Coaching has tremendous traction in today’s business world. To say you have your own coach is standard, but why has coaching become so popular, asks Durban-based coach Craig Stuart?
I’m often asked what I do, and my response is that I’m a leadership and resilience coach, to which people reply, “What is that?”.
I help give people a different perspective of their current reality by encouraging them to see their problems from a new viewpoint. Einstein said that “problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them”. These words are important for those who currently feel stuck and need a change in perspective, more purpose. Perhaps they are going through a transition or not getting the results they want.
Like many of us, I have emerged from the past two years where anxiety and the reality of our external environment has often left me feeling paralysed and uncertain. The world has changed so dramatically that we have constantly been required to find a new way.
Coaching is not a silver bullet, but Goldsmith and Lyons in their book Coaching for Leadership describe it like this: “Coaching establishes and develops healthy relationships, habits and rhythms by surfacing and addressing issues, solving problems, and following through on plans. Coaching offers a process in which people can develop high levels of self-awareness and ultimately shift towards the person they want to become.”
My journey as a coach began in 2016 and I decided that being an HR/Culture generalist needed to evolve. I wanted to become a specialist in the field of leadership coaching, which I regard as a calling. I studied coaching and was accredited through a professional body. I now service individual and corporate clients around the world. I coach both old and young, CEO’s and those just beginning their careers.
I have learnt that the power of coaching is really the practice that my “coachees” do between our sessions.
The Institute of Coaching says that over 70% of people who receive coaching benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills; while 86% of companies feel they recouped the investment. Studies also show that coaching is effective at reducing procrastination and facilitating goal attainment.
The feedback I have had from some of the people I have coached is deeply rewarding.
One said: “Having someone independent from your work and personal life to download all that’s going through your head has been an invaluable discovery for me. It helped put into perspective and practice meaningful ways of navigating work and life.”
Another said I had managed to get people to take responsibility for themselves, take them into a good emotional space and equip them to take the next step.
If you’re a leader or in an organisation and you are looking for development, coaching may be an intervention worth considering.