The term “coach” is now familiar to us all in the business domain. There are business coaches, marketing coaches, sales coaches, money coaches… Then there are mentors and their role is different too. With coaching as the second fastest growing industry in the world, gone are the days when people thought “coach” meant you were coaching the local sports team.
We’re all familiar with the term, but the reality is that there are a wide variety of services that fall under the general term “coach”. So when I say “I’m a coach”, I realise that they may mean many different things to different people. To provide clarity around my services and my role as a coach, I have put together my summary of the role of a coach. A qualified coach will be able to support you and your business in the various ways outlined below. It goes without saying that these are the roles that I take on with all of my clients to empower and support their personal and business growth.
Support in pursuing your goals
Your coach is just as committed as you are to seeing you succeed. They are there for you along the journey to encourage and support you in whatever way you need. Think of it as having a cheerleader supporting you all the way in achieving that big goal you’re going for. How good would that be? How more likely are you to achieve that goal? This is one of the fundamental benefits of having a coach.
Helping you understand what’s truly important to you
Creating a fulfilling life and business requires that you understand what is truly important to you. Life and business are not separate entities so a wholistic approach is important in order to create true fulfillment. This is easy when understand your values. A coach will help you to identify your values and explore how you can honour those values in your business and life to create fulfilling results.
Giving you a wider perspective & more options
The nature of a coaching relationship is that a coach is always creating what we call “space”. Your coach brings no personal agenda or opinions and can therefore create “space” for a wider perspective to develop. Your coach can therefore help you to see other options that you may not have considered. This process casts a wider net of opportunity and together you can consider and try out different options in order to create the results that you want. Your coach will not usually give you advice unless requested as they understand that only you can know what is truly best for you. (This is the major contrast between a coach and mentor.)
Providing a neutral sounding board
Ever just wanted to talk your ideas and thoughts out loud to someone who is really listening? This is one of the great benefits of having a coach. Instead of having those ideas remain floating around in your mind, you can put them out there and “think out loud” so-to-speak. The benefits of this alone are truly life and business-changing! This process of thinking out loud to a trusted person who knows your situation and what is important to you is invaluable in creating clarity.
Helping you create a custom action plan to get what you want
On the practical side, you cannot create results without action. Your coach will work with you to create an action plan to achieve whatever goals or changes you want to create. Having a plan is essential, as it will map out the steps you need to take, create deadlines and anticipate obstacles. With such a plan in place the likelihood of goal achievement is significantly increased.
Helping you to make decisions without giving advice
One of the biggest benefits of having a coach is in the feedback and exploration process of making important decisions. It can be difficult to try and make decisions alone and to consider all options. Your coach will work with you to help you understand what is important to you, to open up many different options and then to work through which direction to take. It is important to note that coaches do not give advice on which directions to take. Your coach will instead provide powerful questions and ways of working with you that will enhance and expedite the decision-making process.
Helping you stay on track in pursuit of your goals
This role that your coach assumes is critical in delivering the results that you want. It’s easy at the beginning to be excited and committed to your goals but inevitably priorities can slip. This is when your coach can remind you of your priorities and help you maintain consistency.
Helping you identify and work through limiting beliefs and roadblocks
This is an incredibly powerful role that your coach will provide. What prevents us from achieving our goals and creating a fulfilling life is often ourselves. We are all human and all have our own roadblocks and limits that are often unconscious. Your coach can help you bring these limiting beliefs to light when they are hindering your progress. A qualified coach can then help you work through these limitations to create new options and ways forward.
Creating more self-awareness
Overall, working with your coach will help you develop more self-awareness. The nature of the coaching process involves asking powerful questions. These questions open up new perspectives and ways of doing things. They often provoke a deeper reflection upon your thoughts and actions which brings with it a new sense of awareness. You will understand how you work and what is going on within yourself on a deeper level. This self-awareness brings new growth and opportunities both for yourself and your business.
The relationship you have with your coach is a very unique relationship. The rapport between you both is the foundation of the whole coaching process. When this is aligned, you will have a great coaching experience and create great results.