COACHING
What is it?
The International Coach Federation defines coaching as "an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses, or organisations. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen learning, improve their performance, and enhance their life."
The term coaching with the prefix of either life, personal, executive, or corporate was coined in the early 1990s by Thomas Leonard, a financial adviser who realised that his clients wanted to talk to him about more than their investments. They wanted someone who would listen to their life plans in a focused, accepting, and yet questioning way—someone who would be supportive and encouraging of their own choices.
The principles and philosophy of coaching incorporate the ideas of, among others: Maslow (self actualisation) Locke and Latham (goal setting),and de Shazer and Berg (solution focused brief therapy models). Coaching is about:
- Believing in possibilities
- Being accountable
- Challenging
- Having a sounding board
- Motivation
- Being a catalyst for change
- Devising strategies
- Creative thinking
- Setting and achieving your goals
- Being action orientated
- Being open to different options
- Deciding on what action to take
So, although there are many definitions, at the heart of coaching is the idea that it is future focused, goal orientated, and concerned with enabling others to move forward with their lives or businesses more effectively than if they were doing this alone.
Coaching takes a totally results-oriented approach to personal development. It is different to mentoring, counselling and consulting. Coaching focuses on the future, not the past and uses the resources and strengths within us to propel us forward and remove the obstacles and blocks that hold us back. This action orientated, forward looking, non directive, non judgmental, very rewarding and results can be fast!
Personal Coaching
So, although there are many definitions, at the heart of coaching is the idea that it is future focused, goal orientated, and concerned with enabling others to move forward with their lives or businesses more effectively than if they were doing this alone.
Coaching takes a totally results-oriented approach to personal development. It is different to mentoring and counselling. Coaching focuses on the future, not the past and uses the resources and strengths within us to propel us forward and remove the obstacles and blocks that hold us back. This action orientated, forward looking, non directive, non judgmental, very rewarding and results can be fast!
Business Coaching
Whilst most of my work is on a one to one basis, there are occasions, particularly with business where I work alongside associates.
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