TCL 060 - Coach the Person, Not the Problem!

The Coaching Leader - by IntelliCoach

Please share your feedback! I will mean a huge deal. www.ratethispodcast.com/intellicoach In this podcast we showcase a coaching style that is highly effective, yet typically not mastered by a Leader Coach who has not undergone training. We discuss coaching the PERSON, vs coaching the PROBLEM. When people learn about the difference, it often creates a loud AHA moment, followed by ‘How can I accomplish it?’ Let’s have a first look at some examples in this episode. A coach who coaches THE PROBLEM tries (with all their power and positive intent) to help the client resolve the actual issue they have..it could be a presentation they have to prepare, a snarky colleague that they don't know how to talk to etc. Coach and client take apart the problem, analyse it. The coach may even ask the client how they would fix it. Yet, this is not the most powerful coaching. Why? People often come to us after they have already explored a lot around their problem, often in an exhaustive way. They are stuck. In this situation, they will benefit a lot from a changed perspective, a reframe. They need to identify a likely blind spot. (Please note: I refer to the person being coached generally as the ‘client’ in this article, regardless whether they are a paid client, a peer, a team member who gets coached etc.) Yet, a blind spot and different perspective are hard to establish alone. Enter: the experienced coach, who is trained to help in exactly that area. This is what coaching THE PERSON accomplishes. The coach focuses on something entirely different here: on the relationship that the client has TO THE PROBLEM. Questions are geared towards exploring that relationship. The coach will also share neutral observations that help the client gain new awareness about their situation and problem. In this podcast episode, we look at some examples to show the difference between coaching THE PROBLEM vs coaching THE PERSON. We also go into more details on some concrete examples/sound bites. To find out more, listen to the episode, or have a look at the related article: https://www.intellicoach.com/ep60 The IntelliCoach Leader Academy Program: www.intellicoach.com/leader-academy “Coach the person, not the problem” by Marcia Reynolds: https://www.amazon.com/Coach-Person-Not-Problem-Reflective-ebook/dp/B07ZTVKLYR/ “Coach the Person Not the Problem” by Chad Hall: https://www.amazon.com/Coach-Person-Not-Problem-Transformation-ebook/dp/B01LZB74MD/ About ‘Coaching the Ghost’, a scenario mentioned in ‘The Coaching Habit’ by Michael Bungay Stanier: https://www.amazon.com/Coaching-Habit-Less-Change-Forever-ebook/dp/B01BUIBBZI/ Connect with us: -------------------------- Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://www.intellicoach.com/blog Get updated with our Podcast: https://www.intellicoach.com/podcast Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/intellicoach Follow us on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/intellicoach IntelliCoach on Facebook: www.facebook.com/intellicoach IntelliCoach on Instagram: www.instagram.com/intellicoach