It’s a funny old game, coaching. At one end of the spectrum, it is a straightforward, effective approach. Managers, teachers and mentors use coaching approaches to help someone talk through an everyday challenge or opportunity. At the other end, it is an effective mechanism to help people make lifelong changes and overcome long term obstacles.
One key question that comes up time and again is this one. Do we need to develop expertise in human behaviour? Read every book or take courses and qualifications in psychology? Not worry about it at all and trust that our coaching skills will carry the day?
Human behaviour: we all know something!
It is easy for coaches who don’t hold qualifications in psychology or who haven’t studied this area to think that they know very little about human behaviour. They may not have the formal language of the psychologist. But it is highly likely that they have a good understanding of what makes different people tick. By the time we reach mature adulthood, we are likely to have had plenty of experience. Enough to get a good insight into personality, character, relationships, the world of work, to be credible when sitting in front of others. Coaching isn’t such a niche and unique art that it is outside of the realm of human behaviour. It is an extension of what it means to be a good friend, a good family member and a good colleague or employer. And what underpins all of these is an understanding of how we and other people tick. So, let’s all take as a starting point that we already know plenty.
Human behaviour: and yet we can all learn more
I sign up to the thinking of the philosopher Paul Valery who said, “to enter the mind we must be armed to the teeth”. This is about knowledge, more than about qualifications. If we know we are going to be working with people who are in challenging circumstances, then going beyond the basics is important. We may be working with leaders who are isolated, students who are private, prisoners who are resistant. Doing the background reading, understanding theories of human behaviour, knowing ourselves and others well, does become incredibly useful when coaching in tough circumstances.
Is there a risk that I will cross over into therapy or psychological approaches?
Yes! And worth avoiding. There is a whole school of coaching called coaching psychology. Coaches can earn masters’ degrees and coach purely from a psychological perspective. Coaches who follow this pathway will clearly be able to use their knowledge of the mind to coach in a particular style.
For the rest of us, we need to be aware of the old “a little knowledge is dangerous”. Just because I’ve read books on neuroscience, that doesn’t make me a neuroscientist! It doesn’t mean that I can speak or “diagnose” with any authority from a neuroscientific basis. It just means that I may have enough knowledge to spot something and ask a question from a place of curiosity, which is one of the core skills a coach needs regardless of how much theory sits behind it.
Are there any “must know” areas?
This is a question that I have been pondering for years, and I have tried to write the list on several occasions. Every time, I come up short. Either the list looks too long, I’ve put everything I can think of in there, or too short and it looks too reductive. I think there are “must know” areas, but it is important to define them for ourselves. Some prompt questions to ask ourselves:
- What areas of human behaviour particularly interest you?
- What areas come up time and again when coaching others?
- What themes jump out for you when you look at the resources that are available? In particular: books on personal development; topics offered by coaching groups in training and webinars; syllabus overviews from coaching university courses.
- What areas have you already studied that have been useful and are worth further exploration?
When you have answered these questions, you’ll be able to define a little more what areas to invest further learning in.
Areas of behaviour I tend to draw on:
- Motivation theories, especially growth mindset, self-determination theory and learned optimism
- Traits and types, especially linked to communication approaches, as explained in psychometric tools
- Consciousness and self-awareness, and theories relating to these
But I also draw on disparate knowledge that I have accumulated through work and life experiences.
And how will I use all this new or updated knowledge in coaching?
By sticking to coaching principles! Thoughts, ideas and connections may occur to you when listening to a coachee, that relate to something you have studied. But don’t diagnose, hypothesise or analyse. Just notice and ask from a place of curiosity.
As an example. I was coaching a client who was being highly oppressed by her boss, and who was using bullying tactics. She was struggling with the behaviour of the boss, but also was quite passive and defended his poor behaviour. I noticed my monkey mind triggering many reasons and examples from psychology that could explain this. I had to dampen them down and asked simple questions. I could definitely have got caught up in my own “cleverness” and had to work hard not to do that!
Happy coaching
