By Neil Phillips.
Have you ever thought about the difference between training and coaching? There was a time in my leadership journey when I thought “coaching” meant telling someone what I did or sharing ideas on what they should do to book more parties, recruit more team members, or promote more leaders. Or it meant that I needed to give them more training by telling them what to do. When I look back, my “coaching” calls were telling or training calls.
Training is essential, and as leaders, we need to teach our new team members the skills they need to build their businesses. Mentoring or sharing what we’ve done in the past to be successful has its place, also. Yet neither one is “coaching.”
So, let’s take a closer look at the distinction between training and coaching.
Training fills the gap between “I don’t know” and “I know.” Think of how you train a new team member to book and hold a party, teaching skills they didn’t have before you taught them. When we train, we are the expert on the topic, the agenda belongs to us, and we give our knowledge systematically. We lead by “putting information in” as we tell others what to do, how, and why it’s essential.
Coaching fills the gap between “I know” and “I do.” A coach can make a difference when a team member wants more from their business (a promotion, more income, etc.), which isn’t happening. Coaching helps those who want more to get clarity about what they want and why they want it. In coaching, the agenda belongs to the person being coached as the coach asks questions to “pull out” what that person knows. Action steps are designed according to what the team member wants to do that week to move closer to the goal. Weekly coaching calls provide accountability for getting the action steps done and give the team members the ownership of achieving the goal. Coaching is personal, creates change, and pulls out the true potential of the person being coached.
By learning some coaching skills, you will add another tool to your leadership toolbox, along with training and mentoring. When you do, you will have all you need to work with those who want more from their business.
Your leadership skills will grow with your team as you learn to ask rather than tell. One of the essential keys to growing a successful team is asking questions to find those who will be your new leaders.
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