Effective coaching models can be beneficial to motivate employees, boost productivity and morale, as well as create a more positive and open company culture.
Quality coaching and mentoring are often at the heart of many success stories in any career or business. Every coach has their own unique approach, but there are strategies anyone can learn to become a better motivator and mentor.
On the other hand, there are also ineffective ways to coach. If you end up using an ineffective strategy, you may wonder if coaching has any true benefits.
Without the proper strategies in place, your coaching can be rendered completely useless. There is good news, though: the top forms of coaching are easy to follow and implement in any industry.
In this article, we will give you coaching model examples from coaching professionals. You will be well equipped to start a coaching journey after understanding these tips.
Theory Behind Coaching Models
There are a number of careers and life coaching models out there, but they all have a somewhat similar goal. The goal of coaching is to improve an individual’s life in some way, whether it be through helping them develop inner confidence or pursue their career interests.
A professional coach assists people in identifying where they currently are in their career, and then uses strategies to help that individual achieve their coaching goals. In general, every coaching model framework has a few similarities.
They typically consist of the following steps: establishing a personal or career goal, understanding one’s current situation, exploring options for potentially achieving that goal, determining potential roadblocks to success, and finally drafting an action plan and reevaluating it consistently. From there, each coach adds their own twists to this general outline.
10 Effective Coaching Models & Techniques
GROW Coaching Model
This is likely the most famous coaching model, which was first developed by John Whitmore. Four major stages encompass this model: selecting a goal, analyzing your current skills, determining options to achieve the goal, and finally selecting the best option and committing to it.
The GROW model can be easily remembered, as it stands for: goal, reality, options, and wrap up. You can easily revisit any of these steps if necessary.
OSKAR Coaching Model
This model (sometimes called the OSCAR coaching model) originates from prior solution-focused approaches; it focuses on solutions rather than problems.
There are five steps to this technique: outcome (evaluating the length of your coaching sessions, how long one needs to work to achieve a goal), scaling (evaluating how far along the client is in relation to their goals), know-how (understanding skills needed to achieve the goal), action (taking steps to achieve the goal/commitment to action), and finally review (optimizing the strategy).
CLEAR Coaching Model
This model is initially developed by Peter Hawkins. It focuses on helping clients truly understand their goals. In CLEAR coaching, you must listen to the client to understand their strengths and weak points.
Then, explore potential ways to take action and create a plan for achieving the desired outcome. Finally, ask your clients for feedback on how to improve future coaching sessions.
STEPPA Coaching Model
Developed by Angus McLeod, one of the pioneers of coaching, STEPPA stands for subject, target, emotion, perception, plan, pace, and action. When coaching individuals with this method, first identify their goals and skills.
Then, set a SMART goal. Use emotions to your advantage in this model. Coaches guide clients on the best way to achieve a goal and later create a step-by-step plan to continue forward. Since it is impossible to plan perfectly, adapting to one’s environment is also taught and encouraged by STEPPA coaches.
Block Removal Coaching
This type of coaching is most effective when individuals are unsure, anxious, or resistant to growth. Usually, this causes people to think negatively and abandon their goals.
Coaches work to instill confidence in their clients and overcome any potential challenges they encounter throughout their journey.
3-D Coaching Model
This type of coaching helps individuals determine what they truly want in life and within their careers. It also helps individuals identify their unique strengths and talents.
Then, coaches work to find ways to achieve the goals their clients set for themselves with the help of their existing strengths.
Innovation Coaching Model
The coaching business is what this model focuses on. These coaches enjoy working with innovators and entrepreneurs, so it may not be the best model for team coaching.
It focuses on getting people comfortable with the risk/the unknown, experimentation, creativity, and innovating.
Bigger Thinking Model
In this approach to coaching, clients are challenged to achieve more than they ever thought possible.
Coaches boost an individual’s confidence and work on getting their clients comfortable in uncomfortable settings. The client also expands their thinking methods and learns new perspectives.
Shift Coaching Model
Sometimes, people need a mindset shift to be coached more effectively. This is where the shift model comes in. This model changes the client’s perspective on goal achievement.
They are exposed to new strategies to tackle their goals and challenges. At first, they reevaluate their situation, and later they move forward with a new mindset.
Executive Coaching
A bit similar to the innovation coaching method, executive coaching centers around coaching people to become leaders. They evaluate current leadership approaches, create leadership skill development plans, and address specific business and personal challenges.
In the end, this strategy is coaching for performance: leaders consistently reevaluate the impact coaching has on company revenue and profits.
Types of Coaching Models
There are multiple subtypes of coaching methods. They are further categorized by the specific approach each method recommends and who the ideal client is.
Here are some examples of models:
Organizational & Business Coaching Models
This coaching model is different from other coaching styles, as it focuses less on the client’s direct goals and more on the entire organization’s needs. It can be a form of team coaching.
This model identifies business goals and establishes strategies individuals and teams can use to achieve those goals. Some of the most common coaching styles can be forms of business coaching.
Example strategies: OSKAR/OSCAR coaching model, STEPPA, and GROW coaching.
Leadership Development Coaching Models
Leaders need specific coaching approaches to help them succeed. This type of coaching focuses on giving leaders clarity on their company mission and supports executives when making challenging decisions.
Additionally, coaches can offer multiple opportunities for leaders to expand their skillsets for the benefit of their organization. However, they generally focus on improving leadership and communication skills.
Example strategies: action-centered leadership (developed by John Adair), entrepreneurial/innovation coaching, and transformational leadership.
Executive Career Coaching Models
Being an executive often comes with a specific set of struggles that only certain coaches are able to address. One-to-one coaching is the best way to conduct executive coaching, as it is best to be intimate with executives.
Goals are often lofty and challenging with this model, but clients are pushed to achieve more than they ever thought possible. It is a great strategy to use for career development, especially later on in one’s career journey.
Example strategies: calendar-driven coaching, victim vs player coaching, and event-driven coaching.
Group and Team Coaching Models
Group and team coaching aim to help entire organizations achieve their goals instead of focusing on each person individually. It focuses on communication skills, leadership quality development, and team unity.
Through uniting a team, coaches can boost a business’s productivity and an entire team’s drive, thus driving forward profit and revenue. There is some team coaching pitfalls, though, which is mainly that it is not a personalized coaching strategy.
Example strategies: high commitment and big ticket sales coaching, coaching large/established companies, and peer coaching.
Pros and Cons of Coaching Models
Every type of coaching has a list of benefits and drawbacks that accompany it. For instance, team coaching can address the overall weak points of a company extremely quickly.
However, it can leave certain individual flaws, which could further develop over time and cause issues.
Take a look below to see the common pros and cons of pursuing coaching interventions:
Pros of Coaching Models
Firstly, there is a strong link between coaching and employee performance. Employees will be able to identify their strengths and apply them each and every day.
A commitment to coaching also demonstrates that you care about employee success and that you value their hard work. And, valued employees are more likely to be productive and driven at work.
Effective coaching creates great internal hiring opportunities. Instead of spending an extreme amount of money seeking outside hires, you will be able to identify quality talent from within your organization.
Your employees already understand your company’s goals, values, and mission. With some assistance from a coach, they can be better prepared to take on senior positions when they inevitably become available.
The ultimate coaching benefit is the boost in profit and revenue. Coaching engages employees, improves productivity, and helps individuals and teams accomplish their goals. This all creates a more stable, happy, and efficient workforce.
You will also notice a decreased operating cost through the money saved on internal hiring.
Cons of Coaching Models
It can sometimes be difficult to find a capable coach. Sometimes, coaches can charge hefty fees, especially if they must mentor large numbers of employees.
Executive level coaching can also be costly. If the coach is inexperienced, they may not have the best insights. Their advice could be ineffective at supporting you, your employees, or your business.
Additionally, employees can be hesitant about the process of coaching. Coaching simply cannot work if your employees are uncommitted or uninterested in hearing the coach’s feedback.
They must have the right mindset before they start a coaching program, and this can be difficult to acquire for certain employees. Unfortunately, coaching does take work – it is not simply a one and done deal.
It requires attention to detail, planning, and prioritization. Coaches should be committed to meeting with clients consistently and keeping them accountable, even if it means making them a bit uncomfortable.
The coaching mindset should be implemented into an employee’s daily life, which takes time. If you do not prioritize coaching, the entire program may end up being useless.
How to Measure & Improve Coaching Models
Measuring a coaching process’s success can be challenging, but it does not have to be.
Consider the value a coach brings to you. Ask yourself which new information you learned, if you could practically apply the new knowledge, how often you are using this knowledge, whether or not there is a visible impact on your business, performance, or career, and whether or not the coaching brings more value to you then the price of coaching.
You can use specific metrics to evaluate a coach’s impact on your performance. To do this, refer back to your goals. If you set specific SMART goals, then measuring whether or not you accomplished your goal should be simple.
For instance, if your goal was to boost your productivity by 25% in the next 3 months, consider seeing how much your performance is increasing.
If you are a writer, did the number of words written raise by 25% in 3 months? If you are a salesman, did you increase the number of calls made by 25%? If yes, then you can clearly tell the coaching is helping you achieve your goals.
If you want to improve your coaching process, ensure that your coach’s approach to motivation aligns with your personality. Also, consider how specific your goals are. If they are not SMART, start using the SMART goal setting method with your coach. It will make progress tracking simpler.
5 Books for Coaching and Coachers
Coaching books can be a great source of inspiration and a detailed way to learn more about the art of coaching. A few of the best books on coaching include:
1. The OSCAR Coaching Model: Simplifying Workplace Coaching – Andrew Gilbert and Karen Whittleworth
While the OSCAR model focuses on managers, it can be applied to any coaching process. The text clarifies a manager’s role during coaching and gives tips to help managers increase employee performance. Readers are given a practical framework to evaluate current performance and continuously improve.
2. Performance Coaching Toolkit – Will Thomas and Angus McLeod
This book outlines a toolkit full of useful coaching strategies and ways to improve, whether you are an employee, manager, leader, or parent. The tips and straightforward and simple to apply.
The outline is useful for most individuals; whether you are completely new to coaching or if you are a professional, McLeod and Thomas will likely teach you something new about coaching approaches.
3. The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are – Brene Brown Ph.D. L.M.S.W.
Brene Brown’s book is specifically about life coaching. Brown presents the steps necessary to live a wholehearted life, or a life that is carefree and free of fear. She divides her book into guideposts, which help readers live a more authentic life with simple tips.
There are usually multiple components to each guidepost, and the book has sold millions of copies due to its easy-to-follow advice.
4. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance – Angela Duckworth
Most goals require persistence and growth to be overcome. Duckworth explains how one can use the power of grit to destroy any goal you or your coach sets for you. She utilizes personal, celebrity, and historical examples to make a compelling case for grit application in coaching.
All in all, the text manages to be both lighthearted and insightful, as it provides a multitude of ways character-building plays a role in coaching and goal attainment.
5. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success – Carol Dweck
Mindset is undoubtedly key in succeeding as a coach. Carol Dweck is a world-famous Stanford trained psychologist and in this guide, Dweck explains the power of mindset and how every single activity we partake in is affected by our mindset.
She categorizes mindsets into two main categories: the fixed and growth mindsets. She describes how individuals can change their lives and achieve success through a mindset change. Many of the strategies described by Dweck can be utilized by coaches to help their clients overcome mental barriers.
10 Inspirational Quotes about Coaching
- “In a growth mindset, challenges are exciting rather than threatening. So rather than thinking, oh, I’m going to reveal my weaknesses, you say, wow, here’s a chance to grow.” – Carol Dweck
- “I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” – Henry David Thoreau
- “A great nation is like a great man: When he makes a mistake, he realizes it. Having realized it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it. He considers those who point out his faults, as his most benevolent teachers. He thinks of his enemy as the shadow that he himself casts.” – Lao Tsu
- “There is the true joy of life, to be used by a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; to be thoroughly worn out before being thrown on the scrap heap; to be a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that life will not devote itself to making you happy.” – George Bernard Shaw
- “We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failures are not the opposite of success – it’s part of success.” – Arianna Huffington
- “Coaching is unlocking people’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is more often helping them to learn rather than teaching them.” – John Whitmore
- ”When you encourage others, you in the process are being encouraged because you’re making a commitment to that person’s life. Encouragement really does make a difference.” – Zig Ziglar
- “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because its trust is not on the branch, but on its own wings. Always believe in yourself.” – Charlie Wardle
- “What keeps me going is not winning, but the quest for reaching potential in myself as a coach and my kids as divers. It’s the pursuit of excellence.” – Ron O’Brien
- “Who, exactly, seeks out a coach? If you ask a coach the answer is usually the same: Winners who want even more out of life.” – Abigail Pickus
Frequently Asked Questions About Coaching Models
What are Coaching Models in the Workplace?
There are a number of coaching models you can use in the workplace. Commonly, the GROW model, STEPPA model, and group/organization coaching is used.
For leaders in the workplace, you may use executive or leadership coaching models. The innovation model is also useful, especially to startups.
What is the Coaching Model in Education?
Instructional coaching models are often utilized in educational settings. Instructional coaches identify goals, create a teaching strategy to achieve the goal, and finally implement a teaching strategy to assist students and regularly reevaluate their teaching technique until the teacher hits the goal they set.
Often, educational coaching relies on student input and test scores to evaluate the impact of coaching.
What is the Coaching Models in Sport?
Sports coaching should center around the individual athlete’s goals. Thus, an individual coaching approach would be most beneficial. For go-getter athletes, a more laissez-afire coaching approach would allow them to search for meaning and explore their skills more independently.
Coaching is often focused on growth and avoiding stagnation; athletes should be consistently improving with the help of their coaches.
