Why Coaching Works
Although I’ve known that coaching is more powerful than mentoring, I could not fully articulate why. I knew coaching was more forward looking and solution oriented, whereas mentoring outcomes were specific to a mentor’s experience and advice, but it was after listening to Dr. Marcia Reynolds at the WBECS (World Business & Executive Coach Summit) that my light bulb started to brighten. Here is what I learned…
Whereas we lose nearly 80% of what we learn each day by bedtime in our short-term memory, it’s our long-term memory that stores our beliefs, formulates who we are, determines how we respond to the world, and drives ‘the story’ we tell ourselves. Training and mentoring, while beneficial, fall within the short-term category, and we respond by either complying with or resisting to what we have learned.
Through self-reflection, it is coaching that has the power to impact our long-term memory. It pulls forward our story—our beliefs, assumptions, and blind spots—based on our unique life experiences. Tapping into our very essence, a coaching experience can leave a lasting impression, enabling us to shift our mindset, be compelled to take action, and formulate new long-term behaviors and beliefs.
Coaching is not only a skill, it’s a mindset. When applied to leadership, it’s incredibly powerful: enabling us to empower the people around us to be at their best.