Coaching 101
What is coaching?
Coaching is personalized to your individual needs and includes working one-on-one with a coach over an extended period of time to achieve your personal and/or professional goals.
What is coaching not?
Coaching is often confused with mentoring. While both are very important, they are different. Mentoring focuses on sharing experiences and offering advice often to those with less experience whereas coaching is a guided process centered upon asking questions, self-reflection, increasing awareness and creating action plans.
What are the benefits?
It’s important that you are committed to the coaching process & willing to put in the work. If you are, coaching will support you in:
* Defining your goals, creating an action plan & making continuous progress towards achieving results
* Expediting your growth as a leader
* Increasing independence and confidence with problem-solving & decision-making skills
* Forging stronger relationships with team members, colleagues and superiors
Is coaching effective?
Absolutely. The International Coaching Federation found that:
80% of clients improved their self-confidence
73% of clients improved their relationships
72% of clients improved their communication skills
67% of clients improved their work-life balance
Is coaching right for me?
If you are committed and open to change then coaching can be extremely powerful in helping you achieve your goals.
What is a discovery call?
The purpose of this call is to determine if you and your coach are a good fit based on your goals and coaching needs. Prior to the call, you’ll complete a brief pre-coaching questionnaire. During the call, you and your coach will discuss your goals in greater detail & how coaching can help. Lastly, your coach will also answer any questions you have.
What can I expect at my first coaching session?
You and your coach will begin building a foundation for your coaching relationship including:
* Discussing how you will work together, coaching & communication style and expectations
* Discuss your challenges & goals specifically where you are today vs. where you want to be
* Define what success looks for you. This enables you and your coach create a plan for measuring results
How will subsequent sessions work?
Coaching is most effective when completed on an ongoing basis. You can expect the following:
* You’ll begin with setting the purpose & desired outcome of each session
* Progress check-in and celebrate wins (no matter how small)
* Your coach will ask questions and guide the conversation to encourage reflection, new perspectives and progress towards the desired result
* Each session will conclude with key takeaways and commitments for the next session.
“With the right kind of coaching and determination you can accomplish anything.”