What is coaching and how to make it work for you
Well I love coaching, especially the kind I do, Integral Coaching™. But it isn’t for everyone and it certainly isn’t useful to fix all of work’s or life’s problems. Investing in a change in yourself happens at different times in everyone’s life and at vastly different levels of demand for your time and energy. Also, there are plenty of changes you faced by choice and were forced to deal with, where you navigated it just fine. You lived to tell the tale and done just fine arriving to this moment.
So let’s get clear on the purpose of coaching first and then we’ll move on to figuring out if it’s the best option for you.
Coaching defined
Coaching at it’s best is a relationship with an equal partner helping you see things differently that you simply have not seen by yourself. Additionally, as an equal partner, both you and your coach should be in lock step on what it is that you want to accomplish.
There are many forms and styles of coaching so choosing what’s best for you is an important decision. So why so much emphasis on doing this right with a lot choices? This is a meaningful and an important investment in yourself. That means a big time investment for you and a financial investment in a coach.
Coaching works best for you when it meets these three criteria
- The change you seek is deeply meaningful to you,
- You have tried making this change before, but aren’t satisfied with the results, and
- You now are committed to making a change to resolve the challenge you’re facing
Without all three of these things, you likely will waste your own time and money with little to show for it. Most people have many improvements they desire in their life. Without these three things though, it is unlikely you will have enough motivation for coaching to be worth it.
Checklist for the best match with a professional coach
I’m going to assume now that all three apply to you. Here’s the simple checklist I recommend people go through to determine if the coach they are considering is right for them:
- Do I connect with the coach personally when I meet or talk with them?
- Do I feel like that coach is my equal?
- Do I understand and feel comfortable with this particular coaching process?
- Do I think this coach and coaching process has enough support to resolve my challenge?
- Does the coach meet my schedule and time constraints?
- Do I feel comfortable with the fee structure for the value I will receive when my challenge is resolved?
In 30-45 minutes of talking with a potential coach you should be able to answer these questions and get a good sense if this is the right coach for you.
Are you wondering if even investing in a search is worth it or are you wondering where to start?
Then I invite you to join my free, live coaching workshop every Wednesday at 12:15pm Central. My workshops deliver live content and Q&A. We will work through what you’re up against as best we can.
The easiest way is to CLICK HERE to subscribe to my channel here for a reminder email or simply go to my YouTube Channel this coming Wednesday at 12:15pm Central.