If you could have sorted it out, fixed it, moved forward, got unstuck, changed the outcomes you are getting, achieved personal and professional growth or got clarity on what next to do, you would have done t by now! These words though simple, challenged me my long-held thoughts about my ability to change things about me.
Perhaps the reluctance or apathy where coaching is concerned is largely due to the lack of understanding of what the profession is all about, to the proliferation of 2-3 days seminar attendees (I heard a new term “studio coaches”) who proclaim themselves to be coaches to the fact that it’s a growing profession without regulation yet.
I can tell you all about Coaching, give you definitions and explain what it is and isn’t but I personally feel the best way to get people to understand what Coaching is all about is when they experience it. Coaching is future-focused and is about moving you from your current state to a desired state. There are so many apt definitions, here are a couple to give a general overview.
“Partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential” – The International Coaching Federation
“A collaborative solution-focused, results-orientated and systematic process in which the coach facilitates the enhancement of performance, life experience, self-directed learning and personal growth of individuals and organizations” – Anthony Grant
”Coaching isn’t therapy. It’s product development, with you as the product.” Fast Company
“A coach is someone who tells you what you don’t want to hear, who has you see what you don’t want to see, so you can be who you have always known you could be.” Tom Landry
That said, the benefits attributed to Coaching are numerous. The outcome of research done over the years by ICF and PriceWaterhouse Coopers. People who have experienced professional coaching have attested to improvements self-confidence, work performance, relationships, business management, communication skills, time management, team effectiveness and life/work balance or integration.
The focus in a coaching conversation is the individual and the agenda solely his/hers. This is a partnership where you have someone for a determined period of time in your corner, listening to all you say and don’t say; challenging with care, your beliefs and stories you have held on to which may require re-examination to determine their validity; reflects back to you, your words, emotions noticed; champions your accomplishments; evokes transformation as your awareness is heightened, thinking is deepened and widened, perspectives broadened, you begin to see different options available and you chart a course to your desired outcomes.
We see global change makers, accomplished men and women who have worked with a professional Coach at some point attest to the power and impact of Coaching. The famous quote attributed to Bill Gates “Everyone needs a Coach”, really makes a case for the profession to be available to all.
Whislt one is advocating for Coaching as an integral part of society, helping people to unleash the enormous potential within, it is equally important to provide guidance on how to go about choosing a Coach. Which Coach would be most appropriate for you? More to come on this….
Coaching transforms!
Adeyanju Olomola
CEO/Lead Coach
The Source Coaching Ltd
Snippets from gemWOMAN magazine, Vol. 13 No. 2. To read more inspiring articles, subscribe today at www.dudureads.com . To stay connected with gemWOMAN magazine for more articles, videos, stories, testimonies, prayers and more, visit
https://magazine.gemwoman.net/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr2FWs63VQqzXMGXZEWLYQw/videos, https://www.facebook.com/Gemmagazines/, Www.instagram.com/gemmagazines to join the inspirational community!