CONTENT-Based Coaching: this model of coaching acknowledges the existence of the directive, content-rich style of interaction in the coaching relationship
– Dr Sunny Stout-Rostron, 2009
Content based coaching effectively builds competence within your organization and not dependency on a consultancy practice. We provide a sound skills development and sustainable knowledge transfer processes that are highly effective in enhancing performance and encourage employees to bring about change in an organization by challenging the status quo and changing our approach to daily actions. The key to this change is Systems thinking and the tools that it provides to aid team members to identify, explore and generate solutions to problems collaboratively.
Very often, we are limited by the structures within which we work and our fear of failure and resulting repercussions is sufficient to stifle innovation and teamwork. Systems thinking as a philosophy provides the tools for people to develop a questioning culture as individuals and as a team, ultimately creating a learning organisation where people are free to question, interrogate and challenge existing structures positively to improve business practices in line with market needs. A powerful dynamic that emerges is that of Leadership within the team. This isn’t leadership in the traditional sense, where appointed leaders make and communicate decisions top down, but rather natural collaborative leadership where individuals guide teams through the process to generate dialogue, discussions and ultimately sound business decisions that consider intended and unintended consequences.
The second component to CONTENT-based learning is interrogation of the practical business operation. The team that goes through the Systems Thinking process moves onto learning about and applying the various step specific Systems Thinking tools to identify areas of poor performance and potential improvement. Tools are then applied at the various steps of the process to identify the causes, create models, interrogate them and then deliver solutions that are team based and deliver the business to a level of higher performance.
Continuous application of the process grows the team into systems thinkers and leaders for further expansion to other teams and can be seen as a reinforcing loop for continuous improvement within the organization. This approach to continuous learning results in the Pygmalion effect, where the growth in improvement is compounded through the creation of Leaders and Champions who will continue to drive the continuous improvement within the organization.
To learn more about Systems thinking and the benefits it can bring to your life, contact Dave at SA Coaching You can also follow Dave on LinkedIn