Two conversations in the last week have made me think about the meta skills developed by coaching - both when you are doing the coaching and when you are being coached. Meta skills is a very jargony word, so let me explain what I mean more simply.
In one conversation, we were talking about the fact that although in our coaching we were working on various explicit areas, the key development the coachee was gaining from the process was the meta skill of beng able to observe, notice and reflect on themselves and their behaviour in various situations and interactions. Through the coaching they were learning to be their own coach.
In the other conversation, we were talking about leaders on a development programme being asked to take on a formal coaching project, ie to coach someone more junior within the business. At the explicit level this is about developing coaching skills - essential in a leader. At the meta level, the most important skill it is developing - necessary in order to be a good coach and to be a good leader - is to be able to be fully present and connect with another person. This internal development has nothing to do with the external process of coaching.
It just goes to prove that everyone should coach... and be coached!
