Cathy Liska from LaMarsh Global – https://www.lamarsh.com/
By separating coaching from advising, change practitioners expand the tools they have when working with leaders that are sponsoring or responsible for a change.
Randy Kesterson is an Executive Fellow at LaMarsh Global and a Certified Master Coach. He once considered coaching more akin to mentoring, and then found that shifting to the true definition of coaching opened opportunities to engage with clients so they consider the best course of action for themselves.
“I approach coaching by asking: What does the client want to achieve? Coaching is about being in support of them,” says Kesterson.
With a background in organizational process improvement, Kesterson sometimes shifts from an advisory role to a coaching approach. It is possible (and often expected) to wear multiple hats in the same project; the hat that he selects is a deliberate choice based on his role and expectations.
Change practitioners may be expected to be an advisor or consultant, and Kesterson notes a consistent relationship between coaching and change efforts. Whether it is individuals seeking to improve or organizations looking to achieve a goal, changes are the process of going from a current state to a desired state. Coaching is a process to work with individuals so that they define their desired state and they consider their best options to get there.
“I can’t think of a coaching engagement that I’ve been involved with that didn’t involve change.” said Kesterson.
In turn, managing change benefits from coaching techniques and processes.
