The best leaders are coaches too. But what does coaching well entail?
Daniel Goleman describes in his recent Korn Ferry Institute article that while clear goals, clear method, and trust result in effective coaching, the trust portion is often overlooked—impacting the effectiveness of coach-coachee relationships early on in the coaching engagement.
More important than personality matches for coaching success, researchers have found that a strong working alliance, or trust, is most likely to yield positive outcomes.
A complementary consultation for prospective coachees gives both coach and coachee the opportunity to test whether their expectations for the relationship align. Effective coaches should recognize a good fit, and if not, can make referrals to others in their network.
The best coaches clarify expectations, set outcomes, establish that coaching sessions are confidential, bring their full attention and presence to each meeting, are nonjudgmental, foster a safe and supportive environment, and provide thoughtful, authentic feedback that speaks to the coachee as a whole person both at work and in life.
The best coachees are transparent, honest, open to feedback, not defensive, and have a desire for self-improvement.
Read the full article here.