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What is Coaching?
Life coaching is a relatively new field in the area of personal development and I often get asked “What is coaching and how can it help me?” There are some people who speak quite negatively about it and recently I read a comment on a friends LinkedIn profile saying “Coaching is easy answers for weak minded individuals.”
So I decided to answer this in a blog post to really explain what coaching is and why it’s so powerful?
It’s recognised in the sporting industry that if you want to be successful in a particular sport you need a coach. All the top athletes have a coach from an early age and that coach plays a huge role in their success.
Why is it then that some people fail to recognise the importance of coaching in other areas of their lives?
So What is Coaching?
Coaching is about empowerment and a designed alliance between the coach and the client. It helps the client determine what their goals are and how they can achieve those goals. On the surface it can look like just a conversation but It’s a conversation with a purpose. It is often the actions that are taken between sessions that ensure the most progress. It enables the client to view their life from a different perspective and give them the confidence to move forward.
While the fundamentals of coaching remain the same there are different types of coaching which are identified by the area you would like to focus on.
Main types of coaching
- Life/Personal Coaching
- Business Coaching
- Executive Coaching
- Career Coaching
- Relationship Coaching
- Health and Wellness Coaching
- Sports Coaching
Benefits of coaching
There are lots of benefits of having a coach; here are just a few.
- You will have a better understanding of yourself and what you want
- You’ll become aware of what’s holding you back and why.
- You’re better able to prioritise what’s important to you.
- You have a sounding board to bounce ideas off.
- Your level of commitment will change because you have someone who will hold you accountable.
- You will have increased productivity.
- You will achieve your goals and dreams much faster than you would by yourself.
Can anyone be coached?
No, it is not a miracle cure to everyone’s problems. You have to not only be open to new possibilities but willing to take action. It doesn’t have to be huge leaps but you won’t get anywhere standing still.
It doesn’t matter whether you are hugely successful or struggling coaching can help.
What kind of results can you expect from coaching?
I can’t give you a definitive answer about what results YOU would get because it depends on your coach and your willingness to take action. However, the International Coach Federation did a study and got the following the results.
Source: ICF Global Coaching Client Study was commissioned by the ICF but conducted independently by PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Finding the right coach
If you are to achieve these kinds of results it is important to find the right coach. There are a number of ways to do this. Here are just a few:
- Ask a friend or colleague for a recommendation. This is my favourite because you can ask about their experience and get to know the coach a bit before even speaking to them.
- Testimonials are often available to view on the coach’s website. They are written affirmations of another person’s experience.
- Find a coach who has a certain level of expertise around the topic you would like to work on. The topics I help people with are Better Relationships, Presentation Blues, Reduce Stress and Anxiety, Build Your Confidence and Weight Loss and Fitness.
- Have an informal chat with the coach. Ask questions and see whether you would find this person easy to open up to.
- Check them out on social media. The type of things they put out on social media is often reflection of their character.
- Check out whether they are qualified. Anyone can set themselves up as a coach without any formal qualification.
If you’re thinking about getting a coach and think I might be the coach for you. Send me a message and I will see if I can help.
I’d love to hear your stories about coaching. Do you agree or disagree with what I have to say and what are your experiences with coaching?