Coaching - Is It Right For You? (p.43)

By Rhonda Sutton

All of the successful athletes have had coaches who have helped them on their paths to triumph and victory. But did you know that coaching is not just for athletes? Coaches now exist for those who are struggling with professional and personal issues; it is just a matter of deciding if coaching is right for you and then identifying the best coach for what you want to accomplish. For example, an ice skater is not going to hire a hockey coach to help her get to the Olympics. Having knowledge about the area you want to work on is important in terms of finding the coach that will be best for you.

Coaching is not for the faint of heart. A good coach will be forthright with you and not “let you off the hook,” should you back down from a challenge or retreat to former habits that keep you from being the best you can be. He or she will also provide you with a balance of support and challenge, offering encouragement as you make progress and challenging you when you need to gain a different perspective. Coaching is for those who want more out of themselves and out of their life. A good coach forms a trusting, honest partnership with you, helping you identify your strengths and weaknesses and working with you to explore your dreams and desires. Assessments may be a part of the coaching process so that you and your personal coach can help you identify what you want and what you need to do to maximize the potential that exists within you. Any issue or problem can benefit from coaching; getting to the core of these is essential to a productive coaching experience.

Goal-setting is another component of good coaching. More than likely you have goals, but do you have experience not meeting them? A good coach helps you to understand the things that have inhibited your “goal getting.” Most importantly, he or she will assist you with establishing action-oriented goals, rather than results-oriented goals. What’s the difference? Telling yourself you want to lose weight is a great goal … but exactly how are you going to make weight loss happen? Establishing objectives of “exercising five times a week for at least 30 minutes each time” or “eating more fruits and vegetables every day along with smaller portions” are examples of action-oriented goals that will lead you to the overall result you desire. Having a reward system for meeting your goals is also important, as is having incremental steps at assessing how well you are progressing with meeting them.

Having a coach who helps you define what is truly important to you is also vital to a productive coaching relationship. You want to make sure you are focusing your efforts on the things that are most important to your vision of what it is you want to accomplish. A good coach will help you identify where to place your energy as well as what is not important to spend time focusing on. A main idea behind coaching is to help you zone in on the areas that need attention so that knowledge is acquired and skills can be developed.

Keep in mind that coaching is not counseling. It is for you if you are already functioning at a reasonable level, have the desire to make changes, and have the capability to reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. A good coach helps you figure out what you need to focus upon in order to overcome the challenges or improve the areas that are blocking you from the success you seek. It will take some time, so you can expect to spend at least three months or more working with a coach. Meetings may be by phone or in person and are usually once a week with the opportunity to touch base briefly via e-mail or phone between scheduled sessions.

So, ask yourself, “Do I need a coach to help me develop certain skills, overcome some challenges, or provide me with the sounding board I need to realize my potential?” It is definitely a relationship worth having!

Dr. Rhonda Sutton is a licensed professional counselor and the owner of innerSights Coaching and Consultation. She can be reached at rhondasutton@nc.rr.com or visit www.innersights.net.