Elena Pereudina, coach and managing partner at BCR.EXPERT: "A coaching session is about exploring the client's problem and request. The coach helps the client look at the problem from different angles. In the end, the client identifies the steps that need to be taken and is responsible for carrying them out." Every person's life includes personal and work-related goals. To get a broad view of how well they are being handled and balanced against each other, people often use the "Wheel of Life Balance" technique.
Problems and falling motivation begin when these goals do not line up and there is no understanding of where they intersect or how they affect one another. The "balance wheel" does not move. For example, a department head has stayed in the same position too long and does not know where to go next. Grow within the company, become a partner, get an equity stake in the business? Change companies or maybe start a business of their own? Each of these options can change life in a way that makes the "balance wheel" tilt in a certain direction.
One path leads to a lighter workload, leaving more time for family or personal health. The other, on the contrary, means working 12-14 hours a day, so there is no time for family, but there is more money and creative self-realization. In such a case, choosing a path is difficult; often people cannot articulate their main values simply because they have never really thought about them or tried to put them into words and feel them.
The coach helps the client understand what really matters to them, what their hidden goals are, and motivates them to achieve those goals as quickly as possible. What problems, other than career-related ones, is corporate coaching also ordered for? According to a survey of representatives from 93 companies conducted by Talent Equity Institute, this service is most often sought to solve specific business tasks.
For example, when employees feel discouraged in the face of ambitious (new, difficult) tasks, which can be especially numerous during a company's rapid growth; when stress levels are high, to better manage themselves and the situation; to support a transition into a higher position. When an employee has recently moved into a management role or is a candidate for promotion, they need help developing leadership skills; to improve team interactions.
Some of these tasks are also present at kt.team: we are growing fast, we have many complex challenges, and even more strong people who are focused on their own development.
Speeds up goal achievement and improves emotional well-being
It makes sense to turn to a coach when a person feels stagnation or demotivation, does not understand what they really want, or understands it but does not have the energy to achieve it. These are the most common requests. It is believed that this method speeds up goal achievement by 5 to 6 times. For example, if we set ourselves a task that would normally take a year, coaching can help complete it in two or three months. Other expected results include greater self-awareness and confidence, and lower stress levels.
Elena Pereudina, coach and managing partner at BCR.EXPERT: "After the sessions, clients noticed that their emotional state improved, and that is very important to manage: when a person is stressed, everything slips through their fingers, and even simple things seem harder than they really are. With a good emotional state, the same problems can be solved in a snap. The first thing you notice after working with a coach is a high energy level."
Has advantages over other methods
Let's look at global practice: to solve problems like ours, companies can implement
Coaching management
, bring in a corporate psychologist (as an in-house employee or an independent consultant), and run specialized training sessions. These options each have their own pros and cons. Coaching management: here, the coach is essentially the manager, meaning they gently guide employees' motivation and morale so they can reach the goals they set for themselves faster and more effectively. The advantage is that the coach is always close to their team members and can spend more time with them than an outside specialist.
The main drawback is that not every manager has enough skill for this kind of work with people. It is difficult and takes a lot of time.
Corporate psychologist: external or in-house
A psychologist works through conflict and stressful situations, and in some companies takes part in personnel assessment. A major drawback is that such specialists work at a deep level of personality and often refer to the past. Far from all employees are ready to discuss, for example, their childhood traumas at all, let alone at work. If the psychologist is on staff, it will be difficult for them to remain autonomous and work impartially with each employee.
An external expert will not see the results of their work because they only work short-term, and they will not be able to correct mistakes if something goes wrong.
Motivational trainings, workshops, etc.
The main advantage of this approach is how accessible it is: if you want to, you can find many such sessions. The downside is the lack of an individual approach: the same training, written N years ago, can be delivered for years with little adaptation for a specific client.
What about coaching?
Pros: it handles all our tasks. Cons: we were afraid there was one downside; we will write about it below. Fortunately, our fears did not come true, and everything went well :)
