A Coach believes that the individual has all the answers, skills, and resources within himself. He guides by asking questions, suggesting exercises, and creating a clear view of the desired state. He listens without judgement and own bias, does not dictate the direction but facilitates towards the desired state of the client. The client transforms unconscious values, potentials and needs to conscious goals and resources. Integral coaching includes the perception of all levels of the human being: mind – thoughts, heart – emotions, soul – dreams, body – feelings.
The coach has the skill of empathic listening, asking developing questions and access to various tools which can help to give impulses to the thought and emotional process of the client.
The overall method taps into various forms of psychology whilst mostly focusing on positive psychology to bring the client into a state to apply a sustainable next step.
In general, the skill of coaching has been seen as an integral part of leadership.
Personal vs. Business vs. Leadership Coaching
There is no difference in techniques just in the selection of topics and coaches with their backgrounds and their level of understanding the economics and businesses involved. Personal development or growth topics are likely to arise in both situations.
Therapy vs. Mentoring vs. Consulting
There is a difference between those topics, which can help clients to choose what they need:
- Therapeutic Interventions are executed by trained psychologist. We will never go into these areas and advise our clients to work with a psychologist. Whilst traumas or emotional bridges to the past may come up, we aim to focus on the positive change which are desired by the client
- Mentoring includes helping a person to learn and fail faster than they would do alone. This approach may include a more learning by doing, hands-on and sharing of expertise.
- Consulting includes providing and transferring expertise and professional advice in a specific field to individuals and businesses usually on a contract basis and until a partial need has been met.
Enterprise Agile Coaching
In our understanding an Agile Coach refers to a person with a certain knowledge and experience level in Agile Software Projects. The coach is applying the above-mentioned techniques to unfold the potential of the individual and hence the team. He adds experience on previous agile implementations and shifts to a Mentor or Consultant in that aspect. Over the year we have identified that – for us – an “Enterprise” Agile Coach is someone who brings the experience of organizational design and therefore is able to guide the organization into more agility by coaching the individuals.
Teaching & Training
In teaching and training we aim to share our knowledge or collected knowledge with an individual or group. In an optimal setup we help them apply that in practice in their day to day life. Classical Fitness Coaches hence seem to be more “Trainers” or “Instructors”.
Coaching is integral part of our operating model, in this case mostly with the notch of leadership coaching. In both of our services, future leadership and digital strategy it is present.