Michael Levy, an alpinist and editor-at-large for Climbing and Ascent magazines has reported on many mishaps during his journalistic career. He says "Thinking back on all of them, one of the dominant themes that pops up time and time again is a breakdown in communication. This can take any number of forms. It can be as simple as not talking about the specifics of either lowering off of or rappelling off of a single-pitch sport climb. Or in crowded areas, partners have confused stray yells from other parties as those of their own partner. In still other scenarios rope-tug commands have been misunderstood on multi-pitch climbs. And then, of course, in high winds, on alpine climbs, it can be hard to hear your partner or anyone else yell anything at all—making recovering from a small misstep catastrophic."
Jargon aside, his quote highlights the importance of communication in order for ventures to succeed and not end badly. Besides the climber and his partner, many other factors affect the outcomes. So too with coaching agreements - there are more than just formal contracts between the Coach and Coachee but other stakeholders involved and the need to come into agreement with each of them.
In Episode 6 of Catalyst Coaching Certification Programme, Coach Sanjiv notes that contracts and agreements are frequent and everyday transactions at the workplace and the home. Formal contracts or legal contracts present terms and conditions which are mutually agreed between both parties and the clauses are clearly specified. Failure on either party to uphold the conditions allows the other to take them to court. It is possible to manage formal contracts and agreements with advice from friends and family who are trained in legal matters or to do online research for guidance.
However, there are also unwritten or unspoken “contracts” which are negotiated daily such as one’s obligations to comply with the laws of a country due to citizenships, or agreements to collaborate fully on projects in school and these are based upon a mutual understanding. In informal contracts, there is nothing signed and there is an assumed level of confidence and trust when one takes the other’s word for it or believes in the other’s intrinsic integrity to perform accordingly.
There are both formal and informal agreements in Coaching and the high level of importance placed on establishing and maintaining agreements suggest that they require special attention. Depending in the kind of coaching, agreements are complex.
Multiple parties in organisational coaching with different expectations. These stakeholders would include the Human Resources Manager who might require the staff to attend coaching as part of performance improvement and the Line Manager who directly supervises the staff as well as the Coachee and the Coach.
Outcomes are difficult to define especially when we are talking about a change of behaviour within a limited time frame. Even when goals agreed may seem SMART (Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant and Timely) assessment of effectiveness of coaching may be subjective and what results is checking off a list of actions which may not equate a shift in thinking which is the goal of coaching.
In organisational coaching, a business term like Return On Investment is used. How are attitudes and aptitudes assigned a monetary value in order to calculate ROI? This is not possible unless we wait to see if sales have increased and there is quantifiable productivity.
In a matter such as confidentiality, one might wonder to what extent this can be guaranteed to the Coachee if a report is needed by the other stakeholders. Who else would be privy to the Coach's report? Do the stakeholders' evaluations count in guarentee withholding judgment, assessment of outcomes may differ between stakeholders
In life coaching, what are the Coachee's expectations of the Coach? Although one may strictly specify what coaching is or is not, there may be moments of compassionate empathy where one allows oneself to offer words of advice as a mentor or counsellor
As the relationship evolves, there may be changes to number and frequency of sessions and even possibly to the presenting issue.
How will both the Coachee and the Coach determine that the agreement has been satisfactorily concluded? What is the level of 'doneness' and I am not talking steaks.
Coach Sanjiv highlights the purpose of agreements as a form of boundary setting and once again, reiterates the need that there be clarity in both explicit and implicit understanding.
My takeaways:
It has been clear that there are agreements with the Coachee but the fact that we would need to grapple with other stakeholders is new to me. In the area of life coaching where I intend to focus, it might be possible that these stakeholders might also be family members who have contracted the coaching. Who else are your stakeholders?
I was also operating upon the assumption that a Coachee would be there of his volition. How does someone be coached if he does not actually see the value of coaching? How can I get him to want to be coached?
Competency #3's Overarching definition remains the 'spirit of the competency" - the end goal is clarity of the "coaching relationship, process, plans and goals" both within the entire engagement and each individual session.
Referring to sub-competencies, there are actions to be drilled down, which I have broken down into what can be stated establishing no room for doubt (Explicit) and what is implied (Implicit):
#1 - (Explicit/ Pre-Engagement) To educate via my website and social media what coaching is and to explain the process. This can either be terms and conditions as well as testimonials. For example, Arden Executive Coaching and Coaching Outside the Box and many other coaches place this upfront.
#4 - (Implicit and Explicit/ Pre-Engagement) If the engagement is for organisational coaching, it might be necessary to understand why the Coachee is being asked to go for coaching and an overall framework should be drawn up first within which the agreement with the Coachee is further negotiated and reconciled. If it is for life coaching, the framework will be decided after the pre-engagement meeting.
#5 & #8 - (Implicit/ Pre-Engagement) A meeting should be held to determine client-coach compatibility. It should be made clear perhaps then the limits of confidentiality do not extend to situations is where harm to person or persons might occur. This clause could be included in the formal Agreement
#2 #3 & #8 - (Explicit) To be included in a formal Coaching Agreement, the list of responsibilities of the client and relevant stakeholders, guidelines on specifics such as "logistics, fees, scheduling, duration, termination, confidentiality and inclusion of others" I would add liability as well as underscore that all decisions made are the Coachee's own. With this in place, the coach should review the document with all stakeholders so that nothing is left which might cause confusion. He must be firm and must stick to the obligations he has committed. Exceptions would be too long to get into in this report. If he needs to, he may seek advice from other coaches.
#6 to #11 - (Implicit/ Explicit) These subcompetencies would be the easiest to identify within a coaching conversation or session but require conscious practice how to do this naturally. Listening with curiosity helps to focus on what needs to be accomplished together with the client. Gentle reminders of agreements help to signpost and help to progress. A short summary of what was completed might help to guide the discussion and mark the points in which the Coachee might want a change of direction. This would help in ending a session and honouring what has taken place.
Contracts are a necessary evil because we live in a world where there is a spirit of litigation. Even when things are stated, there are loopholes and fine prints which can trip you up. Informal agreements can be equally frustrating and can be exploited if trust is broken or if the mutual understanding did not exist in the first place. Setting a clear understanding of contracts and agreements does not absolutely rule out the possibility of error or misunderstanding but without them, the fall out could be even more catastrophic.
Coach Maire, signing out.
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