What is life coaching?
Life Coaching, also called Personal Coaching, is a solution-focused approach to personal development that can help you to make lasting change in all areas of your life.
Coaches facilitate this change using specific tools and scientifically tested techniques that work, thereby empowering you to be the very best you can be.
It is a partnership whereby I will support you on your journey of self-discovery.
Coaching is all about you. The space I will hold for you is totally confidential, free of any judgement and 100% safe. Essentially, I will act as your sounding board and motivator.
What coaching is Not?
Coaching is forward looking – it does not focus on the past or on pain, though through the coaching process a client may realize that they need therapy and may take that up as an action to pursue outside of the coaching process.
Counselling
Coaching is not therapy, though coaches sometime have to take on a counselling role. Unlike therapists and counsellors, coaches don’t focus on childhood issues or past problems. Instead they help their clients get clear on what they want in the future, why they want it, and how they are going to achieve it.
Consulting
Consultants diagnose the needs of an organization or individual and offer their own solutions based on their specialized expertise to ‘fix’ the problem; solutions which they often implement for the client as well. Coaches use tools and processes to help clients to generate their own solutions and then hold them accountable for following through.
Mentoring
Mentors are typically someone who share, teach & advice a less experienced and often younger person (the mentee). They have more experience or knowledge in the area of development needed by the mentee. Coaching is not teaching, though coaching sometimes becomes mentoring, especially if the coach has an area of expertise that weaves naturally into coaching.
What is the role of a coach?
The role of the coach is to help the client to get clear, firstly about what they really, really want, and then on how to achieve what they want. i.e. formulate inspiring goals and then motivating and facilitating the client’s journey towards the goals until they reach success. Again this may look easy until you try it. Many people are not clear and you can only coach effectively if the goal is even truly coach-able (which a coach would spot and know how to handle).
How to choose a coach that’s suitable for your needs?
A life coach coaches around any life goal – whether it be business or personal goals, from weight loss to writing a book, from balancing life and work to business building.
However, a coach’s own personal experience, background and area of interest will shape their area of specialisation.
In addition, we all vary in our approach (learn about my approach). It’s important to feel comfortable and at ease with your coach & understand what we can and cannot do for you. Please click here for a free 30-minute introductory session.
What happens during a coaching session?
A coach spends 20 – 90 minutes with a client in person or on the phone, using coaching communication skills and proven processes & tools to help the client to formulate and clarify his/her most important goals. Then focused actions are created to reach the goals. When stumbling blocks are encountered, the coach motivates and inspires the client to find solutions and to continue forward, until the goals are reached.
Depending on the need of the client, and the nature of the goal, the interval between each coaching session varies between 2 weeks to 1 month. Some clients might also choose to do single sessions every now and then when needs arise. It is totally determined by you, the client.
Why should I have a coach?
From my personal experience, the biggest advantage of coaching is that it speeds up your journey and allows you to reach your goal much faster. In my case, 10 years faster!
Numerous clients report that coaching positively impacted their careers as well as their lives by helping them to:
- Establish and take action towards achieving goals
- Become more self-reliant
- Become more self-aware
- Gain more job and life satisfaction
- Enhance relationships
- Take greater responsibility and accountability for actions and commitments
- Work more easily and productively with others
- Communicate more effectively
- And much more…
Below is an interview with the CEO of Google, Eric Schmidt, on why everyone should have a coach. Click here to contact me for a free 30 minute discussion to find out whether I can help you on your amazing journey of self-discovery!
Eric Schmidt
Chairman and CEO, Google
The advice that sticks out I got from John Doerr, who in 2001 said, “My advice to you is to have a coach.” The coach he said I should have is Bill Campbell.
I initially resented the advice, because after all, I was a CEO. I was pretty experienced. Why would I need a coach? Am I doing something wrong? My argument was, How could a coach advise me if I’m the best person in the world at this?
But that’s not what a coach does. The coach doesn’t have to play the sport as well as you do. They have to watch you and get you to be your best. In the business context a coach is not a repetitious coach. A coach is somebody who looks at something with another set of eyes, describes it to you in [his] words, and discusses how to approach the problem.
Once I realized I could trust him and that he could help me with perspective, I decided this was a great idea. When there is [a] business conflict you tend to get rat-holed into it. [Bill’s] general advice has been to rise one step higher, above the person on the other side of the table, and to take the long view. He’ll say, “You’re letting it bother you. Don’t.”
–Interview by Adam Lashinsky