Having a good coach provides: a more accurate picture of our reality, a breakdown of our actions, and then helps to build them back up again. "It's not how good you are now; it's how good you're going to be that really matters." - Atul Gawande
A life or career coach is someone professionally trained to help you maximize your full potential and reach your desired results. They are like a supportive friend and a trusted adviser rolled into one, someone who will push you to identify your goals, hold you accountable and provide encouragement throughout your journey to become a better version of yourself.
Along with providing the support and motivation essential for maintaining momentum, coaches can observe when a client is stuck or needs to recalibrate their goals. As a result, clients often achieve those goals more quickly and efficiently than they would if working on their own.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF LIFE OR CAREER COACHING?
Many people view working with a coach as a means of bridging the gap between their current circumstances and the life they would like to lead. The following are some of the positive outcomes that could result from joining forces with a life or career coach.
1. Identifying goals and defining a vision for success
Understanding where you would like to be in the future and the steps to get there can be invaluable, but for many individuals this can be an overwhelming and daunting prospect. When we go through the motions every day, we often find ourselves caught up in a never ending race, chasing a vision of success that was handed down to us, instead of one created with care and intentionality.
When you work with a life or career coach, you begin to connect to yourself fully, allowing yourself to design and create the life you want based on your own standards.
Christina Rupprecht, a German professional boxer who has held the WBC female mini-flyweight title since 2018 explains: “My coach saw my potential and developed a vision for me. Without my coach, I wouldn't be a champion today. I would have stopped boxing, but he kept believing in me, he saw my potential and developed a vision for me.”
“I met my coach when I was 12 years old and I still have the same coach today. Our relationship is based on deep trust and he knows me very well. If something is wrong, he sees that when I enter the gym before he even talks to me. He helped me to realize my dream of becoming a world champion and we did a lot to achieve that goal and in 2018, we realized that dream. I defended my title four times and the journey goes on.”
2. Creating professional and personal growth plans
Ask anyone who has tried to switch careers, develop a new skill, improve a relationship, or break a bad habit, change is hard. And yet, for most people change will at some point be necessary, it is a critical step toward fulfilling their potential and achieving their goals, both private and professional. A coach can help to reframe your personal narrative in a way that sets you up for an empowering and exciting new chapter.
3. Partnership and support
The relationship between a client and their coach is like a creative partnership, both parties must be fully engaged and ready to do the work. Most importantly, coaches are a source of support and comfort, unconditional positive regard and creating a non-judgmental environment is fundamental for the clients to be able to face their fears, worries and concerns. The comfort for a person being coached comes from being challenged with care to set and meet goals with courage, conviction and accountability.
Coaches encourage their clients to be their true selves in the coaching relationship by being fully open, genuine and honest. The clients see that the coach accepts them for who they are and therefore find it easier to accept themselves and face their fears assisting in a difficult transition.
“You stand alone in the ring, but after each round, you go back to the corner. You can win because you know there's someone in your corner who believes in you and that is what makes you strong” says Christina.
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Even at our best, we all have blind spots that prevent us from seeing the whole picture of our lives and thoughts, habits and behaviors that hinder our growth. Living your best personal and professional life requires self-reflection and continual personal development. Whether ascending the corporate ladder or paving a path all on your own as an entrepreneur, one fact remains true, and that is that we all need a little support.
Stefanie Peters “enable2grow” founder and CEO explains: “My most significant coach was a personal coach. She had a coaching experience on a more psychological level. I needed that because I had some personal, family issues, and that really bothered me at the time. Even though we didn't know each other very well , we immediately connected. I trust her, I felt like she's the right one for me and she was the perfect mirror. In the end, building trust by being honest and authentic is the most important and most valuable.”
Coaches are the ones who really help you and drive impact. If you want to grow personally or professionally, find a coach who can help you develop new skills, gain new perspectives, or provide you with valuable shortcuts. Only then can you grow further.
Ultimately, A good coach will motivate you to get out of your comfort zone. You simply can’t advance by standing still, you need to push yourself to acquire more skills, more knowledge, and more experience.
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