Since most misunderstandings in communication are caused by differences among people, it is very useful to learn our personality type and to consider what type the people around us are. This is doubly true in coaching!
At the Academy of Coaching Excellence, we understand coaching on many levels. In general, coaching can be described as promoting another person’s development, learning, and performance. It involves a certain form of “accompanying” the coachee in his working and possibly also private situations. Rather than teaching, coaching is about helping the other person learn.
For professional coaching, it is thus vitally important that the coach know how to communicate, to be in tune with the coachees, and to inspire them to be open to new points of view and constantly work on their personal and professional development.
The influence of Jungian personality types makes itself significantly felt in the coaching process. An experienced coach can adapt his coaching practice to the various different personality types. He knows what motivates the different personality types, what stresses them, and how to more precisely promote their development and establish a useful coaching relationship.
The possibilities of applying MBTI® personality typology can be understood on various levels:Level 1: the coach is generally familiar with the principles of the typology (individual approach, respect for differences), but does not know his own MBTI® personality type Level 2: the coach knows his personality type and “balances out” his preferences during coaching Level 3: the coach knows his type and the coachee’s type, understands the influence of typology on interpersonal communication, and takes these factors into account during coaching Level 4: the coach guides the coachee in working on non-preferred mental functions and orientations
The successful application of personality typology in coaching thus depends on• how the coach works on his personal development through the conscious inclusion of opposite MBTI® preferences, • how the coach develops the coachee’s other points of view and promotes the inclusion of opposite preferences.
The foundation for successful coaching is thus the conscious combination and inclusion of preferences by both coach and coachee. This combination of coaching with personality typology gives coaching an extra dimension. Deeper self-exploration and understanding of the differences among people gives the coach inspiration for coaching different types of people and, most importantly, developing himself.
