TEST DRIVE A LIFE COACH BEFORE YOU DECIDE
Are you feeling a bit low ?Feeling stressed at the office ? Want to climb the corporate ladder ? Are your relationships suffering ? Know you could do better but not sure how ?Needing some changes in your life ?Have set some goals but can never achieve them ?
These questions are just some of the reasons why life coaching has become an indispensable tool for so many individuals.Not every body has the skills to take their life in their desired direction.Fact is, very few people can go it alone.And that’s the main driver behind the growing popularity of life coaching and executive coaching.The basic function of a life coach is to help others to achieve their goals.
A recent global study which surveyed coaching clients from over 60 countries found that self-esteem/self-confidence and work/life balance were the two dominant categories for people seeking coaching.Ninety per cent of people surveyed said they’d experienced a positive change as a result of coaching.Fifty two percent of survey participants said their self-esteem / self-confidence had been positive impacted through coaching although that hadn’t been the main objective of the coaching engagement.Some of the other reasons or coaching were given as work performance, relationships and communication skills.
Coaching is one of today’s buzzwords.But what actually is coaching ?One way of explaining it is to say what coaching isn’t.Coaching isn’t the same as therapy or counselling.It also isn’t the same as training, consulting or mentoring.It won’t go over past history, nor will it provide a solution for the future.
Coaching enables individuals to achieve fulfillment. It’s a creative process that inspires people to maximise their personal as well as their professional potential.Coaching helps people to develop their own abilities, make changes for the better, set and achieve goals and overcome challenges and importantly, coaching helps people to find their own solutions.It is non-judgmental and doesn’t impose on people - instead it draws out rather than puts in and develops, not imposes. It’s a flexible process, unique to each client, so that personal transition can be made on an individual basis.
And that’s the key. Coaches work with clients to help them find the answers themselves.A coach can work with an individual as well as with a team, or a group or even a whole organisation.
What is required to make the coaching relationship work?”The client has to understand that there’s a gap between where they are and where they want to be in life,” says a leading life coach in Perth, Jennifer Atkins.”The client has to be prepared to take responsibility for closing that gap by learning, growing and developing.”
Making a decision on a coach is almost like buying a car.You wouldn’t invest in a car without doing your research, looking at the history of the car (the coach’s credentials), read the service book (track history) and test-driving. A good coach will offer an obligation-free trial which helps the client learn more about the coach and see if the chemistry works.
Not very many people would say they don’t want the most from their life.Life coaching can help you achieve fulfilment, balance, happiness and success.What about going for a test drive with a leading Perth life coach today and see how far you can go together ?