What is the best coaching style?
The short answer is: whichever coaching style will serve you best at a given time. For the purpose of this blog however, I’ll take you through a very simplified picture of the two basic coaching styles as it is very helpful for you to understand them both. They are Non directive coaching and Directive coaching. Good coaching is usually a 50/50 blend of the two.
Firstly then: Non directive coaching. This relates to mindset and is sometimes referred to as “transformational” coaching. It is where the coach through skilful use of questions helps the business owner by unearthing limiting beliefs, managing fears and seeing the way forward. The coach facilitates while the business owner arrives at their own empowering conclusions. For example, let’s say that the business owner struggles with delegation. They may say something like: “Nobody can do this task as well as me, therefore only I can do it” While this idea may be very true in the mind of the business owner, it is actually a limiting belief that they are harbouring and allowing to hold them back. So the coach will ask questions and guide the business owner to beliefs that are more empowering such as: Does the task really have to be done as well as you do it? If only you can reach the “perfect” standard, to what standard could you train your team? Not as well as you’d do it perhaps but well enough for the customer to be pleased with? With the right questions, the business owner will soon see past what holds them back and then they become ready for more directive coaching.
Directive coaching then is about action and is sometimes referred to as “transactional” coaching. It is where the coach actually shows them how to do the task successfully with strategies and tools that are often new to the business owner. For example, with delegation there is a step by step process for safely delegating tasks that keeps the business owner in control. From this the business owner creates their own system for delegation. With some planning and accountability built in, the business owner becomes ready to start delegating successfully and thus freeing up their time for what they know the business actually needs them to do.
Sometimes a business owner may not want either of the above styles and will say to me: “Just tell me what I need to do”. In this instance, they are asking for highly directive coaching which I will happily provide but this is the exception rather than the norm.
In all cases, the best style is what ever will deliver the best value for you at that time. Message me with any questions you have, it would be great to hear from you.
