Coaching
The role of coaching in the
context of management We are vaguely familiar with the terms management and coaching. but still lack the knowledge of what they offer and how they benefit us? Given the stressful lives that most of us lead, understanding, appreciating and utilising coaching skills is more important than ever before for achieving personal and business success, says Adil Sarkari, NSW Manager, Service Central, and President, WZCC – Australia.
I
n order to lift the shroud
of mystery and misunderstanding about ‘Management’ and ‘Coaching’ let us start by defining both. The term ‘management’ has a couple of senses: the act of managing something or those in charge of running a business. Mary Parker Follett, a well known management guru in the 19th century, defined Management, “As the art of getting things done through people.” Whereas, ‘Coaching’ is a way to direct, instruct and train individuals with the goal of achieving or developing specific skills which help them to enjoy greater success, less stress and better organisation. In fact, the term “coach” had its origin in the Hungarian word ‘kocsi‘ meaning “carriage” that was named after the village where it was first made. In 1830’s, the term coach implied to someone who is an ‘instructor’ or one who “carries” a student through an exam. Coaching, thus, has been used to describe the process to transport people from where they are to where they want to be. While personal and professional goals may overlap, business coaching differs from life coaching in that the focus is to provide support and guidance to improve the effectiveness of an individual’s or a group’s business in relation to issues such as: 56
SynergyZ
December, 2013
• Leadership • Accountability • Sales • Communication • Goal setting • Strategic planning