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Presented by Dr Suzanne Skiffington - at the International Coaching Federation (ICF) International Conference -USA -Certification

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CHANGE – are we truly specialist change agents?

Presented by Suzanne Skiffington - at the International Coaching Federation (ICF) International Conference -USA -Certification

• Coaching involves bringing about change in the individual’s thoughts, attitudes and behaviours. It is a psychological-based process and coaches, therefore require an understanding of the psychology of change.
  
• Coaches need to establish criteria for ‘change readiness’ and for ‘coachable coachees’.
  
• How do coachees learn? Coaches have to be familiar with learning styles, with methods of Accelerated Learning and what might interfere with the learning process, such as ‘proactive inhibition".(an interference with learning that occurs when the way we currently do things is different and conflicts with new knowledge). ‘New Learning’ takes this knowledge protection mechanism into account and coaches would benefit from familiarity with models and techniques that prevent this interference and reversion to old patterns of behaviour.
  
• As specialist change agents, coaches must measure and evaluate change. We have to ‘operationalize’ what we want to measure, employ multiple ratings and generate statistical data on coaching outcomes.
  
• Research has to establish acceptable levels of change – what criteria do we use?, e.g, the coachee’s, the coach’s or the organization’s? How do we measure internal change as against perceived change? How do we measure transformational change?
  
• Research on coaching has to develop criteria for evaluation so we can benchmark coaching outcomes.
  
• How do coaches maintain change and prevent slippage? Coaches require models and strategies to prepare for the end of the coaching intervention, to maintain and generalize change and prevent relapse into old ways of behaving and thinking.
  
• Coaches need to establish the ideal time frame for specific coaching interventions.
  
• Coaches need to understand clearly the comparative benefits of face-to-face versus telecoaching versus email and other means of delivery. We must ensure that the coachee is receiving the most appropriate and effective vehicle of delivery that will produce the greatest level of sustained change.
  
• Resistance to coaching is under-explored and rarely discussed. If we are true experts at change then we must be experts at recognizing and dealing with resistance to change. Not everyone is coachable and some coaching interventions are unsuccessful. We need to establish whether resistance is a function of personality, of fears (of failure, success, loss of identity etc), the coach’s lack of expertise, poor assessment and diagnosis, lack of personal or organizational support or other factors. If coaching is to maintain its momentum and credibility, we can no longer continue to play cheerleader and assume that change will occur.
  
• In summary, coaching is about change and change is a psychological-based process. We believe that coaches do not need to be psychologists. However, we strongly advocate the need for coaches to be trained by a successful practicing coach who is also a registered psychologist -- that is, a professional who is an expert in the methodologies, tools and techniques that truly bring about sustained behavioural change.
  
  
  

  Note: For qualified individuals who simply wish to learn how to establish a successful coaching career and/or coaching practice see our: Coaching School.

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