Jonathan Reitz, MCC

Coaching Causes, Not Symptoms

Thought Exchange: The Blog of Jonathan Reitz

Leaders who Coach (And Are Coached)

If you’re trying to launch a coaching culture in your organization, every leader has to both be coached and be coaching someone else.  This is the only way for a coaching culture to take deep root.

Facebook conversation.
]1 Oh look! The Bishop is on Facebook!
A working example of this comes from Bishop Mike Rinehart of the Texas-Louisiana Gulf Coast Synod of the ELCA.  During a recent exchange in a stream of Facebook comments, Bishop Rinehart laid out his leadership philosophy:

Did you see the simple questions that started this exchange?  *Who are you coaching?  Who is coaching you?  *This simple mindset starts you on the way toward a culture that draws the best out of the people who are connected.

As you seek to launch a coaching culture, how are you building coaching skills that leaders can pass on?  What transferable coaching skills are you pouring into the leaders around you?  How will you know it’s working?

Leaders who commit to coaching and being coached consistently draw the best out of themselves and the people around them.

This is how a multiplication movement of leaders is born in your church or organization!

14 Reasons Coaching is the BEST. THING. EVER.

During a recent coach training event with members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s (ELCA) coaching leadership team, the participants brainstormed 14 reasons why coaching is something that every leader should leverage for their personal and professional development. 

Brainstorm
]1 Now THAT’s a brainstorm! Complete with Lightning!

1.       Coaching is a time saver.

2.       It helps with accountability.

3.       It is effective in helping overwhelmed leaders work through their options.

4.       It is effective in helping underwhelmed leaders to see opportunities.

5.       It is post-modern.  Coaching assumes the leader has knowledge.

6.       It is a proven discipling model worldwide.

7.       It offers a good model for a church that seems to have worn out a lot of old models.

8.       Coaching provides a personal GPS.

9.       Coaching provides a connection between individuals and their church.

10.    Coaching helps people feel both successful and qualified.

11.   Coaching spurs creativity.

12.   Coaching is affirming.

13.   Coaching is an investment in a leaders success.

14.   Coaching lends itself to using technology.

This list is the product of just a few minutes work.  If you were making your own list, what reasons would you cite for why coaching is a tool that every leader needs in their toolbox?  Please add your reasons in the comment area below.

The Best Kind of Self-ish

In a recent post, we looked at three ways you can be self-oriented and have it benefit your coaching practice. But in this blog post, we’re going to look at the most important self-oriented idea of all for coach: the idea of self regulation.

girl with duct tape
]2 That’s going to sting.
We’ve all heard the statement “Just because you CAN do something doesn’t mean that you should do it.”  That’s the core of self regulation.  When you combine your self-awareness (the ability to monitor what you’re thinking and feeling as it’s happening) and your self-efficacy (your own assessment of what you can actually do), you get a pretty clear picture of what actions are within your reach.  You might even take a moment and list out all of your options in a given situation.

But then self-regulation becomes an important control.  Once you have clarity on what is within your reach–especially in terms of your behavioral options–self-regulation is the ability to choose to act in the best possible way.  Just under the surface of the idea of self-regulation is a value for coming up with solutions that are not only true to your own interests, but also for the interests of the other people with whom you have relationships.  Self-regulation is a two-way street, good for you and for the people around you.

So how does this benefit a coaching relationship?  When a coach makes self-regulated decisions, good effects come not only to the coach but also to the client.  When a client is self-regulated, the coaching relationship benefits and the coach becomes more effective.

Growing in self-regulation means being true to your personal values, even when it’s less-than-enjoyable to maintain that commitment.  Being self-regulated also pulls the people around you up…because of your commitment.

Sometimes, The Questions Will Surprise You!

I got this email this morning from a coach–Jonathan Wright of Wichita, KS (@jonathanwwright) we trained a couple summers ago.

Really, It's a coaching image! (Mysterious ways, huh?)
]1 Really, It’s a coaching image! (Mysterious ways, huh?)
“Seriously…a few weeks ago while coaching someone I thought to ask… “What if you could have a beer with Jesus?” (There was a context for this.) I was surprised at the new line of thought that this prompted. I’ve used it twice since then with additional success. It was especially handy when they felt or it appeared they were at the end of new thought, kinda stuck in a box of reason, mixed things up a little. Thought I’d share.”

This can be really helpful observation. If you got a client who’s stuck or having a hard time coming up with new thoughts, a wacky, out-there question can be just the thing.  The goofy question disarms the client in a fun way, and new breakthroughs can happen as a result.  What’s the strangest question you’ve ever asked–as a coach?  I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.

Ok, now for a moment of shameless, self-promotion.  Jonathan Wright added “FYI though, it is not original with me it comes from a country song. I gotta tell you for what I do in the kingdom the coaching skills I am learning are HUGE for those I have the opportunity to influence. CoachNet is a blessing!”

Say What You Mean

One of the biggest challenges a coach faces is to get their client to say what they actually mean, or actually want.

Say what you mean
]1 What was that you said?
Articulating in a coaching relationship often makes the difference between the client reaching their goals, or not reaching them.  At the starting point of a coaching relationship or coaching conversation, how do you have your client say where they actually are? Or summarize the key issues of what makes this situation something they want to change? 

Bold questions that investigate behavior, attitudes, and motivation are the best strategy for helping a client understande their starting point. But don’t just stop with asking the question. Ask your client to summarize their starting point – articulating clearly in their own words – the place where they actually are.

Then when you’re taking some time to think about where the client wants to end up, do the same thing. Ask bold questions that focus on behavior, attitude and motivation and then ask the client to articulate where they actually want to end up.

The differences between these two points – where you’re starting and where you want to end up – is often the difference with between highly effective coaching conversations, and ones that fall a little bit flat. The more clarity you can help your client again the more effective you’ll be.

So, what is YOUR cause?

Let’s talk about getting you focused on the thing(s) that get you up in the morning…
or what keeps you up at night!

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