Ask anyone to define the word coach and you will get a wide variety of responses. Some will say a coach is a sort of tutor or instructor, but others will say it’s a large, multi-wheeled railway carriage. Unfortunately, the second definition is about as helpful as the first in deciding what coaching at work is all about.

To receive ‘coaching’ and to be a ‘coach’ are both very popular terms right now but they are both widley misunderstood. Coaching is ultimately about raising the levels of human performance and, as such, has connections with teaching, training, counselling and mentoring. However, there are subtle but important differences that we need to understand.

Essentially, coaching comprises two main facets. First it is performance focused. It is about doing the job as well as it can be done, hitting targets, getting results and doing the right things in the right way. Secondly,it is person centred which means that it is the individuals being coached who are seen as having the important insights. In the most fundamental terms then, coaching is not about ‘putting in’, rather it is about ‘drawing out’.

By using coaching we can tap into the huge reserves of talent and potential which lay dormant in most people. As managers, we can develop people without having to rely on passing on our own skills and knowledge, which may already be out of date. Without an ability to coach we are left to trust the tired old methods of teaching and instruction which are proving increasingly ineffective in the world of constant change to which we are all having to adjust.

When most people think about coaching, they think about a sports coach shouting and yelling at the players and trying to help them succeed without being directly involved. In sport,the role of coach is crucial in helping people perform at their peak, and even the most accomplished sportspeople such as Tiger Woods or Roger Federer still gain huge benefit from a good relationship with their coach.

The role of the organizational coach is much the same. Whether the coaching is delivered by a manger as a general part of their duties or by a specific coach, they will still be trying to achieve results through others. In thinking about coaching in this way we can see that there is great benefit to be had from having someone in the organization who has the skills and abilities to draw the best out of others. If it were possible to have everyone in an organization improve their performance by as little as one or two per cent then the results would be staggering.

Many organizations are now taking the power of coaching very seriously and appointing people to the specific role of coach. Whilst managers may have the skills and abilities to coach well they are often preoccupied with more task oriented matters and can struggle to find the time to coach effectively.

Increasingly we are able to tap into coaching outside our organizations. There are many small consultancies offering Executive Coaching, where top-level managers in organizations can have regular weekly or monthly sessions with a trained coach to help them work through their current issues. It can often be of great benefit to have a coach who does not work in the organization and who is, therefore, not involved in the same issues. Similarly, some people are now seeking the services of Life Coaches to help them work through personal problems, achieve goals and strike an effective work/life balance.

Whatever the context, we can see that coaching is intended to be a means by which one individual seeks to help another move forward and develop in some way. Matt Somers is a leading voice on coaching in the UK where he writes, presents, trains and consults on all aspects of Coaching at Work. An author and regular conference speaker, he is currently producing a range of resources to help with the people side of working life; many of which can be accessed for FREE at http://www.mattsomers.com whitesmoke software

The services provided by a business coach are quite similar to that of a sports coach, the only difference is that business coaching is undertaken for the benefit of an organization. Business coaching not only aims at improving individual performance but also concentrates on improving team performance. Helps in unlocking hidden potential: Just as a sports coach helps in unlocking the real potential of players, a business coach helps the employees to improve their working skills. Most successful business coaches know that every employee has the potential to perform above expectations. The only thing required is proper guidance and the confidence that he can achieve the set goal and objective. The aligning of personal and professional goals of the employees with organizational goals and objectives enables the business coach to increase productivity and maximizing profitability. This helps in the increase of profitability and success in a very short time. Offers more than a standalone business consultant: People often confuse business coaching with business consulting. Both are very different from each other and are undertaken for achieving different set of goals and objectives. In business consulting, the consultant offers you solutions to your queries, based on his knowledge, experience and technical qualifications. Business consulting is more like gambling in which you win some and lose some. The advice provided by the consultant may or may not work in solving your problems. In comparison, business coaching allows the employees to explore and find the solutions for themselves. It just provides the right guidance, which may not seem much help, but is very essential when it comes to unlocking the true potential of an individual. It takes a great amount of skill and patience to be able to connect with the employees, which can only be made possible with the help of a business coach. The coach provides the necessary guidance to the employee or team members. This helps them to overcome common organizational problems. Helps employees to do a SWOT analysis: A business coach will help your employees to identify their weaknesses and strengths. The coach will also provide guidance to enable them to overcome their weaknesses, not by any special methods or techniques, but just by motivating them to concentrate on the core areas. These areas being those in which they feel they can excel and produce the desired results. Just like a sports coach, a business coach helps to develop the right attitude and confidence, which is necessary for enhancing team spirit and reducing the reluctance to work. Employees get empowered and feel more confident to take work-related decisions, which in turn will help in improving organizational efficiency. A business coach enables the employees to understand the aims and objectives of the company. This helps them to contribute to the overall success of the organization. Employees learn the techniques to improve interpersonal relations with their peers as well as with their subordinates, resulting in increased cooperation between associate team members. This helps in increasing organizational efficiency, necessary for increasing productivity and improving quality. flat back crystals

Coaching in all it’s different forms- life, business, career- originates out of the field of Sports Coaching. In 1974 Timothy Gallwey wrote a book titled The Inner Game of Tennis which wasn’t so much about tennis but about the inner qualities of the tennis player which drive him to win. In sport and in life there are two opponents; the other player, and the self (self referred to here as our own beliefs and self talk about what we are capable of). The tennis player, and the player of life, has to compete with both. Through this book people began to understand that as human beings, our level of achievement in anything be it tennis, business, wealth, or happiness, is in direct proportion to what we really think of ourselves deep down. And so personal coaching for the mind was born and is now used throughout the world to bring out the best in individuals and corporations, and unleash the human potential for excellence. The thing to note about Life Coaching is that it is coaching to enhance your personal qualities, not directing or teaching of someone else’s ideas. A good sports coach doesn’t say to his pupil ‘No that’s not how you do it, here let me show you!’, and goes on to try and mould the student to be like him. Instead he identifies and maximizes the pupil’s unique strengths, and helps them transform any weaknesses into positives. He ‘coaches’ them on improving their own style of playing the game so that they are functioning at their ultimate best. Similarly Life Coaching is not about telling you how you should be living your life. No coach will claim to be a life expert and if they do they are coaches to be avoided. Sure, Life Coaches are highly trained in human behaviour and will usually achieve great results in their own style of living, but the only expert in your life is you. As does the sports coach, the life coach will help you tap into your strengths while turning the tables on any weaknesses so that every aspect of your unique game of life is being controlled by you. Coaching is increasingly used in companies to maximize and develop their best people. It’s not the systems that make a company powerful and continually reaching its targets, it’s the people that make up the company, the puzzle pieces that make up the whole. Systems are great to keep the company operating smoothly however without people working at their most efficient that’s all the company will do- operate smoothly. Coaching, all the way from the executives to the most junior employee, will bring out the best in people and create powerful results. You may have noticed that all top athletes have a coach. They are at the top because their coach pushes the forward and supports them in staying there. All entrepreneurs have a coach, keeping them on a clear path to increased success in their chosen ventures. Most coaches have a coach! Because to bring out the best in others we must be constantly striving to better ourselves. Coaching using NLP (the study of human excellence and how to replicate it in others) is the way of the future. It is the fastest way to achieve anything from overcoming a current challenge in your life, to realizing your biggest goals and dreams. Find the coach that best suits your goals, who gives you the level of support you need, and who is genuinely committed to their craft; and you will find passion and purpose within you that you never knew existed. This new power that is unleashed from within you, your true human potential, allows you to function at a higher level mentally, physically, spiritually, financially, in every area of your life. And the changes are, without a doubt, deep and lasting. Here are a couple of motivational quotes to get you started on your journey: ‘It has been my observation that most people get ahead during the time that others waste time.’ – Henry Ford ‘Success is not for the timid. It is for those who seek guidance, make decisions, and take decisive action.’ – Jose Silva ‘If you don’t act now while it’s fresh in your mind, it will probably join the list of things you were always going to do but never quite got around to.’ – Paul Clithero Joanna Sherwell, a qualified Life Coach and NLP Practitioner, is Head Coach of Untapped Potential Coaching & Development in Melbourne, Australia. She is passionate about assisting you to unleash your true potential, fulfill your goals dreams, and live the life you deserve. Visit http://www.untappedpotential.com.au to find out more.how to loose weight fast