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FAQ's
[Frequently Asked Questions] about coaching
- What
is coaching?
- How
is coaching different from consulting? Therapy? Sports coaching?
A best friend?
- What
is the basic philosophy of coaching?
- Who
hires a coach and why?
- What
happens when you hire a coach?
- Where
does the coach focus with an average client?
- Why
does coaching work?
- Why
is coaching becoming so popular?
- Please,
give me some context about coaching...
- What
about people who are already doing really well in their
lives. Why would they need a coach?
- Can
a dependency be created between coach and client?
- Can
coaching hurt someone?
- Can
I hire a coach just for a short-term, special project?
- How
long must I commit if I start working with a coach?
What
is Coaching ?
Coaching is a new
profession. Coaches:
- Help people
set better goals and then reach those goals.
- Ask their clients
to do more than they would have done on their own.
- Help their client
to focus better so as to produce results more quickly.
- Provide clients
with the tools, support and structure to accomplish more.
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.
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to top
Who
hires a coach and why?
People hire a coach because
- They want more.
- They want to
grow.
- They want to
do things more easily.
It's as simple
as that. Coaches help a client get all three, quickly.
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to top
What
happens when you hire a coach?
Many things, but the most important are:
- You take yourself
more seriously.
- You take more
effective and focused actions immediately.
- You stop putting
up with what is dragging you down.
- You create momentum
so that it's easier to get results.
- You set better
goals that are more exactly what YOU want.
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.
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to top
Why
does coaching work?
Coaching works for several reasons:
- Synergy between
the coach and client creates momentum.
- Better goals
are set -- ones that naturally pull the client toward the
goal rather than goals that require the client to push themselves
to the goal.
- The client develops
new skills, and these skills translate into more success.
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.
Please,
give me some context about coaching...
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.
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