Question

What can one expect from the coaching relationship?

Answer

A client can expect the coach to be honest and give truthful feedback about what s/he is hearing, intuiting and feeling about the client. This might include awarenesses the client is reluctant to hear. Most coaches are skilled in the use of language and are able to deliver their reflections in palatable packages. Suffice it to say that clients should expect, and even demand, that coaches provide all feedback they have about the client during a coaching session ­ in some ways, this is the most valuable product of the coaching relationship. Coaches also remind clients of their progress, endorse who they are, empathize with them when they have fallen short of a mark, and celebrate when they have achieved a milestone. They are 100% for the client at all times.

Although most coaches work hard to develop relationships with their clients, working with a coach is not always easy. An effective coach will consistently make big requests of his or her clients ­ bigger than they would make of themselves. This is good because clients do grow and learn that they are capable of much more than they give themselves credit for. The process can be disconcerting for the client, however, as she or he is frequently moving out of his or her comfort zone. As uncomfortable as this may be, it is effective.

In short, a client can expect that the coaching relationship will be characterized by the principles of respect, support, truthfulness, honesty, growth, and fulfillment. This might sound unrealistic to some, but these are essential elements in effective coaching relationships.

11/04/98

John E. Glass, Ph.D., is a sociological practitioner with over 11 yearsexperience as a consultant, educator, counselor, educator, and researcher.He is on the Board of the American Academy of Sociological Practitioners, on the faculty of the Institute for Integral Development, a member of the Sociological Practice Association, and a member of the International Coach Federation.
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