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WHAT IS COACHING?
Coaching is quickly becoming one of the leading tools that successful people use to live extraordinary lives. Through regular coaching sessions, clients identify what is most important to them and align their thoughts, words, and actions, accordingly. Coaches work with clients to identify what they want personally and professionally, and to support them in achieving a life that they really want and love. Having a life one loves starts with gaining clarity on values, enabling more meaningful choices and consistent action. Coaching offers a means for more balance, joy, intimacy, energy, financial abundance, focus, and action in every area of life.
A COACH WILL:
- Encourage clients to set goals that they truly want
- Ask clients to do more than they have done on their own
- Help clients focus in order to produce results more quickly
- Provide clients with the tools, support, and structure to accomplish more
HOW IS COACHING DIFFERENT FROM THERAPY OR CONSULTING?
Unlike therapy, which goes into depth about various issues, usually dealing with the past, and consulting which generally results in giving the client answers, coaching is more action-oriented and focuses primarily on the present and future. Coaches enable clients to determine their own “answers” through the work done in the coaching partnership.
WHO WORKS WITH A COACH?
People seek coaches primarily if they need something in their personal or professional life to change. They may be looking for new life direction, wanting to improve something, working on changing a part of their life, trying to solve a problem, trying to figure something out, wanting to set off on a new path, wanting to “clean things up”, wanting to simplify, and more. Entrepreneurs, business owners, professionals and people in transition are some of the people who typically work with a coach. Regardless of their profession, or place in life, clients have one thing in common: they are all successful, resourceful, and intelligent individuals who want to get even more out of their lives.
Having a coach is like having a personal trainer for your life. Even if you are already at the top of your “game”, you’re successful enough to know that you didn’t get there alone, and there is great value in having someone work directly with you, pointing out things you can’t see, encouraging and challenging you to achieve your greatest potential. Your coach is a power-boost to getting from where you are at to where you want to go, and helping you figure out how to get there in the most enjoyable way.
THE COACHING PROCESS
There are 3 basic elements to the coaching process:
- Coach helps the client discover and understand who they are
- Coach helps the client identify and clarify what they most want
- Coach helps client create and develop strategies to achieve their goals
Coaching is so powerful because of the “who” element. Goals (what) and strategies (how) are great, but unless they are integrated with the person (who), they will take longer to accomplish, probably not be what the person really wants, and not result in the high levels of happiness and fulfillment that are possible.
The client and coach can start at any of the 3 portals (who, what, how) and weave through all these areas, as needed, during the coaching process.
Coaching sessions are held regularly in time slots of 30/45/60 minute sessions, and can be held 2, 3, 4 times per month, depending on the structure of the particular coach’s practice. They are primarily held over the telephone, with sessions being initiated by the coachee. Since sessions are held over the telephone, coaching relationships can span the nations. Discussion will include an update of the coachee’s progress on action items/goals, what the coachee is experiencing/wanting to focus on now, strategizing for further progress, positively responding to accomplishments (celebrate!), summarizing and closing. Although this is the basic “structure” of a session, as you can imagine, calls can sometimes be more free-form.
SELECTING A COACH
When selecting a coach, be aware of your level of comfort in your initial trial session. Working with a coach is truly the best way to know if you will feel comfortable and trusting. Some people provide immediate comfort, and others we feel we just can’t mesh with! Almost all coaches offer a complimentary introductory session to offer potential clients a “flavor” of their style and to see if the coaching relationship is a good fit. It’s the old “try it before you buy it” method! ! Look for a coach that is connected to a network of other coaches to refer you to if it’s determined that someone of a different specialty may be in a better position to work with you.
Most coaches have been educated, trained, and practiced through education programs at reputable coach training institutions (for example, CoachU, or Coach Training Institute) accredited by the coaching profession’s certifying entity the “International Coach Federation”. (For more information go to .) It would be to your benefit if the coach you’re considering completed an ICF accredit coach training program, or is at least in an ICF accredited training program, as this further insures your coach will have the necessary skills and practice to help you move forward in the best way. You are likely to find “coach search” tools at the ICF site as well as the CoachU and Coach Training Institute site to search for coaches with the suggested level of education and training, refined by geographical area, coaching specialty, etc.
CONFIDENTIALITY & ETHICS
Coaches strive to establish a comfortable, safe, confidential, and open environment in order for the client to fully express their thoughts. What is discussed with a coach….STAYS with a coach, unless legally or physically urgent.. If this is the case, the coach will take appropriate action, legal or otherwise. If a professional coach determines that the coachee may be better served through working with another type of professional, it is that coach’s professional ethical responsibility to inform the coachee and it will be up to the coachee to decide upon, and select, an appropriate professional.
If you need additional information, please don’t hesitate to .
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