A church planter said this to me when he realized that simply telling his leader what to do was not what was needed. He wanted his leader to grow by resolving the problem. He recognized that coaching would be the better tool in this case.
A coaching mindset is different. When we first start working with leaders we often limit ourselves to a teacher/mentor perspective. It is a mindset of: “I know what they need to know, so I should tell them.”
However, a coaching mindset holds that the Holy Spirit and the young leader know themselves and their context far better than we do, even though we may have more experience. It is a mindset that says: “I will ask them great, open-ended questions to help them reflect on the critical issues in ways that stirstrategic thinking, leadership growth, broader perspective and creativity, all under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.”
Each of these approaches is different, and each is best suited to helping people in different situations with different needs. However, with people who are already leaders and doers, a coaching approach is often ideal.When do you feel coaching is is a better choice for helping others than teaching, mentoring, or other methods? What advantages do you find in the coaching approach and these other approaches?