Coaching: directions of travel
There are a number of approaches to coaching, varying in theoretical underpinning and style. To name just three:
Psychodynamic: emphasises the role of the unconscious and the conscious and past experiences to current outlook and relationships to self and others
Narrative: a focus on the individual’s narrative to date with a view to empowering them to shift that narrative moving forward
Solution focussed: parks the problem and moves through to facilitating the individual exploring solutions
Defining any one of these approaches is challenging, and in reality many coaches practice using elements from different approaches according to:
1) The outlook of the individual being coached
2) The nature of their dilemma
The individual being coached and their dilemma are two significant variables in a coaching process. Identifying the true dilemma can be complex and is rarely completely clear from the outset. Likewise, getting to know an individual and their outlook through a coaching process is something which can take time.
What do the different approaches offer to coaching? If we are considering the different approaches to be more fluid in their scope, some of this can be distilled down to basic principles that operate along the following axes:
Retrospective vs Prospective and, parallel to this, Reflective vs Exploratory
Retrospective
How important is it to look back right now to see how we got here?
Is understanding what happened necessary to be able to move forward?
If we don’t look back, can we identify the true dilemma?
Prospective
Is dwelling on the past helpful at this stage?
Do we need to shift to looking ahead now in order to move forward?
How do things need to change in future?
Reflective
Looking back on an experience
Unpacking thoughts and feelings around this experience
Analysis, leading to evaluation, conclusions and actions moving forward
Exploratory
Blue sky future oriented thinking
Keeping possibilities open, thinking through all choices and their consequences
Pinning down actions and committing to auditing these actions
Where to pitch?
An awareness of directional of travel is probably the most important concept here. Determining the agenda through the initial part of the process is helpful in understanding how important it is to delve into the root cause vs parking unpacking the problem in favour of focussing on solutions. Contracting can reveal an individual’s outlook on how they want to progress, as well as the approach a particular dilemma might demand.