What is business coaching?

In recent years coaching has emerged as a result-orientated methodology which has sparked interest in many sectors. Many companies and high level executives already use this type of support service in order to improve their efficiency at work.

Why is coaching of interest in the business field?

"Let's be original and successful". Many professionals could say this when they wake up in the morning. After a considerable period of learning and experience in their professional field, they expect that everything will turn out just as imagined. In reality, something is failing in business organisations, some seem to be at the top of the sales ranking and others don't seem to appear at all. What is the difference?

History of coaching

Several years ago, a discipline called coaching emerged. Originating in the United States, it later spread through Europe, eventually reaching Spain and expanding in the rest of the world.

In 1980, in the United States, Timothy Gallwey, discovered that the worst enemy of an athlete is his mind. He started to work in this area and achieved amazing results. Using these experiences, he wrote the book "The Inner Game" in which he develops the foundations of coaching as we know it today.

Uses of Coaching

Business coaching focuses directly on the organisation and structure of the company. The objective is to obtain the desired results, by applying techniques that lead to direct actions. It is a very dynamic discipline, which is continually developing and is very wide-reaching. It addresses technical and psychological issues.

It is based on a continuing professional relationship which helps to achieve the goals suggested by the company's management, working on personal and professional aspects, both on an individual and joint level. This way, performance is enhanced at key organisational moments improving quality of life, especially in corporate change situations. It facilitates understanding and acceptance of the change.

What does coaching involve?

Coaching is a change-oriented monitoring process aimed at the development of people, teams and organisations, with the guidance of a "coach" who helps their "client" to discover and articulate their goals and dreams. This is carried out within a process of inner growth and goal achievement in any of the vital areas that lead the client towards a more fulfilling existence, full of meaning and satisfaction.

Issues  addressed in coaching

• Time management
• Conflict resolution at the workplace
• Control of emotions
• Stress elimination
• It mobilises the core values and commitments of human beings
• It inspires people towards achieving unprecedented results
• It improves relationships and communication efficiency in human systems
• It teaches people to collaborate, to work in a team and promotes consensus building
• It brings out people's potential, allowing them to reach objectives that would otherwise be considered unattainable
• It allows people to find meaning and value in their role and work with motivation and responsibility
• It helps to clarify the organisation's objectives and strategically plan goals

Process objective

The main objective is the effective and efficient development of the company's members, so that they achieve autonomy in resolving important and/or everyday problems. Therefore achieving harmony and comfort in the company's daily schedule. And all in the least possible time. On the whole, it is a competitive advantage on an organisational level.

How does it work?

A meeting is held between the coach and the client, where the coach will pose a series of exclusive and binding questions, taking the client out of their comfort zone, being the only one that has the answers needed to take action in their life. Both the current and future situations are defined. All possible options separating both time points are considered, choosing the most appropriate one which will be implemented with a series of actions in order to achieve it definitively. That is why it is a very effective discipline, because it is driven by results. The coach acts as a guide at all times, helping to achieve the proposed goals.

When to use coaching

There are times when we must take risky and complicated decisions that scare us. These moments could entail big changes in our professional or personal life. In these cases coaching could be extremely useful, because the techniques used are aimed at successfully managing this type of situations.

In conclusion, it can be said that coaching is here to stay as a tool to improve the efficiency of our lives. I would like to finish with a phrase that I like and that I use as a reference. It is a statement that is implicit in the theoretical foundation of coaching. It is from one of the greatest scientists of all times: