Image: Jeremy Bishop Unsplash
While professional coaching has been widely acknowledged as a powerful tool for both personal and professional growth, the role of group coaching in adding another level of impact to that development seems less understood. Recently, as I participated in group coaching, I pondered on the “magic” that happens when people come together in a group. When peers gather for an intentional coaching conversation around a common topic, what value do they receive? What do they gain from the group that individual coaching does not offer? As I reflected on these questions, five benefits came to mind: -
1. Peer Support – it is not easy to admit that we are struggling with an issue in the workplace. We don’t want others to know our weakness, and by our silence we isolate ourselves and assume we are the only one who is experiencing this. It is delightful to watch people’s faces light up in a group coaching conversation when they realise others are wrestling with the same issues or have experienced the same struggles. We are not alone; we are normal! The support of peers who can say, “Yeah I have been there,” gives us hope and strength. It normalizes our experience. Our vulnerability in a group coaching context gives the opportunity for others to come alongside and support us.
2. Peer Insight – during a recent group coaching call, one of the participants said, “My thinking is being influenced by what the others are saying.” As we each bring our own challenges related to a common topic and hear our colleagues think and process out loud, we receive fresh “Aha!” moments. Their thinking and perspective add to our thinking. It sparks ideas that help us move towards solutions. It is interesting to watch how the thinking of one person can bring insight to another. “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” is the truth of the well-known biblical proverb. Thinking done together is powerful!
3. Peer Wisdom – one of the guidelines in group coaching is that we do not give each other advice. We can ask our peers a question or give a word of encouragement, but it is not a space for passing on our pearls of wisdom. Yet, each person brings his or her own unique experience to the group. As participants process their learning, others in the group glean wisdom. One manager who was new to group coaching kept asking, “But what do I do?” No advice was given and yet at the end of the meeting she was able to excitedly say, “I know exactly what to do now. It became clear when I heard Ravi sharing.” Ravi’s external processing about his own challenge spoke directly to hers. Wisdom is imparted!
4. Peer Accountability – healthy and supportive accountability is motivating; it is good for us all! Knowing that we are meeting regularly with a supportive group of peers, with whom we will share the progress on our action steps, keeps us committed to moving forward and following through. Each group coaching session concludes with all the participants sharing the action steps they are committed to working on before the next meeting. And the next session always begins with an invitation from the coach, “Let’s have each person update us on the progress they made on their action steps.” This supportive environment of healthy accountability results in forward movement and growth.
5. Peer Encouragement – during group coaching, participants are encouraged to ask each other questions or to give a word of encouragement. During one coaching session with a group of managers, it was beautiful to hear one colleague say to another, “I was really impressed how you led that tense meeting the other day. You did it so well.” All of us need encouragement, and group coaching provides an intentional and safe space to give that. In the busyness of work life, we may not take the time to share the positive things we notice about our colleague’s work. The reflective space of a group coaching conversation provides an opportunity for this. Encouragement fills our tank. We all need it!
As the well-known African Proverb states - “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” Group coaching is “going together,” where everyone contributes to the success of each other. As a group of five or six people meet monthly around a common theme, they begin to know and understand one another at a deeper level. Barriers come down, transparency grows and the deep processing of each individual benefits the group. Over time the culture of an organization is impacted. As a coach it is a “magical” experience to watch the power of group coaching bring about individual growth and transformation.