Coaching is not an event; it's a Mindset

Last Saturday I was given a fantastic lesson in coaching. Not from a mentor, a business leader or even a podcast. No, this lesson came as I watched my daughter's horse riding instructor lead a group of twelve year olds through their paces.

It’s important I tell you I know nothing about horses or horse riding, it’s a passion of my daughters; my job is to get her there and back and give encouragement as an observer. This made the lesson even more remarkable.

The first thing Karen (that’s the instructor's name) did was tell the group what she wanted them to do. Something like “Canter to point A,face left, make the horse turn left with your legs, make sure the horse is on the correct leg as you turn, watch the horses shoulders, take five steps before the jump, watch your speed, lean into the jump, heels down, land on the correct leg then canter on”. Lots to take in there, I don't know what much of it means, but what I did recognise is, it was very clear and precise. Then she asked every kid individually “do you understand what I’m asking you to do”.?

The first rider set off, as she cantered Karen prompted her with comments like “that’s the wrong leg” and “get your heels down”. The rider honestly looked a little lost as she stumbled over the jump and the horse lazily trotted back “make him canter” Karen implored. It was obvious even to me that it had not gone well.

When the rider rejoined the group Karen asked “what happened there?”, the rider didn’t answer; obviously still recovering and a little embarrassed. The instructor turned to the group “guys come on help her, what happened there?”

?“She started on the wrong leg and couldn’t get in stride for the jump” another rider offered up quietly.

?“Exactly!” Karen exclaimed. “If you start on the wrong leg you can’t recover. OK, let's do it again.”

The poor rider looked very uncomfortable to have to go again. This time as she set off Karen asked “are you on the correct leg?”

?“Yes” came the riders reply.

?“How do you know?” Karen followed up.

“The horses shoulders are pointed in the correct direction”, the little girl replied a little more confidently, just before she cleared the jump and cantered back to the group, patting the horse.

Karen turned to the group. “OK what was different that time?” she asked to a chorus of replies about, correct legs, shoulders, rein holds and other equine terminology. Karen nodded, turned to the rider and said “you did a great job, it will be much easier next time” and told the second rider to “canter on”.

I was amazed, all of this took less than 5 minutes. Let’s review what happened that in my mind made this a coaching masterclass.

1. The instructions while complex were crystal clear and very detailed. Every step was articulated. Importantly after giving the instructions Karen checked for understanding.
2. On the first pass Karen gave active coaching, specific instructions to raise the awareness of the rider to what was happening.
3. After the first pass she reviewed what happened. Importantly this was not about the person, it was only about the performance. The feedback was direct and to the point, no dressing it up.
4. The group was involved in the analysis and feedback. Everyone had to learn together and to help each other improve. They were all engaged, actively listening to what was being said.
5. While the rider was clearly out of her comfort zone, she had to go again, this time with open coaching questions that checked for understanding and execution.
6. When the young rider executed correctly the group still gave analysis and feedback, again about the performance, never the person.Now they knew what good looked like.
7. Finally there was recognition of the effort and the progress made in front of everyone. This was clearly a safe zone where failure on the path to improvement was accepted.

People want to be developed in pursuit of their life goals and core motivations. In most research studies development out ranks pay and promotion in reasons people take a job.

In order to benefit from that development you need a company culture that values it and leaders who can practice pushing you out of your comfort zone while keeping the space safe for growth.

As I work with people to develop skills and execution I’ll keep Karen's clear, feedback driven open coaching style in mind.