Peer Coaching Made Simple

Book excerpt: You don't need to be intimidated by the idea of being somebody's coach. Yes, many people make coaching their profession: executive coaches, business coaches, parent coaches, life coaches, athletic coaches, trainers, counselors, consultants, therapists, and others. For sure, they've had plenty of education and training to prepare them for these careers. But the idea that people can coach each other while they're trying to be more effective is not revolutionary. For example, experienced school teachers have always done this to help others who are new to the profession. And moms have been getting together to share their know-how with each other for, well, forever. Today, we call this helping activity "peer coaching." Coaching someone who is working to improve a skill is more like being a friend or a mentor. You do it because you care about someone else's success. Very likely the person who needs your help is someone you know well, such as a friend or a coworker. The purpose of this book is to give you a few ideas to make your coaching interactions more effective.