The developmental potential of individuals has three components: nature, nurture, and a “third factor” which is the individual’s choice to pursue self-development, according to Peter Jensen in his book The Winning Factor: Inspire Gold-Medal Performance in Your Employees. While leaders, teachers and coaches cannot change a person’s genetics or upbringing, they can take an active role in developing in the person the self-sufficiency necessary to perform.
The author goes on to describe five characteristics of exceptional coaches:
- Self-awareness, which equips them to assist, not inhibit, the desire to develop.
- Ability to build trust, so that the first steps toward gradually attaining self-direction can be taken in a relatively safe and secure environment.
- Ability to use imagery to help the person “see” what is possible and thus to encourage the process of belief in the self.
- Ability to identify blocks when they occur and to help the person take responsibility for dealing with these temporary barriers.
- Recognizing the importance of adversity, which is critical at some point to determine the strength of the person’s commitment to themselves and their performance.
Before reading the book I was somewhat sceptical of the usefulness of athletic coaching techniques in a business environment. After reading the book I have become convinced that the author is on to something valuable. In the work environment, what passes as “coaching” is often no more than a supervisor measuring the productivity of an employee and exhorting him or her to try harder and do better. This book provides a whole range of sophisticated techniques for providing far more effective coaching.