In the coaching interaction, we’ve emphasized that this is a coachee’s agenda, because he is resourceful, and he knows the answers or resolving solutions. Still, it will be appropriate at times the coach to request certain actions. Coach’s ideas based on the experiences or intuitions, will be the useful materials that could be the coachee’s hints selecting his most realistic answers. The key to making successful request is not to be attached to it. The moment when the coach comes up with the brilliant idea, is just the starting point for coachee to get result. It’s still coach’s agenda, not coachee’s. With a request, there are always three practical responses: yes, no, or a counteroffer. The coachee can agree to the idea, reject the idea, or negotiate for something else. It’s no problem, if the coachee rejects the idea. “No” could be the good starting point asking coachee’s own ideas or answers. If necessary, the coach can explain why his idea will be the most appropriate and realistic. Then the coach may ask the coachee’s frank thoughts or concerns about that. The coachee will finally find out his own answers that he selects from several alternatives for himself. The coach should not order, should not force his ideas, is just supporting the coachee to find out the best answers.
The requesting is one of the most helpful and practical coaching skills that can encourage the realistic planning in the business as well as personal life. It could be rather quite useful in the business conversations. Building up the practical action plans, that is quite important for the member’s feeling convinced, whom will make some actions. In the daily business conversations, in some cases it may look a little bit time consuming or irritate getting some action plans. However, thinking about speed and qualities of the series of actions that will be executed by the action takers who convinced and fully involved, certainly will be realized the better performance comparing with the order or given action plans. Anyway, the efficient leader can use order and requesting situationally as both effective interaction with the team members.
Jun-Spade 