Individual professional coaching - Human Trajectory Makers

Individual professional coaching

« Les seules limites de nos réalisations de demain, ce sont nos doutes et nos hésitations d’aujourd’hui »

Eleanor Roosevelt

Individual professional coaching is a process of providing support to a person, over a defined period of time, which aims to develop that person’s potential.

The coaching intervention creates a space where the person can eliminate what hinders their development, express their desires and aspirations, develop their strengths, acquire new skills and knowledge and implement a plan to improve their performance.

This approach is unique and stands out from other modes of intervention such as counseling, therapy or training by positioning itself resolutely as a co-construction, a co-development between coach and coachee based on the power of the intersubjective relationship.

One of the postulates is that the coachee has the skills and the potential to find his own solutions and that the coach acts as a catalyst, a facilitator of change by mobilizing his energies.

Modalities :

1 – Implementation of the process : it is fundamental for the coachee to choose his coach because everyone must be comfortable with the idea of working with the other, in a real climate of trust. During a first session, the coachee learns about the process, about the coach’s approach. The coach learns about the mindset, the motivations of the process, the professional context of the coachee. This first meeting is important because it validates the commitment of each of the parties. A three-party relationship (HRD or hierarchical superior) is set up to define the respective roles, the operating methods, the expected objectives. Absolute confidentiality is critical throughout the process, even if the coach can speak with his direct manager for a status update.

2 – Goal setting : this key step must be clarified during the first session and sometimes adjusted during the second one . What is the goal that the coachee is pursuing? What does he expect from these sessions? The coach cannot replace the coachee to identify and define the objectives, at this stage his approach will consist of assisting him. The coach can use the SMART method in order to clearly define the objectives :

– Specific : the objective to be achieved must depend solely on the coachee and not on external elements
– Measurable : the achievement of the objective must be quantifiable and measurable, indicators are proposed
– Ambitious : the objective must be sufficiently ambitious and encourage the coachee to leave their comfort zone
– Realistic : the objective must be realistic and achievable and involves sustained efforts
– Temporary : a deadline must be determined

3 – Coaching sessions : these are interviews fixed in an agenda, of varying duration. Thanks to his active listening, his questioning system, and his feedback, the coach promotes a posture of the coachee that will help him in achieving his goals. The coachee can also work to promote the implementation of the points raised in each session. Interviews are anchoring points for the coachee who becomes aware of the progress made, and can work with his coach on any mental block.

4 – The actions of the coachee : the coachee is in charge at that point, only his commitment, his willingness to contribute to the achievement of objectives, make this coaching fruitful. Actions can be linked to a change in behavior, to freeing up one’s word, to a change in one’s professional practice, to the expression of one’s needs, … the coach must be vigilant to the evolution of certain character traits of his coachee, who may also feel discomfort, it is essential to identify these aspects and talk about them during the session.

5 – Monitoring and adjustments : milestones must be organized regularly to validate the achievement of objectives, possibly adjust them or define new ones. It is important to cover the topics in depth and stick to the initial objectives to ensure the effectiveness of the coaching process. A partnership closing allowing an assessment of the achievements, the progress made is organized, at this stage we can also discuss how the coachee capitalizes on his achievements and his successes.

In a way, this approach is similar to a maieutic in which progress is generated by the coachee through a particular device, structured on the basis of the coach’s know-how and interpersonal skills.

This belief of the coach in the potential of the other is necessary for several reasons: that is the condition for a good relationship that will be established between the partners; it creates in the coachee a kind of training, it’s a remarkably hopeful thing in order to progress further, and in return energizes the interaction; it ensures that the progress and solutions that have emerged in coaching are those of the coachee and therefore quickly assimilable and usable by the latter; it empowers the coachee and, surprisingly, reinforces and strengthens his professional growth …

OUR OFFRES THE NEWS THE “CHANGE MAKERS” CONTACT