5 Ways Coaching Psychology Can Transform Resilience in Young Professionals
What is Coaching Psychology?
Anyone could call themselves a coach. A quick Google search or a delve into the world of social media and you will quickly discover that the word ‘coach’ can be attached to almost anything with varying degrees of professional integrity and credibility. It can be confusing to distinguish between what’s on offer and what value a coach may bring to you as an individual or organisation.
This creates a challenge for an industry working hard to establish trust and belief in the coaching process as a way to radically transform individual and organisational health.
Fortunately, the British Psychological Society has responded to this challenge and has created a Division dedicated entirely to Coaching, enabling certified coaches with psychology training to gain recognition for using methods and tools that are firmly grounded in psychological theory and recent scientific evidence. Coaching Psychologists are reflective practitioners who work under supervision, giving you the confidence that their work is progressive and being held accountable. The focus of psychological coaching is on individual or group strengths and how they can be utilised to gain new levels of well-being and performance. By connecting to a deeper purpose and aligning with values, clients are able to set goals that truly matter. Together, the coach and client will explore existing circumstances, identify barriers and work on harnessing untapped potential.
The result? Employees feel a deeper connection to their sense of self, feel able to recognise the valued contributions they make, and are equipped to emotionally withstand challenging circumstances.
Is Coaching Psychology Effective?
Evidence from empirical studies demonstrates the effectiveness of coaching psychology, with measurable increases found in goal attainment, self-insight, psychological well-being, and solution-focused thinking. Furthermore, there is increasing evidence to support the link between engaging leaders with authentic implementation of well-being human resource management and clear positive impact on employees' performance. Links to relevant research can be found at the foot of this article.
Until recently, coaching has often been reserved as an intervention for Senior Executives to work through stress, setbacks or organisational change. But the rise in evidence to support the use of coaching at all levels has broadened accessibility and application with extraordinarily positive results.
Utilising coaching to support employees in the earliest stages of their careers ensures early adoption of habits that drive success and happiness, in work and beyond. When young professionals feel confident and motivated, it reduces cognitive and operational load on Managers which causes a ripple effect that filters up through an organisation. Young people have loudest voice when it comes to social change - when they feel great there are innumerable positive implications for organisational culture and reputation
How can coaching transform resilience?
Coaching psychology offers more than just an opportunity for self-reflection. Having a coach with specific psychology training offers a number of specific benefits that with time transforms resilience.
1. Empowerment and inner leadership
Young professionals build trust in self and others.
Coaches will use insightful questions to unlock new ways of thinking and allow the coachee to take ownership of their best course of action. Over time, confidence in decision-making grows which stimulates motivation, energy and positivity.
2. Listener who challenges
Employees feel supported without experiencing dependency.
The value in most well-being support comes through provision of empathetic listeners. We all need opportunities to vent frustrations and reflect on our circumstances but coaches go beyond this. Coaching psychologists will use techniques such as motivational interviewing to deepen awareness and challenge existing beliefs. A trained coach will compassionately instill a sense of personal responsibility and drive change from within.
3. Problem solving and innovation
Individuals and teams feel confident to solve problems, seeking help when needed.
We all get stuck and fixed in our beliefs at times. Coaches will unlock fixed mindsets and introduce specific exercises aimed at opening the creative thinking channels. Together, coaches will co-design a future development plan with specific steps and ensure accountability is built in. Getting it wrong is part of the process and helps inform what adjustments are needed.
4. Commitment to personal development
Young professionals develop a deep commitment to ongoing personal growth.
Life is fast-paced and increasingly we see a need for instant gratification. Yet learning and behavioural changes require growth of neural networks that take time to construct. Coaching builds mental muscle through specific skill-building and habits that lead to lasting change.
5. Acceptance of failure
A culture emerges where failure is no longer feared.
No one enjoys it when things don’t go to plan and most people find it difficult to receive feedback on their performance. Coaches trained in psychology are experts in delivering feedback compassionately and reframing failure as an opportunity for growth.
Curious?
How could coaching work for you and your organisation? Schedule a consultation here and we can discuss this.
There is no one size fits all solution - all programmes can be tweaked and evolved to suit your needs. Coaching psychologists use psychometrics and assessment tools that have been rigorously tested to ensure that we benchmark progress and demonstrate growth giving you confidence that you will gain significant return on investment.
Research Links
Wang, Q., Lai, Y.L., Xu, X. and McDowall, A., 2021. The effectiveness of workplace coaching: a meta-analysis of contemporary psychologically informed coaching approaches. Journal of Work-Applied Management.
Salas‐Vallina, A., Alegre, J. and López‐Cabrales, Á., 2021. The challenge of increasing employees' well‐being and performance: How human resource management practices and engaging leadership work together toward reaching this goal. Human Resource Management, 60(3), pp.333-347.
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