There has been increasing evidence that both business coaching and life coaching has become one of the most powerful methods of personal development. A coach helps people achieve their career and personal goals. Using effective coaching methods, people are able to design actionable plans that motivate and inspire them at each level, while helping them maintain and reach their next important milestone.
Defining Goals
The first step in a typical coaching process is defining who the client is by taking a look at what they want to accomplish and why. Once that has been determined, the coach and client work on:
– Mapping out several immediate and long term goals
– Identifying challenges that could be faced
– Considering potential solutions to challenges
– Creating feasible, satisfying and appropriate action plans to begin the process
It is always beneficial to have a support system in place that includes family and friends. However, well meaning advice cannot take the place of the experience and guidance that a life coach offers. One of the most important aspects concerning this is that a professional offers impartial guidance.
Because they do not have an intimate relationship with their clients, they are in a position to help expose truths about who they are and what they really want to accomplish. Even the most progressive personal relationships can easily become hampered due to emotional connections. Besides, friends generally have their own particular mindsets that may not actually be applicable to all circumstances. A business coach sidesteps this by using more logical, yet exploratory tactics to help clients reach goals.
Case Studies
Coaching is such an all inclusive process that its strategies can be applied to virtually any career situation. There are many success stories that have been shared by people from all industries, at every age level and at various stages of their careers. For example:
1. Jennifer was in her early 30s and held a finance degree. While she had been gratified by her work as a financial adviser and the excitement of working in the Financial District, she had begun to feel stifled, particularly by the corporate structure. She found a life coach in San Francisco who helped her isolate what she found dissatisfying – corporate policies and rules and honing in on what she loved. Jennifer was able to transition from corporate work into starting her own consulting business.
2. Steven was anxious to show his Austin based company that he was capable enough to apply for a management position. His business coach was able to help him design a plan of action as well as motivate him to follow it. Within very little time, Steven’s superiors noticed his accomplishments and contributions and rewarded him with a newly created job that he himself helped to create, based upon company needs.
3. Ron was in his later mid-life years and had always wanted to start his own business, completely unrelated to his education or the work he had been doing. His coach helped him devise a strategy including all of the steps necessary to achieve his goal. Because the coach understood how to apply progressive goal achievement techniques – Ron opened his business within a short time period. When Ron was ready to take his New York business to the next level, the coach assisted him in expanding overseas.
Ultimately, each person is responsible to determine what their life and career purposes are. However, a coach can use proven techniques that assist greatly by accelerating achievements using their expertise, support and commitment to their client’s success – you can get there much faster with a coach than you ever could on your own.
