The Geometry of Coaching: Are You Ready?
July 8, 2016
Over the last decade, we have seen an increasing demand for coaching from government and nonprofit leaders and managers. Coaching goals cover a broad spectrum: managers seeking to improve leadership and management skills, staff looking to address performance issues, and leaders striving to build more effective teams.
Whatever the coaching goal is, you can bet that change will be involved. At CRE we like to say that the premise of coaching is the promise of change.
How coaching creates change
Geometry is a rich analogy for coaching. Geometry is about questions of shape, size, relative position of figures, and the properties of space.
An effective coaching process creates a focused and safe space for leaders and managers to define the shape and size of change they want to achieve. It leads them to examine their position relative to their stakeholders. And it triggers insights about their personal and professional landscape and how that impacts their efficacy and their organization’s effectiveness.
Readiness Factors
How do you know if you are coaching ready? We believe there are four key factors:
- You are able to identify change goals that can be addressed in a coaching engagement
- You have a compelling desire to achieve those change goals
- You are open to feedback and self-reflection, open to change, and open to experimenting with new behaviors and practices – the Triangle of Openness
- You have access to a support system, particularly your supervisor who will be able to guide and support you through these changes
Once you have all four key factors in play, you’re coaching-ready!
Written by Chief Program Officer, Jean Lobell