Coaching process – The 5 Cs

It’s not a process without a spot of alliteration – and coaching is no different.

In 2008 Professor Chris Harwood, sport psychology academic associated with Loughborough University, developed the 5Cs framework: Commitment, Communication, Concentration, Control, and Confidence. Harwood developed this framework through his consulting work and research within professional youth football academies in the UK. He developed this framework to provide an accessible, theory-based approach for coaches and parents to help nurture psychosocial skills in young athletes. The framework has since been developed to apply to other sports, to help young athletes manage pressure.

The 5Cs have been developed for multiple different coaching scenarios, including career/professional coaching, where the 5Cs become:

  • Connection – demonstrating the importance of the coach and coachee building a strong, trusting relationship
  • Clarity – the coach works with the coachee to determine a clear understanding of the goals
  • Commitment – the coach secures a promise from the coachee to act and deliver results
  • Challenge – the coach challenges the coachee beyond their comfort zone, ensuring that the coachee is pushing themselves and removing their own barriers
  • Change/Confirmation – supporting the coachee in delivering change and achieving their goals.

However, whilst frameworks can be helpful, they can also force a coaching relationship in an unhelpful direction. Coaching should be seen as dynamic activity, where the coach supports the coachee in exploring their goals and how they can achieve those goals. The coach should therefore allow coaching sessions to develop in the direction that supports the coachee, rather than sticking rigidly to a process.

There have been a number of studies around what makes a good coach and coaching relationship.  Their findings do not point to the importance of adhering to a framework but instead look at other areas.  Examples of rigorous research and examination of coaching includes:

Erik de Haan, who is prominent in coaching psychology and has focused his research on the importance of the relationship between the coach and coachee, particularly focusing on the interpersonal factors that make coaching effective.

Professor Tatiana Bachkirova is internationally recognised as one of the most influential figures in coaching research. Her work considers psychology, philosophy and adult development. Her work considers the coach’s ability to provide space for reflective inquiry; she argues that the coach is the “main instrument” of the coaching process, rather than merely a technician applying methods.

As with most things in life, the best approach to coaching is take a sprinkling of all studies and develop your own approach. The most important factors in coaching are: providing a safe and confidential space for the coachee to establish their goals; allowing the coachee to explore how they will achieve their goals; providing objective, and sometimes challenging, feedback and support to the coachee; and making the coachee accountable for their actions, moving them closer to achieving their goals.

The results of a good coach supporting a coachee on their journey, includes the coachee feeling less stuck or burned-out; and feeling that their mental wellbeing is greatly improved. There can be no greater achievement, as a coach, knowing that your coaching has improved someone’s mental wellbeing and helped them towards their goals.