Coaching process

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.” This is what one verse the book of Ephesians in the Bible tells.

Funny that the words that stood out were ‘Building others according to their needs’. This is where a coach comes in. The coaches’ unique ability to identify the need of the individual and enable them to build there from– that’s their forte. In most cases, this requires reading between the lines. In many situations, what the clients think they want is quite different from their actual need.

Let’s look at a scenario: I met up with Alex a few weeks ago. He is 18, loves football and hates studies. Like most teenagers, he has no clear idea of what he wants to do and works few days a month, only when he desperately needs the money. And his dream is to make money without having to go through the drudgery of work.

Let’s now look at how as his coach we can help Alex help himself. Firstly, let’s set a goal for this discussion. It would be – Alex finding out what he wants to do with his career. To be even more specific, career options available for Alex. Why might this be important? Because he lives in Dubai on a temporary visa, comes from a European family where at his age, he is expected to take care of himself and besides having to settle down on something more satisfactory than just working for money.

What sort of a time frame is he looking at? He is looking at 12 months from now. And is this part of a bigger goal. Definitely! To attain the state of freedom where Alex can do what he wants to when he wants to and where he wants to. After all, isn’t this everyone’s dream?

So let’s go about looking how he can make money without having to go through the drudgery of work. Even before we consider the options available, let’s take a peek into the current reality.

What’s his current situation? Currently, he lives in Dubai on a temporary visa, is pressured by his family to find a job and he intends to go back to London so he can continue with further studies with no great interest. What has he done so far to achieve his goal of career options – nothing much.

What’s holding him back? He just does not know he can move forward. Sometimes, when we are unsure of what lays ahead, the place of security is ‘Present – just be and things will sort itself out’. While this may work in some rare cases, in Alex’s case, he is in control of the steer. All he needs is to realize that and move forward.

Here, let’s consider his strengths and things he needs to do differently to be more effective at what he does. Firstly his strengths: He is young, speaks one international business language (English), recognizes that he is more of a field person rather than a behind-the-desk types, drives, has an authoritative voice and grasps easily on the deliverables.

Now, on the things he needs to do differently – he needs to bring in more enthusiasm with him. But then, who can stop enthusiasm when it is natural? It’s our duty to help him to find that environment where he is naturally enthused.

So, what options lay before him? One of the best ways to narrow down on his options is to look at what he loves the most. Alex loves football. He loves to play as well as watch. When I asked him if he ever considered becoming a football player, he said that boys are trained as early as 9 years of age and therefore, it’s late for him to begin a career as a player. No problem. Let’s look at what other career options exist in the world of football.

Referee, football coach, sports massage therapist, Assistant coaching (setting up equipments), volunteering (if he still needs clarity after having gained clear understanding of the options), sports journalist, sports photographer, selling sponsorships, sports physiotherapist, sports development officer, sports and exercise scientist and commentator.

Now that the career options and the details (which he will have collected) lay before Alex, he is in a much better position to make an informed decision.

Having understood the pros and cons of each option, Alex is now also able to identify that option which excites him the most. As his coach, we will then help him find ways to integrate his strengths into that option, get a realistic picture of the obstacles that stand in his way, means to overcome them and action plans to move it forward.

Does this fit into his bigger goal of being able to make money without going through the drudgery of work? You bet!

When you do the job you love the most, you don’t work a single day!

Ontological Coaching

What is Ontological coaching? What does an Ontological coach do?

Ontological coaching is based on insight into the language used by the person being coached, their emotions and the effect of both on body. This understanding by the coach acts as an invaluable tool for behavioural change.

Let’s imagine ourselves in this situation to gain a deeper understanding into Ontological Coaching. You are made redundant due to restructuring. Do you think ‘It is not my fault’ and carry on with life or do you say to yourself – If I were worthy enough, they would have kept me and made other redundant. Which ever way you have coached yourself, the language you used has had further effects of strengthening or weakening the emotions, in turn leading to change in bodily expressions – the way you sit, stand, talk, posture, arms and others.

Coaching focus-area may arise in any of these three circles. Either the coach may identify this or the person to be coached may self-identify for themselves. At times, the coaching focus-area identified by the person to be coached may be different from what the coach perceives. In such a situation, it is the responsibility of the coach to first make sure that the person understands the difference and then begin the coaching process.

Even before the coaching focus-area is the coaching need. The need for coaching arises because of the gap, either real or perceived. This coaching need may manifest itself in any of the above mentioned circles.

Remember that the circle in which the coaching need is identified may be completely different from the coaching focus-area. Here is where the role of the coach and the effectiveness of coaching technique is displayed.

Case study – Jane is an active, hardworking, cheerful professional. However, when she stands in front of people, although she begins at her best, her facial expressions and body language shows that she is frustrated. As her muscles grow tensed, she searches for words, eye contact breaks and she is on the verge of crying.

With the help of her coach, she discovered that only after she begins to feel ‘not being able to meet the expectations of the people around her’ does she lose the words and feel stiff. The coach had to explore the reasons behind the feeling and help Jane change the pattern of thoughts to change the feeling and her body language.

Some people may equate Ontological coaching to coaching using Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP). Is there really a difference? Which of these is more useful to a coach? Watch out for my future posts on this page

Brian Lara's First Coach

Remember your coach during the good days and the bad. That is what Brian Lara did when he scored 400 runs against England in the memorable test match. "Set high goals, gather as much as you can when things are going good, because you never know when things might turn the other way", Coach Rohan Kanhai said.

He was Brian Lara's one of the first coaches in West Indies Team.

Who discovered Brian Lara? Was it coach Rohan?

No. It was Brian Lara's older sister and father who identified the latent batting talent and signed him up at the Harvard Coaching Clinic. Brian Lara was only six years old then.
Now, let's take a moment and ponder over this. If Lara's family had not taken those steps, will he be known today as the prince of batting? His family played the crucial role of a coach - that of identifying his talent and helping him become better at that.

Reverting back to your personal life, have you had a coach from within your family who recognised our talent and played a part in our success? If yes, please share your experience in this blog.

Have you have identified talents in your siblings or even parents, that they themselves are not aware of or do not pay much attention to? Take it as your responsibility to help them progress in that path of success. Play the role of the coach and you will reap the rewards!
How, you ask me.

As you sow, so you reap! As you coach, so you will be coached. Happy coaching!

COACHING - by Tendulkar's COACH

Coach finds cricket player : The result is discovery

Cricket player finds coach : The result is redemption

Coach and cricket player find each other : The result is an enviable career for both

With the World cup Cricket around the corner, let us examine the life of Sachin Tendulkar, a world class cricket player and his early career. Will he be a world class player today, if he had not met his coach during those early days? Read ahead.

Sachin Tendulkar

It is of common knowledge that Sachin began his career in the international cricket at the age of 16. However, very less is known of the man who played the key role in Sachin's Cricket career - his coach Ramakant Achrekar.

According to well known sources, Sachin was only 11 when his brother noticed the potential of a cricket player in him. I can imagine what his brother saw - Sachin with his big bat that definitely weighed more than those his playmates used, fierce determination between his brows, his eyes focussed on the ball and his hands tightly gripped around the bat. As the ball draws near, he calculates its momentum and at the split second, weilds the bat with such force and power that the resultant runs are not 1s and 2s, but 4s and 6s.

He introduced Sachin to his coach Achrekar, who also happened to be the official coach of Shardashram (School well known in inter school cricket competitions).

Brief about the coach

Coach Achrekar perhaps did not become a world class player himself. However, he represented the State Bank of India team as the wicket-keeper batsman for a long time.

He was known among his colleagues as the Bradman of tennis ball cricket. Whoever imagined him to become the first coach of a world class cricket player who would shake the criket world?

Sachin's brother Ajit Tendulkar felt that this man was the right person to coach and develop the potential in his brother.

One thing about this coach that made him come to this conclusion was the fact that he laid equal emphasis on match and net practice . The coach made sure that his team were always ready as red hot iron - playing in tournaments, one after another through out the year.

Coaches are all over. But what makes his coaching style unique is his motivation technique. From what I have researched about him, Sachin would play in various nets at a go. And when he got tired, his coach would put a rupee coin on the stumps and tell the team that whoever got him out of the game would get the coin. If nobody did, then would sachin get the coin. (In those days, a rupee had more value than it does these days). And it worked!

This coach brought the best out of his student.

Now, imagine that you had a coach who coached you during those early days of your career and motivated you, just like Sachin Tendulkar. Would you have been a different person with a different career and an altogether different life style? Wait. Its not late.

Do you find yourself in the following situations?

• You have felt lately that you are operating at a level lesser than your normal potential
• You want to think it through, but you do not find the time
• You have thought through, unable to put your finger on the specifics causing the problem
• You have figured out the specifics of the problem, but do not know the solution
• You know the solution and need help in implementing it

It is time you found yourself a coach. In the following post, I will provide you information on coaching organisations, their specialisations and coach profiles.

Coaching Vs Training

I always wondered which of the two was better - training or coaching. Over period of time, I have come to realise that one needs to be a trainer to become a coach.

Training is the first step in change management. Its less expensive and less personalised. It is like leading the horse to the pond and that's it!

Coaching is the second step - It is individualised though it costs more than training. It is one step beyond leading the horse to the pond. Its all about understanding what makes the horse drink the water and ensuring that it does.

Over the next few posts, let us look at some real life stories.