“No longer will coaches or coachees need to resort to anecdotes to explain the value of coaching. The evidence is clear.” - Psychology Today
Coaching as an industry has increased in popularity and I’ve seen several posts on various platforms making fun of the fact that everyone seems to be a coach these days. Does coaching work and is the evidence as clear as organisations like Psychology Today claim?
It helps first to remember what coaching is and what it isn’t. I have done a couple of posts that detail this more here:
and here:
In summary of those two posts - coaching is helping someone reach their goals, change behaviour, or develop new habits, through non-directive questioning and frameworks that support self-awareness, self-efficacy, and responsibility.
Coaching is helping your self with the help of someone who believes you have the agency to own your own goals, decisions, and behaviours. Our own self talk can often be our downfall and a coach challenges you without the judgement and moralising that can trip us up.
Coaching is not having someone tell you how to think, what goals to have, what success looks like, or any course that promises you ‘your breakthrough’, though many people do have breakthrough moments in coaching sessions.
Being coached should be seen as an investment. The question then is, what are the benefits of being coached that make the investment worthwhile?
Many of the researched benefits seem intangible on first reading. Research regularly shows that people report:
Greater self-awareness
A more balanced lifestyle
Smarter goal setting
Less stress
More confidence
More resilient
There are other surveys that highlight more productivity, more effective communication, and better working relationships (source: The Institute of Coaching).
Organisations can find these benefits do become tangible through less sick leave, better staff retention, less staff and customer complaints, and improved productivity to name a few.
The Psychological Today article that is quoted at the start summarises a journal article pointing out that coaching provides ‘psychological capital’ in the form of self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience.
There are a number of variables in coaching that make research into the benefits an enterprise in itself. The skill of the coach, the type of coaching (performance, executive, life, etc.), the relationship between coach and coachee, the engagement of the coachee, the level of involvement by a paying organisation, how many sessions, and many others, all have an impact on how effective the coaching is. While there is still lots to be done in researching and quantifying the benefits, there does seem to be enough to make the claim that investing in coaching is more often than not, a good investment.
If you are interested in coaching, leadership, and building healthier community then why not follow along and join in the conversation.
If you are interested in being coached and want to find out more, feel free to message me.
Resources
A deeper dive into the evidence for the benefits of coaching:
The Psychology Today article quoted at the start of this post points to this journal for further evidence.
7 Benefits of having a coach - International Coaching Federation