what is coaching?

In this article, I tell you everything about career and personal development coaching, how it works and what you can expect from your coach.

"HELPING SOMEBODY TO MOVE FROM WHERE THEY ARE TO WHERE THEY WANT TO BE"

The purpose of coaching is to work towards your goals and achieve a change in your life. It usually starts with you thinking that something is not right in your life. It helps you find the solutions to your challenges and move forward.

It is a personal journey of self-discovery. You will learn about yourself, your personality, emotions, thought processes and behaviours.

Coaching focuses on the present and the future, rather than dwelling on the past. You will assess your current situation and define your ideal results.

How does coaching work?

The coach will usually offer to work with you over a specific number of sessions or months.

Your coaching journey starts by setting your goals and assessing your current situation. You will then clarify what you want to achieve, and how you will do it.

Throughout your journey, the coach will challenge you to explore new ways of thinking. You will look into what’s been stopping you to act. You will be tapping into your intuition, that "gut feeling" that we tend to ignore. As a result, you will find the solutions yourself and take action.

The duration of coaching is up to you. You can stop at any time when you feel you’ve reached your goal or if you feel it is not working for you.

What does a coach do?

 The coach will NOT tell you what to do.

The role of the coach is to listen to you, ask questions and challenge you. It will enable you to establish your goals, explore your self-limiting beliefs and remove inner barriers.

The coach creates a safe non-judgmental space where you can share your thoughts and feelings, explore your behaviour, be authentic and allow your emotions to come to the surface.

The coach has no other agenda than facilitating the change you want. They will not take you where they think you should go. They will keep you focused on your goal throughout the period of change.

What is expected of you?

Here’s what you can do to make the most of your coaching.

• Be open and honest – the coach is bound by confidentiality and is not there to judge you, and so feel free to share as much as you want.

• Take action – to achieve the change you want, take responsibility for your decisions and actions

• Invest your time and energy – be fully present during your coaching sessions, don’t let yourself be distracted by your phone or other worries 

• Respect your coach’s time – be on time for your sessions and give enough notice when cancelling

Coaching is for you if…

You are a student, and you’re not sure about the path you want to follow.

You are a recent graduate, and you want support in mapping out a fulfilling career.

You have already worked a few years, and you want to take stock and think about what else you could be doing.

You are unhappy in your job, and you want to brainstorm and explore new options to make a career change.

You’ve been on a career break, and you want to improve your self-confidence before starting looking for a job or changing careers.

You are a freelancer or entrepreneur, and you need help to clarify your business proposition and prioritise your actions.  

You are preparing for retirement, and you want to map out your transition.

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF COACHING?

There are several types of coaching. What you need will depend on your goal.

Life or personal coaching helps with improving aspects of your personal life. You will be working on your personal goals, such as your personal time management, work-life balance, finance management, etc.

Career or transition coaching focuses on career transitions. The coach will provide various tools and techniques to help you find out which career you want to have and how to make it happen.

Business coaching is to help entrepreneurs as they set up their business. It supports them as they build their offer, understand their customers and get to market.

Performance and skills coaching are set in the workplace. It is about improving someone’s productivity at work and developing specific skills (for example presenting, influencing. Executive coaching is for leaders to help them improve their leadership style.

Personal development (or empowerment or confidence) coaching will help you find the courage within yourself to come out of your shell and be your best self.

Relationship or dating coaching focuses on helping others meet the right person and work through their relationships.

Team or group coaching enables a group of people to work through their challenges together, by sharing their experience and coaching each other.

Wellness coaching will help you with your health and fitness goals, by breaking down unhealthy habits and giving you the tools to develop a healthy lifestyle. 

And there are many more types out there, such as sales coaching, parenting coaching, youth coaching, sports coaching, etc. Coaches usually offer a few types of coaching to a targeted demographic.

I provide career and personal development coaching

to anyone who feels bored and unhappy in their current professional situation

and want to explore new possibilities.

COACHING IS NOT ...

Counselling (or therapy), which focuses on understanding and accepting past events.

Mentoring, where you receive advice from a mentor sharing their knowledge and experience. 

Training, which gives you knowledge and solutions through a pre-defined agenda.