| The Need To Be Versatile | | | | organisation - and him/herself. |
| Anyone wishing to remain competitive, and relevant at | | | | One major aspect of Spontaneous Coaching, that |
| work/in life must become what I like to call a Practical | | | | makes it different from traditional coaching is the use |
| Learner. That is someone who continually seeks | | | | of what I call Multi-Dimensional Peer |
| adopts new (and appropriate) knowledge, attitudes | | | | Pressure(MDPP)(TM) to effect positive changes in |
| and skills, so as to become more useful/valuable to | | | | work-related behaviour in a person(s) being coached |
| herself and others. | | | | over time. |
| Let's consider an analogy based on a popular sport - | | | | Another unique feature, is that a Spontaneous Coach |
| Soccer. Some players learn to use both feet equally | | | | will often be found willing to help a "coachee" resolve |
| well so they can play on either side of the pitch. Some | | | | non-work related problems, as a means to stimulating |
| learn how to play defensive, attacking (even goal | | | | improved work-related behaviour/performance |
| keeping!) roles. They are often called Utility players. | | | | subsequently in the "coachee". |
| Coaches love to have them in their teams because | | | | A summary of key features of Spontaneous |
| when tricky match situations occur, such individuals | | | | Coaching is as follows:i. Requires "coach" to have an |
| give the coach more options to consider in terms of | | | | innate desire to help others regardless of who they |
| substitutions to be made. For those individuals, you will | | | | are/what they do.ii. Typified by coach's willingness to |
| notice that except when injured, they not only | | | | "help" even if "coachee" is not aware, or does not |
| command a place in any team, but also often get into | | | | express gratitude.iii. Depends mostly on "influencing" by |
| the starting line up! The reason: they fit in easily i.e. | | | | example from the coach or other adherents (re: |
| there is always a role they can play. | | | | MDPP(TM)).iv. To successfully practice Spontaneous |
| Now relate this to the workplace. Imagine a company | | | | Coaching, you must LOVE (or develop LOVE for) |
| having an individual with proven versatility in managing | | | | empowering people to be their best - without feeling |
| various processes, coupled with an ability to quickly | | | | threatened by their progress, EVEN when it means |
| settle into - and function efficiently in - virtually any role, | | | | they could advance AHEAD of you!!v. Most |
| even when it is in a higher capacity. | | | | importantly, a Spontaneous Coach will engage |
| Add to all these a genuine interest in developing others | | | | constantly, as a matter of habit, in self-education |
| around her to be equally as competent, if not better | | | | relevant to achievement of his/her valued goal(s). S/he |
| than she is. You get what could be called the Ideal | | | | will actively seek to use his/her(and other people's) |
| Employee! Her boss is likely to consider her a most | | | | failures and successes as learning platforms on which |
| valuable asset, and will often readily recommend her | | | | to develop him/herself - and also use achieved learning |
| for secondments, and promotions (she would have | | | | to coach others. It is this quality that will ensure s/he |
| trained others to do her job, making it easy to be | | | | remains capable of functioning successfully as a |
| replaced)! | | | | Coach to others. |
| But how does one become like the kind of person | | | | B). Self-Development |
| described above? Is it in fact possible for one person | | | | ".. the process by which an individual continually - and |
| to be like that? To both questions, the answer is yes. I | | | | intelligently - uses her own efforts, resources, |
| am convinced that diligent application of Spontaneous | | | | knowledge and experiences (as well as those of |
| Coaching for Self-Development (SCfSD)(TM) | | | | others, voluntarily supplied), to improve her ability to |
| techniques is all that is required. My conviction derives | | | | achieve repeated personal or workplace successes" - |
| from over 7 years of successfully employing those | | | | Tayo Solagbade |
| same techniques. | | | | Peter Drucker, as far back as 1955, wrote in his book |
| Why Employee Training (Sometimes) Does NOT | | | | "The Practice of Management", that development |
| Work | | | | cannot be anything other than Self-Development. |
| You might wonder why I didn't mention Employee | | | | Among other things, he explained that for any |
| Training as a requirement for producing the Ideal | | | | organisation to take on the responsibility of developing |
| Employee. It's because evidence abounds that sending | | | | her people would effectively be a waste of time |
| people on routine training courses does not guarantee | | | | because, that responsibility is the individual employee's - |
| their workplace performances will improve. | | | | and no development would happen if the individual |
| Why? Among other reasons, it is because the decision | | | | does not take up the responsibility to make it happen. |
| to attend a course is often made for them and not by | | | | Read my article titled "How to make yourself |
| them. So they might not feel that course will equip | | | | UNRETRENCHABLE!" to learn more about other |
| them with the specific skills set they believe will help | | | | recognised and qualified authorities in the field of |
| them improve. Consequently, they'll pay little attention | | | | Human Resources/People Development who have |
| during the course. Ultimately, the money invested is | | | | acknowledged that Self-Development is the most |
| wasted! | | | | reliable way to achieve significant and lasting employee |
| To avoid this, decision makers in progressive minded | | | | development. |
| companies now involve employees in deciding courses | | | | The concept of Spontaneous Coaching for |
| to attend. However, I believe even better results can | | | | Self-Development(SCfSD)(TM) was developed by |
| be achieved by creating an enabling environment for | | | | combining certain tested and proven Spontaneous |
| people to want to develop themselves. | | | | Coaching and Self-Development techniques, based on |
| When people take responsibility for their own | | | | their successful application in real-life workplaces. |
| development, it means they are already motivated to | | | | SCfSD(TM) Will Benefit Forward Looking |
| deliver better results. You therefore have less | | | | Organisations |
| worrying to do about getting them to do their jobs - to | | | | It is my strong conviction that organisations of the |
| the required standard! | | | | future will be those in which the need for formal, |
| This not only costs less in the medium/long term, but | | | | deliberate training, and education through direct |
| also yields more sustainable results in terms of | | | | interventions by the organisation, for employees will |
| improvements in employee competencies. | | | | drop significantly. Instead, concepts like Spontaneous |
| Spontaneous Coaching for | | | | Coaching for Self-Development(SCfSD)(TM) which |
| Self-Development(SCfSD)(TM) : A Complementary | | | | make it easy for employees to take control of their |
| Alternative | | | | own development, in a way that ultimately benefits the |
| If you could learn how to help others around you grow | | | | organisation they work for, will be preferred. |
| and develop in such a way that you not only get their | | | | Spontaneous Coaching for |
| undiluted goodwill, but also consolidate YOUR own | | | | Self-Development(SCfSD)(TM) can be independently |
| development, in a way that equips you to achieve | | | | applied by individual career persons to achieve |
| accelerated career advancement, how fulfilled would | | | | dramatically improved workplace performances. |
| you be? "Very", is likely to be the answer of most | | | | More importantly, decision makers in an organisation |
| career persons. | | | | can learn how to use it to establish an alternative, |
| Spontaneous Coaching for | | | | cost-saving/self-sustaining system that perpetually |
| Self-Development(SCfSD)(TM) has two aspects: | | | | empowers their team members to perform optimally in |
| A). Spontaneous Coaching | | | | the workplace. |
| Spontaneous Coaching is a unique approach to | | | | You can email a four page Acrobat PDF e-flyer on |
| coaching that is informal, often subtle and based on the | | | | Spontaneous Coaching for |
| coach's sincere desire to help others grow and | | | | Self-Development(SCfSD)(TM) to yourself using the |
| develop to their full potential (regardless of who they | | | | File Mailer web form on the Free Resouces page of |
| are or what they do), in a way that benefits the | | | | my website. |