How
is coaching different from consulting? Therapy? Sports coaching?
A best friend?
Consulting. Consulting. Coaching is rather like consulting.
However, the coach stays with the client to help implement the new
skills, changes and goals, to make sure that they really happen.
Therapy. Coaching
is not therapy. Coaches don't work on "issues" or get
into the past or deal much with understanding human behavior. That
knowledge may come as clients move forward toward personal and professional
goals that will give them the life they really want, but it should
not be the focus of a coaching relationship.
Sports. Coaching
includes several principles from sports coaching, like teamwork,
going for the goal, being your best. Unlike sports coaching, most
professional coaching is not competition or win/lose based. Coaches
focus on strengthening their clients' skills, not on helping them
beat the other team. Coaches look for win/win solutions.
Best friend. A
best friend is wonderful to have. But is your best friend a professional
who you will trust to work with you on the most important aspects
of your life and/or business? Have both - a best friend and a coach.
What
is the basic philosophy of coaching?
Simply put, it is that we humans are great, that we're all discovering
what we really want, and that we can get what we want faster and
more easily by having a coach who's been there and who can help
us.
Where
does the coach focus with an average client?
Coaches focus where their clients need them the most.
Part of their discussions often include:
Getting the client's
Personal Foundation strengthened.
Helping the client
beef up their Reserve.
Helping the client
set goals based on individual Personal Values.
By including these with
what each client wants, coaches help their clients have fewer problems
and focus on what will make them the most successful. Clients really
enjoy this approach.
Why
is coaching becoming so popular?
Coaching is becoming popular for several reasons:
Many people are tired
of doing what they think they "should" do and are ready
to do something special and meaningful for the rest of their lives.
One problem is that many can't see what this is or, if they can,
they can't find a way to reorient their life around it. A coach
can help them do both.
People are realizing
how simple it can be to accomplish something that several years
ago might have felt out of reach or like a pipedream. A coach
is not a miracle worker (well, sometimes they are), but a coach
does have a large tool kit to help the Big Idea become a Reality.
Fortunately, people now have time and resources to invest in themselves
in this kind of growth.
Spirituality. If you
tracked the phenomenal success of James Redfield's Celestine Prophecy
on the NY Times bestseller list Back in 1994, you got a sense
of just how many people are willing to look at, and consider,
the notion of spirituality. Wow. Many coaches are spiritually
based -- even the ones who coach IBM and AT&T. America is
growing more spiritual very quickly. (Our working definition of
spirituality? "How connected you are with yourself and others.")
The coach helps the clients to tune in better to themselves and
to others.
A personal coach does
just what an athletic coach or music teacher does, only in a fuller
and bigger way. A coach challenges you and takes the time to find
out what winning in life means to you. A coach is your partner in
living the life you know you can accomplish, personally and professionally.
A coach is someone to hold you accountable for your life, to make
sure you really do live up to your potential.
No matter where you are
in life, there is always a desire for more. More success, more money,
closer relationships, a deeper feeling of meaning in life, etc.
It is the nature of people to want to attain more, become more,
be more, and we all struggle with how to get what we're looking
for.
Most people believe that
"hard work and doing it on your own" are the keys to finding
the life, success, money, or happiness that they seek. They believe
that a price must be paid to attain what they want, and often that
price is poor health, not having enough time to enjoy life, strained
family relationships or lessened productivity. The saddest part
is that, even though this effort may result in more of something,
it is often not the something you had in mind, and you end up Back
where you started, or worse, further from your real intentions.
Athletes and performers
know about this trap. They know they need someone else, a trained
someone else to help them set goals, discover real needs, and work
effectively toward ultimate goals of excellence. So, they are willing
to hire a coach or a teacher. No serious athlete or musician would
expect to progress very far without one.
What
about people who are already doing really well in their lives. Why
would they need a coach?
They might not need a coach. But it is helpful to find out: Are
they doing what they most enjoy? Are they tolerating anything? Is
life easy? Are they going to be financially independent within the
next 15 years? Do they have what they most want? We've discovered
that, often, people need to expect more out of their lives. A coach
can help in this process.
Can
a dependency be created between coach and client?
Not really. The client may "need" the coach in order to
maximize an opportunity or accelerate their growth, yet not be "dependent"
on the coach. Anyone who's working on major changes "needs"
structure, advice, support and a place to brag, so, in that sense,
the coach is certainly helpful, but an emotional, psychological
dependency is not created. The coach works with people who are just
fine and strong enough on their own. Remember, we're not resolving
issues here. The coach is helping the client to create a better
future: More success, more money, and a higher quality of life.
Can
coaching hurt someone?
No. Remember, coaches aren't doing psychological work. They're not
trying to control the client's thinking. They're not cattle prods;
they're partners.
Can
I hire a coach just for a short-term, special project?
Yes. Some clients hire a coach to help them accomplish specific
goals or projects. Usually, however, the client keeps working with
the coach after that because there are even more interesting things
to accomplish.
How
long must I commit if I start working with a coach?
Most coaches ask for a three to six month commitment but usually
let you stop immediately if coaching is not working for you right
now. Very, very few coaches ask for a written agreement or contract.
For the corporate client, however, a signed agreement is simply
good business.
