Challenging Coaching. Going Beyond Traditional Coaching to Face the FACTS

Citation

Nolan, S. (2012), "Challenging Coaching. Going Beyond Traditional Coaching to Face the FACTS", Strategic HR Review, Vol. 11 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/shr.2012.37211eaa.011

Challenging Coaching. Going Beyond Traditional Coaching to Face the FACTS

Challenging Coaching. Going Beyond Traditional Coaching to Face the FACTS

Article Type: Resources From: Strategic HR Review, Volume 11, Issue 5

John Blakey and Ian Day,Nicholas Brealey Publishing,ISBN: 978-1-904838-39-5

This book – aimed at executive coaches, business leaders and HR professionals interested in creating a coaching environment – challenges the traditional roles and responsibilities of coaches. It encourages coaches to be more courageous in their approach and to break some of the established golden rules of coaching in order to make coaching work in the workplace. The aim is to move away from aspects of coaching that are relating to its roots in psychology and therapy, as well as other current uses, such as sports, and to put it into a business context. The business environment requires a tailored approach and this is what the authors aim to address through their FACTS coaching model, which is the subject of this book.

While coaching is traditionally about supporting, the authors – both experienced coaches – are focusing more on challenging through feedback and establishing accountability in honest and direct dialogue. FACTS includes the following components – feedback, accountability, courageous goals, tension and systems thinking. Feedback is about challenging coachees and providing feedback that informs and inspires. Accountability represents the responsibility coaches have to the organization, and not just the coachee, and looks at how coaches can hold coachees accountable for commitments. Courageous goals is about having a dream and moving beyond rational goal-setting models. Tension at the right level for the individual can be constructive and it is the role of the coach to calibrate and dynamically adjust tension levels. Systems thinking is about using frameworks to stay in tune with the bigger picture and have a positive impact on the wider organization.

The authors discuss each of these components in a practical manner that gives examples and exercises and addresses potential challenges. They focus on how to apply the model in the business world and conclude by moving beyond the practicalities to the relevance of FACTS to future trends in society as a whole. This book would be an interesting read for anyone tasked with or interested in building coaching relationships into a development program, while its predominantly practical approach makes it a useful guide for new and experienced coaches alike.

Sara NolanEditor, Strategic HR Review