Coaching vs. Feedback
So often “coaching” is used as a buzz term for almost any kind of interaction in the workplace (and everywhere else. Who would have thought there would be such a thing as a “knitting coach”?).
The term has been confused, misused, misunderstood and blasphemed. This is unfortunate, because coaching is a powerful skill for leaders to have in their tool kit.
Yet, coaching is hot everywhere, and especially in the workplace. Executive coaches are a popular choice for developing high potential employees and working with senior leaders. More to the point, many organizations consider the skill of coaching as an essential core competency for their managers. These organizations understand that coaching can foster development and learning culture.
Coaching is hard to define, because it’s a skill that borrows from teaching, psychology, consulting and other professions. But I find that in the workplace, “coaching” is most often confused with “feedback”, and “advice”. To help make the distinction, here are some differences between coaching and feedback:
Coaching is:
- Focused on future behavior
- Developmental
- Inquiry oriented
- Used to help the better performers move ahead by releasing potential in a way that works best for the individual AND the organization
Feedback is:
- Focused on past behavior
- Evaluative
- “Telling” or “Advice” oriented
- Often used to help poor performers change behavior in a prescribed direction in a way that works best for the organization
In the end, coaching is about “letting go” of advice-giving and assuming the person being coached is whole, smart, and understands the best direction to head in. When we give feedback, we believe that the person we are giving feedback to requires our advice to figure out the actions they need to take.
There is a time and place for feedback, as there is for coaching. But they are not the same.
copyright 2010 by Aspire Collaborative Services LLC. Photo by the trial. Licensed under CC.
Can you please share this perspective with every Principal in the United States? Teachers are given a lot of feedback, but not much “coaching” in the sense used here.
Our schools are filled with teachers and students who are waiting to explode with potential, but rarely are they given the chance to release it. No wonder they arrive in the workforce and have the same outcome.
Thanks for the excellent post!
I see it as one feeds the other. Feedback helps you tweak on a day-to-day whereas coaching help you make fundamental, across-the-board improvements.