FACTS Coaching

While the specific outcomes and philosophies of business coaching differ from athletic coaching, the overall objective is the same: to help the individual or team get better at what they do. I don’t believe there is a step-by-step guide to becoming an effective coach, because experience is ultimately the best teacher, but there are ways to improve your coaching effectiveness through continually growing your knowledge, understanding, and communication skills.

This article is about a business coaching idea called FACTS. Its developers, Ian Day and Dr. John Blakey, see FACTS coaching as an update and improvement on the traditional support-orientated coaching method.

Warning: acronyms ahead!

Coaching is leading

Coaching can be defined as a development technique to enhance skills, knowledge, or performance. It is also a process aimed at exerting a positive influence to improve the behavior or ability of a person through targeted feedback. Further to this, as a coach you wear many hats: coach, teacher, instructor, mentor, trainer, motivator, psychologist, and confidante. This is true in business as well as in sports.

Can you remember a teacher or coach you got on well with, always had a laugh with, and always enjoyed their lessons? They were great, right? Well, maybe not.

For the sake of your progress, it might have been better if you felt challenged rather than entertained. Imagine if they had focused on your weaknesses and needs and helped you improve rather than just being nice and promoting fun. Coaching is leading, and once you have the coaching tools, you’ll find that it is the most powerful form of leadership you can practice. Leaders motivate, reduce friction (in a team or squad), and enhance performance.

Boosting performance: does coaching actually work?

Some athletes may be under the assumption that when they start working with a coach, they will be exposed to magical quick fixes and miracle shortcuts to a higher level of performance. While a good coach will always try to find ways to help a bowler improve, bowlers should never be given the impression that there is an easy way to circumvent hard work and dedicated training. Effective coaching is about helping athletes reach their full potential, and in any sport or discipline, this takes time and is often a lifelong pursuit.

But does coaching actually work? Research shows that real tangible benefits do exist and are easy to identify. When established coaching is in place, there is an increase in motivation, improved performance, as well as enhanced personal confidence. The ability to acquire a new skill or improve on an existing one increases, and ...