Why do I need coaching? Aren’t I doing a good job already?

I worked with a very optimistic guy I’ll call Gary. Gary was very happy and worked very hard at developing positive relationships with all his co-workers.

One relationship with a new member of the team, however, was not working. He had been very helpful to her, as he had been with all his other co-workers. And they were all grateful for his help, but not Julie (not her real name). Julie seemed to resent Gary’s help and had never thanked him for his work for her.  Gary was stumped.

So, we examined the group dynamics and Gary began to see things from Julie’s point of view. We worked on changing his approach to helping her and it worked! Julie still got help from Gary, but she got in a way that suited her. And Gary got some new ways of performing his role that meant that he has positive relationships with everyone. He emailed me the thank you card he got from Julie. That had never happened before!  

Coaching is not undertaken because you are not doing a good job, it is all about helping you do your role even better.