Article Link: http://exchangepress.com/article/getting-more-from-coaching-a-mentees-perspective/5023550/
My first experience with coaching was something of a challenge. On the receiving end of 10 weeks of job-related coaching, I found myself frustrated and apprehensive about each weekly session with my coach. The coaching I was receiving was part of a certification that I was anxious to earn. Despite this, I sometimes doubted the benefit of the coaching experience. I was ready to learn new skills, but instead I received questions upon questions: “How did that work?”, “What could you have done instead?”, “Was that helpful to the parent?”
Much of my frustration during those weeks was due to my unfamiliarity with the process of coaching. Used to classroom settings, I was puzzled by much of what happened in our coaching sessions. Years later, working as a coach myself, I rediscovered how challenging coaching can be for the trainee. Coaching simply feels different than other ways of learning. Getting the most from the experience required that I first learn how coaching worked.
Coaching Isn’t Training or Consulting
I entered my first coaching session expecting to be trained in the usual teacher-student format. The skills I learned would, of course, be determined by the coach and her area of expertise. Instead, I was expected ...