Coaching is recognized as a powerful vehicle for improving performance, achieving results and optimizing personal effectiveness. There are many definitions of coaching but they all share one common theme: that of empowering people by facilitating self-directed learning, personal growth and personal performance.
What is Coaching?
“Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential”. (ICF 2016).
“Coaching is facilitating the client’s learning process by using professional methods and techniques to help the client to improve what is obstructive and nurture what is effective, in order to reach the client’s goals”. (EMCC 2016)
Coaching is focused on the here and now as opposed to looking at the past. It is about moving into the future, taking into account the realities that exist in the present. Coaching is a confidential process. Coaching creates a safe space that allows awareness to be brought to the situation. This awareness helps the client to recognise where they are and where they would like to be. From there, the client can set a meaningful goal they would like to achieve. Coaching really is about change. It allows the client to identify what needs to change and what action steps need to be taken in order to achieve their goal.
Coaching Process
There are many different coaching models a coach can use during the coaching conversation. However, the underlying concept of coaching is that the client is the expert in their life and the role of the coach is to be a facilitator of learning. Coaching is the skill of providing ongoing and specific feedback in a supportive manner for employee learning, development and improvement. It is a process aimed at exerting a positive influence to improve the behaviour or performance of a person. The coach therefore is not directive and is not seen as an expert. The coach is there to help the client to learn, not there to teach them, so that the client can improve their own performance. This is the key difference between coaching and teaching.
The coaching spirit believes in human potential for greatness. It understands that everyone has the power and knowledge within themselves to unlock their true potential and coaching helps to bring out the best in people.
How can Career Coaching help you?
Career Coaching can help many professionals like you to achieve meaningful professional goals. However, career coaching can only work if the client is committed to the coaching process. Before you sign up to attend any career coaching sessions, it is important to identify if being coached is for you. If you have not been coached previously, if career coaching is a new concept for you, or you have some doubts about it, take some time to see if you identify with any of these questions:
Are you stuck in a career rut?
Have you been in the same role for a long time and you have lost the sense of why you are doing what you are doing? If the purpose has faded and you are pretty much in groundhog day, career coaching can help you to gain some clarity and identify some meaningful professional goals.
Are you looking to progress your career?
Do you feel ready for that promotion or to make a meaningful change in your career? If you don’t know what is next for you in your career of if you don’t really know where to start, career coaching can help you to create a realistic plan to help you to progress.
Do you skills need fine tuning?
Perhaps you have recently been promoted to a leadership role and you are now managing a larger team. This promotion is fantastic but you realised that you need to improve some of your own skills, such as delegation, communication or time management. Coaching will be able to help you to improve these skills in a supportive and confidential space.
Would you like to be more fulfilled in the workplace?
If you are finally sick of feeling miserable every day and you are ready to take control of your professional life, career coaching can help you to feel more energised with a renewed sense of purpose in your career.
Would you like a better work life balance
If you are struggling with the workload that comes with your promotion and you would like assistance to create a better work life balance, then consider attending some career coaching sessions to achieve this goal.
Are you struggling with processing a difficult emotion that is impacting on your work?
Coaching is a confidential conversation that will provide a safe and supportive space to help you with this
If you want to learn more about how career coaching can help you, feel free to get in touch with me. I hope you enjoyed reading this article and feel free to share this article with anyone you feel might benefit from it.