Coaching

What is coaching?

Coaching involves an ongoing partnership between the coach and the client which is about taking action and moving forward.  Coaches help people reframe their perspectives and create a plan with a view to making the changes they want in their lives, meeting their goals and fulfilling their dreams. They provide, therefore, support, enhance skills, resources and creativity that the client already has.

Coaching is a life investment for everyone who wants to ameliorate their lives and is built upon respect, integrity, listening, hearing, support, encouragement, caring, acknowledgement, and action.

How does it work?

The whole Coaching process is structured upon face to face or phone sessions, the direction of which is driven by the client.  These sessions are taking place at an agreed date and time.

What goes on during the coaching session?

A Coaching session involves a conversation between the coach and the client on a specific topic given by the client. During this session the coach capitalises on a large tool of skills and techniques that support the client in making their dreams and goals become a reality. The coach does neither give any piece of advice nor tell people what to do and what is more, they do not claim to have the ‘right’ answers. They have the right questions and tool instead, to enable the client find their own answers, and clarify their own values.

The relationship between the coach and the client is not hierarchical.  Both of them work together towards creating a better future for the client.

As my coach, will you give me any piece of advice or tell me what the right option is?

No, I’m sorry! What I can do is help you ponder over ideas, offer you tools and ask you powerful questions, so that you can find the right answers by yourself. It goes without saying that I will support your taking action process but the real work will be yours. Besides, you are the only one who knows what you really need and what is right for you.

What are the benefits of coaching?

In my own experience of being coached, I have witnessed that coaching enables one to reframe their perspectives and create a new and different way of looking at a situation. It also helps the client to develop a greater awareness of their strengths, needs and desires, and empowers significant skills which enable them to affect a change and meet their goals.

It is generally accepted that coaching helps people strengthen their self-confidence as well as take action with a view to pursuing their aspirations.

Why do companies hire coaches?

According to a recent study, titled ‘Executive Coaching Yields Return On Investment of Almost Six Times its cost’, carried out by a corporate coaching firm, Manchester Inc, revealed that among the benefits to roughly 1000 companies that provided coaching to approximately 100 executives were improvements in:

• Productivity (reported by 53% of executives)
• Quality (48%)
• Organisational strength (48%)
• Customer service (39%)
• Reducing customer complaints (34%)
• Retaining executives who receive coaching (32%)
• Cost reductions (23%)
• Bottom-line profitability (22%)

How is coaching different than consulting?

A consultant is usually a specialist in a given area and doesn’t get involved with areas outside their speciality. They are hired to give recommendations, advice and provide solutions.

Coaching involves a more holistic approach. With the client, the coach examines the situation, creates an action plan, and works side by side to resolve the issue. The Coach doesn’t have to be an expert in the client’s business. The client is the expert. The coach collaborates with the client to create a solution using the client’s knowledge and answers.

How is coaching different than therapy?

Therapy tends to focus on feelings and experiences related to past events, while coaching is oriented towards goal setting, taking action and thus, it encourages the client to move forward.  Therapists usually work with dysfunctional people who suffer from emotional distress and aims at getting them to become functional. Coaches work with emotionally healthy and functional people in order to get them become exceptional.

How do I know if coaching is for me?

If you are feeling emotionally healthy and you want to affect a change or you need support, either in order to enhance skills that will enable you to realise your goals, or to develop a greater awareness of what you really need and what seems to be the right option/ decision for you, then apparently coaching is for you!  Bear in mind that you can do a complimentary session with your potential coach to figure out how it might work for you!