What is Coaching?

Coaching has developed over the last 20-25 years from total obscurity to become a well defined and maturing discipline. 

The use of the word coaching has changed from a word almost immediately associated with sports to one used by a very wide range of people and professions to describe what they do.

While this may be strong evidence that coaching fills an important need in the market, it may also give the impression that everything to do with personal change, growth and development is "coaching".

If that were indeed true, we could perhaps dispense with the word "coaching" altogether and just call it "everything".

Ok, jokes aside. Let me share with you some thoughts about what coaching is and how it applies to you.

How to think about coaching

Coaching brings you together with a coach in a collaborative relationship that uses discovery, goal setting and strategic actions to realize extraordinary results.

Coaching is also a style of relating specifically focused on developing your potential as an individual that combines an extensive body of knowledge with many new technologies.

Coaching puts the responsibility for results squarely where it belongs: with you. It's about your life and your goals. Only you can make it happen, whatever the "it" happens to be.

This makes coaching different from traditional consulting where the consultant is responsible for "delivering" specific results. Your coach will be responsible only for supporting you in delivering the results yourself.

Coaching is forward looking and is concerned with growing and developing the whole you now and in the future.

This makes coaching different from therapy which is focused on healing something broken that often has roots in specific, past incidents.

This also makes coaching different from sports coaching where the emphasis is on peak performance in one particular area of your life, often to the exclusion of nearly everything else.

Benefits of working with a coach

Here are the six major benefits of working with a coach. With a coach, you will:

1. Take more, better and smarter actions because you set the goals you really want.
   
   Ultimately, people do what they really want to do anyway. And to find out exactly what you really want for yourself and your business is our first task together. I help you to distinguish between what you could, should, ought to and have to want from what you, in your heart of hearts, really want for yourself. Once you create the ideal goal, you're much more likely to naturally and consistently take actions to reach it .



2. Have a balanced life which works well because you designed it "selfishly"
   
   Having it all means starting with a balanced life. That means it's time to be very, very selfish. Not egotistical, but Selfish. With a capital S. I'll show you how to be selfish yet responsible. And how to get your needs met and still have people like you! (This process is called establishing your Personal Foundation and there are only 25 steps. You'll love building your foundation because you know you're worth it.) You need this base if you are to be your Self.



3. Make and keep more money because you are worth more than you're making
   
   You know you can make (and keep) more money, so why don't you? I'll help you increase your business, fill your practice, pay off old bills, set up a financial plan and future and help design a strategy for you to earn more from your professional efforts.



4. Reach for more and not be consumed in the process
   
   When anyone has a partner they trust, they will always reach for more because they can afford to.



5. Make better decisions for yourself and your business because your focus is clear
   
   The smart people use coaches. Why? Because they know the value of sharing ideas with someone who understands them and is subjective enough to want a lot for them, yet objective enough not to be biased or self-serving. Just you talking about your options with someone who can listen is often enough to have it all become very clear. You'll always get my honest, constructive views .



6. Have a lot more sustainable energy so you won't be just chugging along anymore
   
   When you're happy, productive and free from tolerations and problems, you're obviously going to feel better.

The bottom line here is this: Working with a coach will get you where you are going faster than working on your own. Why? Because as you go about your day, you have to deal with all the details of your life and it's very common to get stuck. Your coach helps you get unstuck faster by being there for you to work it through together.

The role of your coach

I think it is safe to say that all of us restrict what kinds of personal issues we discuss with the various people close to us. Even if they are the best possible people, they naturally have their own goals and aspirations for your relationship. We can probably assume that few of them have the training or skills necessary to assist you in setting the right goals for you and doing what needs to be done. Coaching emerged to fit that particular role in your support group.

Here are the most common coaching roles from a survey by the International Coaching Federation:

If you look at these roles, you'll see that they boil down to two types:

1. A friendly, sympathetic listener
   
2. A guide

While everyone has a need for a listener, not everyone needs or wants guidance with the same things. That's why many coaches are beginning to develop their own specializations.

How coaching is done

The most common coaching model is telecoaching by phone consisting of 3 half-hour sessions per month. Most coaches offer some level of email support, as well, in between the scheduled calls.

Coaching can also be on demand where the client calls the coach whenever the need arises. This is great for very busy peple who travel a great deal. On demand coaching is usually a special arrangement between the coach and the client.

Another popular service is laser coaching. Laser coaching is fast, probing and narrowly focused. It is particularly well suited to people who have reached a good balance in their lives and are continuing their personal development from a strong personal foundation.

In corporate coaching situations, coaching is often done face-to-face either one-on-one or in groups. Group coaching is well suited to situations with a common theme and a significant teaching component. Overall, teleclasses and conference calls are the most common ways to deliver group coaching services.

Book Your FREE Introductory Session! Did this wet your appetite? Still not sure what coaching is or how it might benefit you? One easy way to learn more is to get in touch to schedule a 30 minute free coaching session by phone to determine if my coaching is a fit for you. Bring your goals, objectives and challenges to see what we can achieve in half an hour. You'll know if this will work for you, or if the time is not right! Email me now at coach@digitalnorseman.com and get the ball rolling for you.