Do you need Coaching?

Do you need coaching? Rhetorically though, who doesn’t need coaching? It’s a rare bird who would go on in life believing that counselling in one form or another is not needed.

But in fact, that’s probably a question that hardly crosses our minds ordinarily, unless we find ourselves stumped with a particular concern, whether it be job-related or personal.

Most people would associate coaching with being taught certain skills in order to resolve a problem or to acquire a new competency. Actually, that’s mentoring.

So, what’s the difference? A lot. Whereas mentoring is directive, i.e., teaching and showing the “how to’s.” Coaching is far from being directive. Coaching is all about the person being coached, the coachee.

Coaching is actually the process of helping achieve the coachee’s fullest potential under an environment of a confidential, honest, open and trusting relationship between the coach and the coachee through a thoughtful self-realization or self-awareness process, by actively listening to the coachee, and with creative, patient, introspective and empathetic questions of the coach designed to enable the coachee reach his “Aha” moment, the climactic point when the coachee concludes, “Ahh, this is what I really want to do… and this is how I will achieve it.”

The skill sets needed to execute and be accountable for his going-forward plan or next steps strategy could very well already be part of his existing arsenal of competencies that perhaps could be ferreted out through a brainstorming of ideas.

But if on the other hand the coachee concludes that indeed new skills need to be learned, as part of the game plan, he may then resolve to enroll in a technical class or seek out an experienced mentor who will teach him the necessary skills needed to resolve his concerns.

However, being confronted with an issue is not necessarily the only consideration for seeking assistance from a coach.

Most progressive minded organizations make it their policy to nurture their most important asset, human resources, by providing coaching support for their high potential line managers to enhance their career trajectory prospects, propagate the culture of coaching from within and, of course, to ensure corporate goals are achieved.

In the Philippines, according to a research conducted by leading international consultancy firm Kanter, which was commissioned by Benchmark Consulting in 2018, the practice of coaching is still very much in its infancy stage.

To wit, only 3 percent of the estimated seven million middle- and upper-class Filipinos between the ages of 21 to 64 have received some form of coaching. That’s barely a little over 210,000 people out of a population of 108 million people, which is a shame given the tremendous impact coaching can have on the lives of Filipinos.
It is in this spirit and the desire to increase the awareness of the tremendous benefits of coaching that the International Coach Federation Philippine Chapter (ICFP) is organizing a series of activities, “The Coaching Fiesta,” from 17 to 23 May 2021.

ICFP is part of the largest and leading worldwide organization of professional coaches, ICF, which has a membership roster of about 35,000 trained professional coach members from 140 countries.

During the same period, there will be a simultaneous series of about 790 webinars and podcasts streamed worldwide sponsored by the different chapters of ICF under the general theme of “Defying Challenging Times.” You can check out all the events in the International Coaching Week website.

The local ICF chapter, with about 100 members in its fold, will also be hosting several events.

Among them are: “The Coaching Huddle,” which will enable the members to network and exchange coaching tips; “Coaching Beyond Borders,” a unique cross-border peer coaching event between the members of the Philippine Chapter and Costa Rica; “Value of Learning,” an interesting sharing of coaching experiences by the past Presidents of ICFP; and finally, my favorite, “Helping Practice,” a pro bono coaching advocacy directed to the youth, in particular the JFINEX, the Junior chapter of the Financial Executives of the Philippines.

What are you waiting for? Come, join, learn and experience the world of professional coaching at its best!

Until next week… One big fight!!!

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