If you have never had a coach, you might wonder what to expect. How does it feel? What will we talk about?
The answer to the first question is that it should feel supportive, open and trusting. It is a real privilege to be a coach. To have the opportunity to listen, without judging, to the stories and challenges of people's roles and lives. That's why each programme starts with a chemistry session, to make sure the relationship will work.
But what then? Well, the first thing to expect is lots of questions. And time to think about the answers. To really feel the answers. To get to the deeper truth about yourself and your ambitions.
With this in mind, there are two really key areas of focus in my relationship with clients. Goals and Values.
Goals are vital to ensure that the client gets what the client wants. It is important that we don't just talk, but that the questioning moves the client forward. Part of the art of a good coach is to keep this in mind all the time, while letting the client range around in conversation, exploring their reality. When done expertly, the client closes each session and each programme with a really clear idea of exactly what they are going to do next.
But, how do you know what you really want? Often clients don't have clear goals at the start of the relationship. They know what they want to move away from, but not what they want to grow towards.
In this case, a vital part of the coaching process is to help the client to understand their deeply held values. Once this is clear they can see exactly how to apply their values to the task at hand, as well as how they can inform their goals for the future. They often then find that the next steps to take become really obvious and they can take those steps with confidence.
Values and goals are just two of the themes we could explore through coaching. If you'd like to know more, please book an introductory session, or get in touch for a discussion about a structured coaching programme.
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