...the Tao of Coaching

Recently I've found myself 'coaching' others, well, doing my best...

I've always like to teach others, mainly because someone once told me 'the best way to learn is to teach others', and I believe this to be very true. When you have to explain to another person how something is done, you are forced to really evaluate and rationalise what you are doing...

Often I find myself talking reaaaaalllly fast, then observing the person's body language..which is often one of confusion. Sometimes I struggle with finding the balance between giving someone a task with enough information as to WHY they are doing it, without having to tell them the WHOLE rationale behind it.

Take today for instance - I have a marketing intern working under my guidance at the moment. She is very capable, but has never worked in a marketing department before. Her experience with marketing is limited to textbook study at a marketing institute (which makes me wonder if they are teaching the 'New Rules of Marketing and PR' there). SO, when I'm briefing her on a new project, I start asking her to do something, then realise that she has no idea how or what or where to begin, so I have to start back at the WHY we do 'online content'....

I'm getting better at it (and so is she in understanding the objective of online communications), also because my Regional Marketing Director, recommend I read 'Max Landsberg: The Tao of Coaching'...now, i've only just begun, but it's a good book. I want to share a couple of the learnings i've found useful.

Ask questions:  Don't just tell when helping others develop their skills!!! This may sound obvious, but the book explains that if you invest the ten minutes in coaching (notice that I didn't use the word explaining or telling) someone who reports to you, it will later save you an hour!

In this video - Herb Kelleher, CEO Southwest Airlines says 'Coaching has to emanate from the heart, not the head...and that people readily recognise the difference between the two...'

Ask for feedback and then receive feedback genuinely: Avoid being defensive, and ask for specific examples.

I've only read the first quarter of the book, but it's worth reflecting on it in this blog!

Stay tuned for more!

Catch me on Linked IN - Christopher J Archer