Genius Coaching Model
coaching
Coaching creative talent can be exciting, hugely rewarding and extremely challenging. Alec McPhedran outlines a coaching framework for developing creative people – GENIUS
Turning ideas into reality n my naïve, innocent, early days, coaching was working with the client, imparting my worldly knowledge and wisdom as well as, sometimes, working on their ideas. Of course, it’s actually about working solely on the individual’s agenda, developing his ideas, stretching his thinking – hands-on coaching and handsoff coaching.
I
One of the key skills within coaching is managing the process of the coaching session in a timely way, as well as making good use of your questioning and listening skills. In the creative industries, in which I mainly work, it is critical that ideas and solutions came from the client, and that’s really hard when you believe you know what the solution is. But surely that’s one of the points. It’s not
what you believe the solution is, it’s what the client believes it is. In the creative world of television, film, music, arts, theatre, games and music, the idea is the asset. Talent always shines through. On that basis, creative coaching, and indeed training creative people, relies on always working with the talent and their ideas first and foremost. Great creative talent coaching is about working the individual, his imagination and his aspiration into an inspiring and exciting reality. Not yours. It has to be owned by him. So your inputs have to be really relevant, valid and appropriate. You, the coach, act as the conductor. The individual has the talent. The creative coach’s role is to get the best out of the talent. Like most coaches, I have come across a number of really useful coaching models, including the often-used GROW model www.trainingjournal.com September 2009
TJ
63
coaching
(Goal, Reality, Options and Will do). Another useful model is CLEAR, developed by Peter Hawkins. CLEAR concentrates on Contracting,
Coaching creative talent can be exciting, hugely rewarding and extremely challenging. Alec McPhedran outlines a coaching framework for developing creative people – GENIUS
Turning ideas into reality n my naïve, innocent, early days, coaching was working with the client, imparting my worldly knowledge and wisdom as well as, sometimes, working on their ideas. Of course, it’s actually about working solely on the individual’s agenda, developing his ideas, stretching his thinking – hands-on coaching and handsoff coaching.
I
One of the key skills within coaching is managing the process of the coaching session in a timely way, as well as making good use of your questioning and listening skills. In the creative industries, in which I mainly work, it is critical that ideas and solutions came from the client, and that’s really hard when you believe you know what the solution is. But surely that’s one of the points. It’s not
what you believe the solution is, it’s what the client believes it is. In the creative world of television, film, music, arts, theatre, games and music, the idea is the asset. Talent always shines through. On that basis, creative coaching, and indeed training creative people, relies on always working with the talent and their ideas first and foremost. Great creative talent coaching is about working the individual, his imagination and his aspiration into an inspiring and exciting reality. Not yours. It has to be owned by him. So your inputs have to be really relevant, valid and appropriate. You, the coach, act as the conductor. The individual has the talent. The creative coach’s role is to get the best out of the talent. Like most coaches, I have come across a number of really useful coaching models, including the often-used GROW model www.trainingjournal.com September 2009
TJ
63
coaching
(Goal, Reality, Options and Will do). Another useful model is CLEAR, developed by Peter Hawkins. CLEAR concentrates on Contracting,