A Summary of the Solutions Focused Approach for Business Coaching
Following yesterday’s blog article on the excellent OSKAR framework for solutions focused business coaching (as outlined by Paul Jackson and Mark McKergow in their superb book ‘The Solutions Focus: Making Coaching and Change Simple’, I thought we’d continue this theme with a summary of the fundamental assumptions and principles that underpin solutions-focused work as outlined by the authors …
- Change is happening all the time: Out job is to identity and amplify the useful change.
- There is no one “right” way of looking at things. Different views may fit the facts just as well.
- Detailed understanding of the “problem” is usually little help in arriving at the solution.
- No “problem” happens all the time: The direct route lies in identifying what happens when it does not happen.
- Clues to the solution are right there in front of you: You just need to recognise them.
- Small changes in the right direction can be amplified to great effect.
- It is important to stay solutions focused, not solutions forced.
The solutions focused approach does not discount the value of the problem-focused mode of thought. Indeed, a significant part of our education system teaches us to thoroughly analyse and understand the “problem” in order to find potential solutions. Find and understand the nature of the problem – our thinking goes – and we are one step closer to finding the solution.
However, when it comes to interactions between people – a focus on the ‘problem’ is often less useful. The role of a good business coach is to find deliver rapid improvements in business performance for their clients by making positive changes.
Rather like a skilled martial artist who uses the power of momentum to achieve his objectives, a business coach using a solutions focus will attempt to find out what change is already happening in your organisation that is already moving you in the direction you want to go … and then they will help you do more if it.
FInding and making positive changes with a Solutions Focus approach is pretty simple (although not necessarily easy):
- Don’t fix what isn’t broken.
- Find out what works, and do more of it.
- Stop doing what doesn’t work, and do something else.
Those familiar with NLP and systems thinking will recognise many of the implicit principles here.
And, as a client, you’ll find that working with a business coach that adopts this approach will mean you have a much more powerful, positive, energising and refreshing experience.
You can buy a copy of ‘The Solutions Focus: Making Coaching and Change SIMPLE’ here or by clicking on the book below …
Tags: business coaching, Mark McKergow, Paul Jackson, Solutions-Focused Business Coaching, The Solutions Focus
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