a) Coaching seems to happen best when it’s *empowered* by the team member, even though, truth be told, probably could *many* of our team members (and we ourselves, too?) could profit from some degree of mentoring. But the really weird truth is that sometimes the folks that *don’t* empower others to coach them are the very ones who need to be coached the *most*!
b) Coaching typically seems to function best when there’s a lot of personal interaction, lots of relationship, and lots of history. Unfortunately, in today’s hurried-up, online, drive-through world, some of today’s newest mission workers are being programmed by their money-conscious supporters to value “ROI” (“return on investment”), which works against personal interactions with coaches. However, I’m noticing there is indeed a growing “remnant” of folks who are willing to invest (in time & money) in proper training and gearing-up time. That’s encouraging. Now, we who are part of the missions community had better make sure there are sufficient learning & experiential opportunities to match the opportunities for engaging them. Gulp.
c) Many leaders fail to take initiative to “speak up” because they fear it will be seen as 
presumptuous or self-aggrandizing. In other words, in spite of their greater experience, many leaders are afraid they’ll be viewed as “know-it-alls” or prideful, so instead, they keep quiet and allow flock members to learn through the school of hard knocks. The good news is, many team members eventually figure it out anyway. The bad news is, they also eventually decide to opt out of the coaching relationship because they become *aware* that they’re being left to figure it out solo. Sigh. Sobering.
Are you forming conclusions like these about coaching/mentoring? If so, would you take a moment and add to the fray? Just click “Comments” below and have at it. Feel free to add your comment anonymously. Thanks for your participation in building a body of knowledge that we can *all* use to coach more effectively!
Doug
“You need to get a spiritual coach. Call them a friend, a partner, a mentor, a discipler, a Timothy or Paul – or whatever. It doesn’t matter what you call them. Just get a friend who says, ‘I’m going to hold you accountable, you’re going to hold me accountable, and we’re going to help each other grow.’” – Rick Warren
I hope we see more coaching and mentoring going on in our work. I believe a coaching relationship will provide us with the encouragement and accountability we need to take the steps God is calling us to make. The relational aspect of coaching provides us with someone in our life that we trust who can speak directly to our failures.
Coaching is critical to the growth and fruitful ministry of missionaries. Several recent studies document this.
In the July 2008 issue of EMQ, there’s a feature article called “Coaching for On Field Development.” The article is based on my experience coaching and training mission coaches. It explores what coaching is, how it works, the spiritual nature of coaching, and why coaching is particularly appropriate for missionaries working cross-culturally and at a distance from their coach.
For other resources on coaching in missions, including articles, courses, and book recommendations, go to my website: http://www.creativeresultsmanagement.com
Keith Webb