Jenny was feeling stuck. Despite years of being a star performer and the company’s go-to-girl for getting-it-done, she just wasn’t feeling accomplished anymore. She knew she needed to a change but couldn’t quite figure out what. Finally, she decided to get out of her head and talk it things out with someone. Perhaps an external view might help … Three months later, Jenny applied for a sabbatical and went back to school to re-certify in a new field, thanks to the advice of a career coach.
Mark was perplexed. On paper and throughout three sets of interviews, the new hire seemed to be “the one”. Yet, 5 months in, all he had to show was a bunch of complaints about the new guy’s style and a stalled strategy. All the same, his gut instinct insisted that this was the guy; it was also telling him that he must be missing something. He picked up the phone … Two months, three business and emotional intelligence coaching sessions, and a few stylistic tweaks later, Mark’s gut was proven right. He confirmed his successor, along with new realistic targets that the company could rally behind, with confidence!
The Chairman read the report and smiled. Three months post start up, the new operations team were gelling and already hitting their targets and then some! The investors would be pleased. He certainly was! He was so glad he happened to see that video while browsing the internet, about the value of investing in team and leadership development at the front end, rather than after problems showed up. He was glad he was able to find a local resource who partnered him with the right coach.
Are you feeling stuck like Jenny, in need of validation for your decisions like Mark, or forwarding thinking like the Chairman? Or perhaps your are facing some other challenge to your personal or business growth and development. Coaching provides a safe space for individuals or groups to explore problems, reframe and reflect on issues and develop solutions and ultimately make decisions and action plans to achieve goals. Still not sure if you need a coach? Check out the ABC’s of how coaching can help:
Accountability – Are you making plans but not getting started? Setting targets but missing them? Having a coach as an accountability partner can help your stay focused on your outcomes, or help your recalibrate your plans and targets, when “life happens” and you get off-track.
Burnout – Feeling mentally, physically or emotionally exhausted by life and living? Burnout is common occurrence with modern life. Working with a good life or business coach can help you explore what’s wearing you down and find meaningful solutions.
Confidence – Feeling like you know what you want to do but still not sure if to do, or how? Coaching
Development – Feeling stuck in the same place while other seem to be progressing? Whether for personal, professional or business reasons, we all need to grow and stretch lest we stagnate. Coaching can help you plan pathways to success, grow and thrive.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) – Do you seem to run into conflict, have communication breakdowns, or have trouble engaging others? Working with an EQ coach, can help you learn how to use emotions as data, to build self-awareness and adapt how you think, feel, and act to get the results you want.
Fresh Perspectives – Feeling like you’re treading water? Looking for breakthrough solutions? Coaching can help you view your view existing issues in new ways and surface new insights.
Goals – Are you challenged to set attainable goals? Coaching helps you walk through your ideas, define end outcomes, and set intermediary goals and concrete targets to get you there.
Health – Are you living your best life? An expert in healthy living can help you evaluate and calibrate your lifestyle patterns (nutrition, sleep, physical activity, stress, recreation).
Introspection – Need to take a step back and figure out what’s next? Perhaps you want to look back at the choices that “got you here”, before you decide what is needed to “get you there”? Coaching provides a safe and comfortable space for exploration and decision-making.
Job Satisfaction – Ever wondered if your performance or quality of life is being affected by the work you do? It could be that you’re not in the right job for you or you’re lacking a plan to move your career forward. A performance or career coach can help you exam and plan a career path that is a good fit for your qualifications, interests, and personal and professional goals.
Kick-Off – Is the new hire not fitting in, concerned that that the new project team might not gel, or do you want to give yourself an extra edge in your new post? Kick-start your new job or team with coaching support.
Leadership – Are your tasked with delivery results through people? Then you might be a leader. In this role, coaching can help develop your skills for people management, strategic thinking and decision-making, for individuals and teams.
Mindfulness – Feel like you’re drifting through life? Is your goal attainment hit or miss? Channel your energy and efforts by learning how to be present, and deliberate and act with intention.
Navigation – When you don’t know where you’re going, any road can get you there. But having a coach along for the ride can make the journey more pleasant, alert you to things in your blind spots and help you stay the course.
Productivity and Performance – How much you or your team gets done and how well they do it affects the bottom-line. Coaching can make a difference in how a business survives and thrives, by boosting individual performance, team-work, and executive effectiveness.
Quality Improvement – No matter how good you are, having an outside perspective can help you improve. Think about it – have you ever seen a top sports team or athlete excel without a coach? Individuals and groups can similarly benefit.
Resilience – Feeling down for the count and need help getting back up? Coaching support can help you get past grief, grievances and disappointments, by creating a safe space to confront your past, address your fears and mentally reset for success.
Sustainability – It’s one thing to achieve success, staying there or moving higher takes even more work. Understanding how to match goals and actions with values, strengths and passions is the only way to sustain success. Coaching can support maintain individual and group to stay aligned and adaptive.
Transition and transformation – Does achieving your life goals need incremental or disruptive changes? Working with a coach can help you make those decisions meaningful and lasting in any desired area of your life – health, career, relationships, finances, well-being.
Understanding – How well do you understand yourself and others? Self-awareness and the walk in someone else’s shoes can be improved through coaching, allowing you to improve relationships and get better results.
Validation – Even the best of us have self-doubts. Still having well-thought plans greatly increases the likelihood of success. A good coach can help concretize decisions by providing a soundboard for ideas and be non-judgmental “hole puncher” to boost confidence and self-assurance.
Well-being – Feeling comfortable, healthy and happy requires balanced choices, a supportive community and access to resources. Coaching can support effective choices for life-style management; relationships and financial well-being.
X-factor – Do you know what makes you special? Performance or Innovation coaching can help you figure out and leverage this against other candidates and competitors.
Youths – As a parent, teacher or youth adviser, are you feeling challenged? Having problems with communication and connection with your kids or young people? Or perhaps you have observed a young person struggling. A coach who specializes in parenting, education or youth emotional intelligence can work with problematic kids or partner with you to help you help kids develop life and relational skills.
Zeal – Have you lost your zest for life? Trouble getting out of bed in the morning? Coaching can help you define what motivates you and translate that into new rules for your life or career that will keep you going and inspire those around you.
That’s our list from A-Z. What do you think? Did we leave anything out? Let us know in the comments below.
At the end of day, coaching, whether for personal, professional or business growth, has become a cornerstone for accelerated decision-making, transformational change, higher productivity. It works for individuals and groups, irrespective of age, status, stage of life or industry. All that is required is openness to be coached and a bit of shopping around to find the right coach for your needs. Fortunately, there are ample resources to help you do just that, including the Massy Learning Institute’s Coaching Centre
Antonia Ferrier
