Professional Coaching: What is it?

Coaching is a methodology that was born in the 1980s in the United States as a response to the development needs of professionals at that time. It comprises the principles of humanistic sciences, Psychology and Neurolinguistic Programming, as well as years of observation and experience of the organizational behaviors of large corporations, which were constituted as communities with codes and rules, sometimes different from the general rules of coexistence.

What is a Professional Coach?

The professional coach is an expert with an exhaustive training validated by accredited coaching organizations. In addition, you must have at least 3 years of training as a coach. Every coach is subject to continuous evaluation with annual in-depth training and supervision by accredited experts to keep his or her technique current and in line with the required competencies. In France and other countries, it is a regulated profession whose practice is limited to those professionals who pass a very demanding and regulated evaluation process. One of the most prestigious coach training accreditations is the one granted by ICF, International Coaching Federation, and it is the one we demand to our collaborators in Sibega.

What is the role of the professional coach?

The coach’s mission is to accompany the reflection of his clients, executives, professionals or teams on the objectives they want to achieve and to help them achieve them. His expertise lies in structured and open questioning in an environment of absolute trust and confidentiality where there is no room for judgment or advice. The coach is not, therefore, a counselor, board advisor, consultant or mentor. The coach’s contribution is non-directive, i.e. he does not tell the client what to do, but leaves it up to the client to decide his destination and the means available to get there. The coach is responsible for creating a space of security and trust that allows the client to reflect, be creative, take action and learn by himself. It is also the guarantor of the process. The coach accompanies the executive, team or professional in a process that lasts between 6 and 10 Sessions. The fact that he accompanies the professional or collective without saying what they have to do, allows an exponential development of the person, since the solution is based on their values, convictions, motivations and current context. At the same time, the coach helps the client to sort out his ideas, to become aware of his mental mechanisms and to facilitate his change. The coach is the “client’s #1 fan”, he believes in his client’s potential, motivation and personal resources. As a coach, you position yourself at the same level as your client; that is, you are not his boss, or his teacher, or even his collaborator. The coach is not there to “save his client” or comfort him, as this does not contribute to his growth in autonomy. Finally, it is worth mentioning that the coach is bound by a code of ethics that obliges him/her to keep conversations confidential.

how to choose a good professional coach?

Coaching is a highly developed discipline in Anglo-Saxon culture, France, Belgium, Holland and the Nordic countries. In Spain, LATAM and the rest of Southern Europe, it is still very new. More and more professionals are becoming ICF accredited. Even so, it is highly recommended to ask the coach for his or her accreditation as well as references and entities with which he or she has collaborated. It is important to know that simple training is not enough to accompany as a coach. At least 125 hours of coaching are required to ensure a quality process. At Sibega, our professionals have more than 500 hours of executive coaching, all of them accredited PCC (Professional Certified Coach) in ICF. Fortunately, in countries such as France, intrusiveness is controlled, thanks to the requirement of validation by an official body through the RNCP. In Spain there is still a long way to go for this type of guarantees, so I advise you to ask your coach for accreditation before hiring him/her.

What is professional coaching?

Professional coaching is aimed at managers, executives and professionals who want to improve in the workplace. It also focuses on accompanying those dilemmas that require clarification in the company’s environment:

• what a career turnaround I’m making,
• how to handle a conflict with my boss,
• how to learn to delegate,
• how to improve work-life balance, etc.

Professional coaching is the discipline that improves work dynamics and transforms groups into high-performance teams.

How does professional coaching work?

A professional coaching process consists of 3 stages:

• To ensure the success of the process, the coach has to define with the client or company the objectives to be achieved. It is the coach’s task to ensure that the objectives are measurable, specific, realistic and achievable within a defined period of time. If it is professional team coaching, it is advisable to have an individualized session with each team member in order to identify potential individual needs.
• This will define the roadmap that will allow estimating the number of sessions needed (as mentioned above, it will range from 6 to 10). It is possible that between sessions, some tasks, also called “tasking”, are defined in order to allow the client to test his progress in a controlled environment. The client is always in charge of his growth while the coach is the guarantor of the quality and effectiveness of the process.
• At the end, a closing session is held, where the client takes stock of the transformation and what has been learned.

Types of professional coaching

Professional coaching can be contracted directly by the manager or by another person in collusion with the professional, what we would call a tripartite coaching contract. Tripartite coaching is very frequent in cases of talent development plans and acceleration of career plans or high potential managers, where the hierarchical superior or Human Resources hire professional coaching services. In the case of team coaching, it works in a similar way. In this case, the active participation of the person in charge of that team is essential.

Benefits of professional coaching

Participating in a quality professional coaching process is an unforgettable experience: the motivation of the professionals who benefit from the work of a coach grows exponentially and provokes in the manager a virtuous circle of growth, confidence and self-confidence. 98% of the managers I have accompanied feel very satisfied with their progress and have positive energy to move forward in their next professional stage.

Who is professional coaching for?

Professional coaching is especially designed for all those professionals who want to develop a better version of themselves with positive effects on their professional career and personal life. It is also aimed at managers who want to develop their leadership and emotional intelligence. It is very effective in the clarification of ideas, resolution of professional dilemmas. Coaching is suitable for all organizational levels of the company and for all types of companies and sectors. In general, it is very effective for those who wish to take responsibility for their own development.