Donna Price asked:




As a business and life coach I say of course coaching. But just like you, not that long ago I was new to the idea of coaching. I thought — why coaching? What I have discovered in my own coaching work with clients and with my coaches is this: coaching works. Clients gain different things from coaching. To distill it down to a few areas they would be: focus, clarity, accelerated accomplishment and follow-through.

I always thought of coaches as baseball coaches or football coaches. Since I don’t play sports, what could I possibly work on with a coach and would it really make a difference? The goals that clients work on with coaches run the gamut:

* starting a new business

* business development

* marketing strategies

* achieving life/work balance

* career transition

* achieving something extraordinary

Focus: Coaching assists in gaining focus. We each gain that for ourselves especially around New Year’s. A time of year that we take the time to reflect and plan. Having focus involves those two elements, reflection and planning. But with New Year’s resolutions they often fall aside as the year goes along. The coach assists to maintain the focus over time. In initial coaching sessions that is much of what is discussed.

Clarity: Clarity actually comes first I think. It comes back to the vision and what that compelling vision is for your life or business or both. I find that vision is at the core of my work all the time. Organizations and individuals need a clear and compelling vision. Creating that vision is at the core of clarity — where are you trying to go? Vision gives you the map, the destination. Visions can be enhanced and modified along the way, they aren’t written in stone. It’s yours.

Accelerated Accomplishment: Coaching keeps the you, the client, on track so that projects are accomplished, faster and more efficiently than before. Many call this accountability. Having someone to check in with helps to maintain that focus and follow-through that you need in order to accomplish what you set out to.

Continuous action planning with your coach provides you a framework for moving goals forward quickly.

The results of the coaching relationship are many. Achievement, success, better productivity, and usually feeling good about yourself, which is a great bonus! Lives change with coaching.
Coaches offer coaching in so many different ways. How do you figure out the right path for you? Listen to your inner wisdom and pick the approach that will work best for you.

Individual Coaching — many coaches offer individual coaching via telephone or in person. Coaching by phone is easy and convenient as it saves time for both the client and the coach. Relationships are built effectively via the phone. Tools such as email also enhance the coaching experience allowing the coach to easily send the client tools they can use for things such as goal planning.

Group Coaching — some coaches offer group coaching. Groups also meet either in person or via phone using a conference call line. Groups are typically small: 6-8 people.

Individual vs. group — I love both. I am in a group and have an individual coach. I also love working with groups and individuals. Groups offer the benefit of the members of the group: shared experience; shared learning. You receive input and feedback from the group. Individual coaching provides you with more focused attention and coaching.

Meeting Regularly via phone or in person — 3 meetings a month is ideal. The progress is accelerated and results happen more quickly.

Monthly meetings– if they are very targeted and focused will also produce results.

Coaching Gym — this is a really unique approach. With the coaching gym you get a member’s pass and have access to your coach during specified hours one day per week. Calls are typically 15 minutes or less. You decide when you want to talk with your coach. The sessions are laser focused.

Why coaching? Coaching is about action, taking intentional action. A good coach helps you to tap into your own inner coach and produce the results that you want. As the client, you do the work and are in charge of creating your own results. The coach supports your goals, your dream, your vision, and your movement forward is accelerated because your coach is there on the journey with you.

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