In their book “ Brief Coaching for Lasting Solutions ,” Berg and Szabo (2005) posit that coaches are realizing that the best treatment plan for a client is not the one that takes most time. As such, coaching enables practitioners to establish and nurture collaborative relationships with their clients and assist them to maximize their performance in both work and life. Consequently, this essay outlines the main ideas of individual coaching.
Individual coaching is considered the most effective way of ensuring an individual attains their goals by having them in control of much of the coaching process. Berg and Szabo (2005) proposed and developed solution-focused approach as the most effective coaching process. The solution-focused coaching places the main emphasis on helping a client define their desired future state and constructing a pathway in both thinking and action that will enable them to attain that state. As such, the solution-focused therapy is different from other approaches because it eschews that much of the problem state advanced by other approaches to coaching.
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As such, individual coaching should use the solution-focused approach as an epistemological approach to orienting the client towards the existing and improvable strengths. Through this approach, an individual can rapidly identify what they want, appreciate different ways in which they are doing their best and even accomplishing beyond the expectations against great odds (Losch et al., 2016). Further, individual coaching based on the solution-focused approach entails ensuring that coaching is about reinforcing positive attitudes based on techniques like self-help strategies to attain the set goals.
Individual coaching involves that belief that an individual has answers to their problems within and its aim is to guide the person on how he or she can use the answers to get responses the questions that they have. Imperatively, individual coaching is about assisting a person to unlock their potential. Therefore, individual coaching focuses on what is inside the person’s mind. Individual coaching based on the solution-focused approach advances that the client should regarded by the coach as a whole and resourceful as opposed to a dysfunctional and needy individual (Cox, Bachkirova & Clutterbuck, 2014). Further, individual coaching adheres to the constructionist approach or philosophy and advances that it is the manner in which the client as well as the coach talk and think concerning events that constructs those events as problems as opposed to solutions within (Losch et al., 2016). As such, the tenet of a problem does not exist in reality but rather in abstract and constructed in the discourse that exists between the client and others in their world or perceptions.
Coaching individuals based on any process, especially the solution-focused approach, implies that the coach’s intention is to assist the person to maximize their potential and attain what is important to them. as such, the focus of the coach is to explore the agenda of the client, identify their and challenge them to establish strategies that will take them to those goals (Losch et al., 2016). Coaches in individual coaching trust that inner wisdom and make it possible for the client to makes requisite changes at their own pace. In addition, individual coaching implores on the coaches to hold the client accountable in relation to their progress and what they are expected to accomplish based on the set framework (Berg & Szabo, 2005). The role of the coaches in the process is to ensure that clients can build their confidence and stay authentic in their efforts to construct meaning and find solutions to their problems.
An essential aspect of the individual coaching is to follow a procedure based in set steps in the process of finding solutions to their challenges. As such, individual and coaches set in-take meetings during which they clarify what is expected, the agenda and objectives (Cox et al., 2016). During the process, the coach and the client discuss coaching formats and relationships as well as agreeing on the framework that they shall use to track or evaluate the progress of the client. Therefore, these issues and their logical conclusions imply that individual coaching is effective when the coach and the client establish certain rules that are customized to fit the client’s situation so that he or she understand the resource that he or she possesses and their utilization to attain the set goals and objectives.
In addition, it is essential to assert that individual coaching should not be considered as therapy, consulting or counseling (Berg & Szabo, 2005). As such, the coach should never take the lead in coaching but rather offer assistance to the client to allow them take specific actions and achieve the set goals and objectives. Individual coaching is a learning process and the coach may utilize several strategies like inquiry, reflection, discussions, and requests to assist the individual in identifying personal, business, professional and relationship goals and develop effective interventions and actions to achieve what they want (Cox et al., 2016). The personal coach functions as a mirror that the client can use by sharing an independent and unbiased perspective on what he or she thinks and observes about the individual.
Conclusion
Individual coaching provides people with the chance to work with a coach so that they focus on improving their performance, wellbeing as well as success. Individual coaching is effective because it flexible, efficient in relation to time and can be customized to fit the needs of the client. Additionally, leaders or coaches must possess particular qualities that will enable them listen with curiosity, take what they hear and reflect with accuracy to guide individuals through the process.
References
Berg, I. K. & Szabo, P. (2005). Brief Coaching for Lasting Solutions . London: W. W. Norton &
Company, Inc.
Cox, E., Bachkirova, T., & Clutterbuck, D. (2014). The Complete Handbook of Coaching, 2 nd
( Ed.). London: Sage Publications Ltd.
Losch, S., Trautt-Mattausch, E., Muhlberge, M. D., & Jonas, E. (2016). Comparing the
Effectiveness of Individual Coaching, Self-Coaching, and Group Training: How Leadership Makes the Difference. Frontiers in Psychology , vol.7, No.629.
