Mar 04 2009
Posted by Gary under Uncategorized
Coaching Church Leaders: Defining What Effective Coaching Is.
by Gary Shockley
The word “coach” immediately conjures up negative memories for me. I was a pencil thin 6’5” gawky teenager with two left feet when I decided to join the high school basketball team. The coach was, at first, thrilled with the prospects of having another towering dude on his team. His enthusiasm, however, gave way to disappointment when he watched me in action. I moved like a spider with seven broken legs. Painful! My “coach” let out a string of obscenities, threw the ball at my head, and told me to get my act together. I managed to dodge the ball hurling at my head but I could not dodge the humiliation I felt. I left the court and never went back. I don’t care much for basketball even to this day.
As someone called upon to coach new church planters, and some seasoned veterans of traditional church ministry, I’ve had to get my head around a healthier image of “coach”. One of the projects I manage through Path1 is the development of a Coaching Network to support new church planters and plants.
My personal ministry coach, Chuck, is a Disney Executive. My professional coach, through Path1, is Christie. Chuck and Christie have their hands full! With their help I’ve formulated this working definition of coaching: a coach is a sounding board, facilitator, awareness raiser, someone who is a great listener, focuses on the coachee’s agenda, allows the coachee to own their outcomes, and doesn’t feel like they need to be “the expert”. Another coach friend of mine uses the metaphor of a stagecoach in her training. The coach is like a stagecoach helping the coachee (on top with the reins in hand) get from one place to the next. I like that!
My basketball coach was a pathetic bully more interested in himself than me. So, what would you add to my working definition of an effective coach? What are you looking for in such a person? Send me your comments and I’ll add them in my next blog. I look forward to hearing from you!