Think of two strangers …
Think of two strangers who meet for the first time …
Think of two strangers who meet for the first time with a goal of growth and improvement of professional and managerial skills.
Think about that moment and the importance of that moment. Think of the emotions experienced by both and how they can influence the success of this journey. That’s the moment where everything can begin!
Just to sanction the meaning of this meeting, it is necessary to share an agreement on both sides, to move within shared premises, delimited borders, in which the pressure of time and change should not be feared.
The emotions of anxiety and insecurity, the sense of fatigue and the resistances that can be experienced initially by the coachee find comfort within protected borders that with clarity and absolute transparency stimulate the process in more constructive ways.
Therefore, a tool is needed which from the first moments facilitates the process of change which, with rapidity, centering and simplicity, draws the boundaries of a productive relationship based on trust and mutual responsibility.
Here comes the coaching pact, a real contract between coach and coachee who share the fundamentals of the coaching process, so that it turns into a successful path.
Keywords such as trust, responsibility, commitment, awareness, immediately resonate in the actors involved, facilitating and defining the work framework where it is possible to implement the actions to achieve the set objectives.
Here are the essential elements to be included in the coaching pact:
- Trust. Coaching is a process based on the trust that coach and coachee are able to express in their relationship, the engine for triggering concrete actions and results. The coaching pact lays the foundations for building a partnership of mutual trust, defining the responsibilities and commitment of both.
- Responsibility. The coach who engages with a non-judgmental approach, to offer their support with questions that stimulate curiosity and open the possibilities to various scenarios. The coachee is committed to being an active part of the process, learning to attribute internally the responsibility for his/her results.
- Commitment. The coachee considers his/her path of change as a priority, ensuring regularity and constancy in the meetings. The coach’s commitment is manifested in offering support, listening to the needs of the coachee and respecting the privacy and confidentiality of the contents of the meetings.
- Awareness. Corporate coaching paths are often proposed to the coachee by HR or his/her manager. The coaching agreement also guarantees an important engagement, the conscious choice of the coachee to want to undertake this path of change, intense and uncanny. The coach is the keeper of this awareness, trying to leverage it for effective results.
Coaching is part of the corporate context, and for this reason the other frontline players, often HR and coachee managers, must also be involved. Therefore, the passage of sharing the coaching agreement with those who cover these roles within the company is fundamental, to reinforce the importance and the key role that the context plays on the outcome of the coaching itself.
Like a ritual, the coaching pact performs the important function of formalizing roles and mutual commitments in order to be able to better express the contribution of all the actors involved.