Effective CoachingBy: Todd Proa

No doubt, coaching can be tough.  If you manage people, whether that’s in the

office or on the soccer field, you need to understand the importance of effective coaching.  How you manage somebody can be a major factor in their levels of both effectiveness and productivity.  I recently came across an article that outlines some of the tips for effective coaching.  While the article is meant to be focused on office coaching, a lot of principles mentioned in the article can also be applied to sports coaching.

Many people make incorrect assumptions about coaching.  It’s important that, whether you’re a coach or a manager, that you use a clear and consistent model and understand both the “how” and the “why”.  You should be able to distinguish between “bossing”, coaching, counseling, training and therapy

A coach who sees somebody’s potential is a lot better at coaching them towards it.  If you judge somebody based on their past and current performance, or believe that people are inherently limited, then you won’t make as strong an effort to engage your team for optimal performance.  An engaged, well-coached team member will out-perform one who is being managed by a weak coach.

It’s essential that you start coaching with a proven model, yet there’s a difference between taking a two-day seminar on coaching and actually developing coaching skills.  The former is an event, while the latter is a process.  Just getting into (and staying in) shape requires consistent exercise as opposed to just one visit to a fitness class.  In the same vein, becoming a coach isn’t a quick fix.When coaching a staff or a team, be aware that each person has different motivators and styles of communication.  Learn the styles of your team, so that you’ll be able to adapt your communication to the listener for increased impact.  Effective coaching adapts to the unique style and needs of the person who is being coached.

Coaching can happen in various ways, with varying needs and circumstances.  Sometimes, there will be “mini” coaching opportunities that shouldn’t be missed, while on other occasions, you’ll need longer or more intensive coaching sessions.  Therefore, you should plan your coaching times and know what to do.A coach (or manager) who regularly steps in to solve the problem of their team isn’t doing anybody any favors, only training them to bring the problems to the coach, as opposed to solving them themselves.  Coach your team to develop their confidence and problem-solving ability, which can help increase organizational efficiency dramatically.

One great skill that every coach needs to practice is listening.  Fully deploy your listening skills with an open mind, so that you may ask more effective questions of your team, and get to the heart of an issue to help them find a solution.Keep up-to-date at all chances that you can.  As a leader, you need to be on top of things and know what’s new.  You can attend coaching seminars, watch webcasts and subscribe to web feeds.