Why work with a Coach?
Though the idea of professional coaching has grown in popularity and understanding, people still wonder what personal coaching is all about. How do you know if you need one? What do coaches do? Sometime ago, we stumbled across the following description of a coach:
“A coach is a cheerleader, a director, a strategist, an ass-kicker, keeps you on task and sees in you what you may not see in yourself. She holds the vision when you can’t see it. She guides you to the light switch so you can turn it on. She won’t let you quit.” ~ Anonymous
We love this description because it truly does describe the many roles we will play as your coach. Read on.
could you use someone like this by your side?
Cheerleader - Feeling down and defeated? A coach will help you remember all the times you excelled, went above and beyond, felt on top of the world. She'll remind you of your strengths and point out the achievements you tend to minimize or overlook all together. Your success is her success; and she will make you celebrate each one of them!
Director - Have you plateaued in your life, your job, or a relationship? Don't know what your next steps should be? Think of your coach as a director. She will challenge you to maintain a consistent trajectory of growth and help you avoid the obstacles that may arise. She'll ask just the right questions that will help you discover insights that move you forward and see the pitfalls before you stumble. She'll remind you when it's time to take ACTION and encourage you to take a break (be kind to yourself) when you need to.
Strategist - Feeling stuck or don't know where to start? A strategist is a person who can formulate and implement a strategy which generally involves setting goals, determining actions to achieve the goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions. That's exactly what a good coach will help you do - clarify what you want to achieve, help you set achievable goals, and determine the actions you need to take to achieve them.
Ass Kicker - Well, not literally. But a coach will be your accountability partner and keep you focused on producing consistent results. Not doing what you said you would do? Unacceptable! Climb back on that horse and get 'er done!
Coaching to help you get unstuck, overcome challenges, shift mindset, achieve your goals.
The role of a coach
Whether we’re talking about an athletic coach or a performance development coach, the coach’s main purpose is to improve performance and raise the client or team’s level of achievement and success. Simply put, a coach helps to take the individual or team from where they are now to where they need to be. There are multiple ways in which the coach accomplishes this.
She sees in you what you may not see in yourself. We humans are SO HARD on ourselves. We tend to downplay and doubt our capabilities - if we see them at all. Good coaches have an uncanny ability to see you in the best possible light, steadfast in the knowledge that you have the skills and abilities to achieve the seemingly impossible. A coach will help you increase your faith in your abilities and see what an awesomely powerful person you are.
She holds the vision when you can't see it. When you're feeling overwhelmed and just plain tired of the struggle, a coach reminds you of the why behind your efforts. What's the vision you had in mind? A promotion? A college degree? A new relationship? Financial freedom? Your coach will hold that vision for you, dangle it in front of you to build excitement and anticipation, and use it to ignite and fan the flames of your motivational fire.
She guides you to the light switch so you can turn it on. Sometimes, you just can't see the forest for the trees. You get so close to an issue or a situation that you lose all perspective and simply can't see how a solution or work around might be possible. A coach will help you see your situation more objectively by asking just the right questions -- questions that seem to unlock your inner wisdom so that suddenly, the way seems clear.
She won't let you quit. If you know the reason behind your failure is that you give up too easily, or perhaps everything you know to do simply hasn't worked and you don't know where to turn next, enlist the help of a coach. A coach won't let you quit. Just like coaches who keep athletes on track, a personal coach will help you boost your performance and achieve your full potential.
