As Goldsmith and Lyons (2006, p. 146) note, "transfer of knowledge flows from relationships of trust." However, trust cannot be established without first forming a meaningful relationship with the client. Therefore, coaches should see relationships as a foundation for them to effectively share ideas and information and in the process impact on the behavior of others.
Further, it can also be noted that nurturing relationships could be critical for follow-up purposes where necessary. In this case, relationships aid communication and hence the coach can easily make a follow-up of the progress made so as to suggest corrective measures in case actual results deviate from the desired outcomes. Thus follow up is necessary for feedback purposes. In most cases, feedback is critical for both the coach and the organization. As Goldsmith and Lyons (2006) note, failure to connect to the organization in some way on the part of the coach may deny the coaching process the much needed support and resources. Well-established relationships with clients could ease...
This could further benefit the client even more going forward.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear from the discussion above that the relevance of building relationships sufficient for coaching between the client and the coach cannot be overstated especially when it comes to enhancing excellence in others. However, to maintain a meaningful relationship for purposes of coaching, both the coach and the client must be committed to a common goal. It is this shared commitment that brings about enthusiasm and success in the coaching exercise.
References
Flaherty, J. (2010). Coaching: Evoking Excellence in Others (3rd Ed.). Oxford: Routledge.
Goldsmith, M. & Lyons, L. (2006). Coaching for Leadership: The Practice of Leadership Coaching from the World's Greatest Coaches (2nd Ed.). San Francisco: John Wiley…
