People often think of professional coaching as an individual experience. But group coaching can also be quite effective. Even in individual sports, such as tennis, coaches often work with an entire team at once.
What Kinds of Coaching Are There
There are different ways to experience coaching:
- Individual via phone
- Individual via Zoom/Teams (or another platform).
- Individual in-person
- Team Coaching
- Group Coaching
Each experience above has its own unique attributes. In determining which is best for you at any given time, it’s important to assess your goals and needs. An individual coaching experience is confidential between you and your coach. Team and group coaching are also confidential, but you have the benefit of learning from each other vs. having only the one-on-one experience and thought partnership with the coach.
Benefits of Group Coaching
Group Coaching offers the following benefits (with a potential model below):
- Participation in a cohort experience (with 3-5 other leaders)
- Variety of opinions and perspectives
- Meetings with a specified cadence (i.e. monthly for 6 months; 90 mins ea)
- Facilitation in monthly group discussions by an executive coach
What makes a coaching cohort group extra valuable is that you are able to share ideas and resources in a safe environment, accessing thought partnerships otherwise unavailable to you. This accelerates your learning while improving a growth mindset and creative problem-solving ability. Along the way, relationships and trust with other leaders are built, which can be a resource to you after the formal group closes.
Accountability
Another benefit of group coaching is accountability. The form or approach in which accountability manifests can be unique for each group. Ultimately, the goal is the same: each member will make commitments each session (ideally that stretch you out of your comfort zone a bit), and report back to the group on how it went. The group will then support members in developing next steps.
Group coaching provides a multitude of benefits leading to valuable career and leadership development. Additionally, the applications can extend far beyond the duration of the cohort.
An Opportunity
In August, we’‘ll be starting a group coaching cohort for emerging leaders. Every month, a small group (4-6) will meet over Zoom to discuss problems, opportunities, and needs. You can learn more here and register here.
Questions to Ask Before Hiring an Executive Coach
Professional coaching can be a meaningful tool for professional and executive development. But in order to benefit from a coaching experience you want to make sure that you are ready for coaching, and that you choose the correct coach. We’ve developed 10 questions to help you assess your own readiness, and the fit of a coach.
