I was recently working with an organization that was considering extending their coaching culture to a new segment of their employees. The first objection expressed was that the coach would need to have worked in that field before to create credibility. It sounds reasonable. So why isn’t it?
Coaching is a learning catalyst at its heart. When you are coached, you learn, but how can you learn when the coach doesn’t know more about the subject than you? It is because not all learning is about knowledge.
There are three levels of learning:
- Knowledge
- Understanding
- Wisdom
Knowledge used to be hard to find. Today it is easy. Google anything, and you can find it. If I want the lecture notes for the Quantum Computation class at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I can find them here. You can gain knowledge from podcasts, blog posts, conferences, webinars, books, and Youtube videos. The trove of knowledge access is ever expanding. Gaining knowledge is not the trick.
Understanding knowledge is where the value is. Understanding is rarely in the minutia. Understanding requires the big picture and the ability to look at it from several different angles. Suddenly this sounds like coaching. Coaching helps the client zoom out and see the topic from a wider view, then shifts the perspective, and then zoom in once again. This is a skill in itself. I don’t want my coach to be an expert in my field. I want my coach to be in expert in helping me understand my own expertise.
Wisdom allows you to apply understanding. You can apply it beyond the typical areas. You’ve used it as a guide to find more knowledge. Wisdom is pioneer territory. Rarely is anyone ahead of you who can lead you into mastery. You need a guide, but you won’t find one who knows more than you. One solution is to hire a coach.
- Coaching maximizes the knowledge you have spent hour gathering.
- Coaching creates understanding of what you already know.
- Coaching applies your knowledge into your personal domain.
If you want more knowledge, don’t hire a coach. Take a class. Hire a tutor. Watch a TED talk.
If you want to utilize the mass of knowledge you already possess, hire a coach.
