Strategy

Strategy is one of the most misused words in the English language. It means different things to different people. The word is actually derived from the Greek strategia, meaning the “art of the general”, which itself is compounded from two words, stratos, meaning “army” and agein meaning “to lead.” The original use in a military context referred to the overall plan for how the generals intended to fight and win a war. The term is now used in a variety of disciplines, often to denote the plan or methodology for achieving a particular set of goals or objectives.

Strategy is often linked with leadership and leadership is often linked with change. Strategy creation, at its core, is the art of making intelligent choices in order to create the steps required to succeed. A leader is often the Change Agent-In-Chief. Change has the best chance of success when three elements are in place: dissatisfaction with the present situation, a compelling vision of how the change will create a better future, and the strategy for reaching the vision. Leadership provides the compelling vision and strategy bridges the gap between the current reality and the desired future state.

One of the most popular models of coaching is the GROW model set out by John Whitmore in his book “Coaching for Performance” published in 1992. The initials of the acronym GROW stand for: Goal Setting, Reality Checking, Options and Wrap Up. For real growth to take place, one must do different things and that generally means a change in behavior. This requires a strategy for success.

Strategyforcoaches.com is focused on sharing practical strategies for building a successful coaching practice. However, the time spent learning strategy will not only improve your practice, but will also make you a better coach.