resist being coached and who – if forced into coaching – don’t improve their performance. So it’s true to say that while coaching works with many people it will not work with everyone at all times.

Myth 10: It’s Impossible to Measure the Outcomes of Coaching. In the case where clear goals and outcomes are proposed and agreed up front in the coaching process, progress can be measured.

Coaching, if understood rather than misunderstood, represents one of the most valuable ways through which organisations can create high performance environments. The coaching process does not replace more formal training and development programs, but serves to provide a strong basis for supporting those initiatives.