Should I Get A Coach?
Sheldon Young
Making sustainability results "real" in food, beverage, biopharma, and water/wastewater | Sustainable Ideas | Strategy | Keeping LinkedIn Interesting | "Tamer of Chaos"
Full disclosure – I’m a coach. However, this blog isn’t about me selling you anything. It’s about sharing experience and helping others achieve a more fulfilling life. My experience is that coaching can change your life and help you ask the right questions of yourself so that you can get what you want from life. We’re going to discuss a little bit of how, but first let me frame up what coaching is and isn’t. These are my definitions – others may differ, but the gist will be the same.
Coaching is:
- A partnership where your coach helps you maximize your potential and realize your passions – it’s about going from good to great
- Non-judgmental – the answers are within you and whatever the best answer is for you is not a coach’s place to judge
- A journey and takes time, though you can get results quickly.
- Helping you get past the blocks (physical, mental, social) that we have and realizing that what exists today and in the past does not determine the future.
- Giving you a champion/cheerleader to remind you that you can get what you want
- …Hard work. There’s no getting around that.
Coaching is not:
- Therapy. Therapy is there to help fix the past and get to functional.
- Going to give you answers. All answers lie within you, a coach helps you get them out.
- Limiting. A good coach will not tell you what you can or can’t do, a good coach will help you be your best you and move you closer toward your goals.
- Magic (though the results can be magical). You still need to do the work, just now you have a partner to help and hold you accountable.
Is that close to what you thought? If yes, great. If not, then what did you think? What surprised you? What did you like? Do you think coaching is for you?
That last one is kind of a trick question. It’s a bit of a trick because I think coaching can be for everyone, but only if they are ready. Some people may think, “I’m already successful, I don’t need a coach”. Perhaps, but what if I told you that a LOT of successful people insist on having a coach for themselves? Why? Because we never stop growing! We have many different components to these lives we live and there’s always ways to improve. In fact, most coaches love coaching already successful people because they often will open themselves up to challenges more readily.
Now that I’ve hypothesized that basically everyone could use a coach, how do you know that you’re ready for one? I teased a bit on this above, but the simple answer is that is largely up to you. When I speak to someone about coaching readiness, it largely boils down to a couple of things. First, you have to want to change. This is tough for a lot of people because we often don’t like looking into the mirror and admitting that. A lot will depend on your attitude about it. Let me try to make it easier for you – there is nothing wrong with you. Changing doesn’t mean your wrong, it means you want to optimize who you are to be closer to your true you. Next, you have to be willing to invest in yourself to make this change. I don’t just mean the financial cost of coaching (more on this later), but I mean the time, thought, and reflection needed to get to the results. A coach can help hold you accountable, but it’s up to you (the client) to get things done. Finally, you need to be open to possibilities. What I’ve found with coaching is that many come to table with “I want XYZ”, and then within a session or two a whole new realm of possibility is opened for them. This happened because they were willing to open their mind to new things and question their own existing beliefs. It’s hard, but once you do the possibilities are limitless.
Ok, so we’ve discussed how most people could use a coach, and what being ready for coaching feels like. To finish, let’s address some blocks people often have when it comes to starting.
- I don’t have the money. This is a fair concern, but not insurmountable. Because a good coach will charge what their worth and because you can’t be in sessions 50 hours a week, the rate needs to support their business. Here’s a couple ways to think about/address this. This is an investment in you, and you are worth it. To quantify, we can utilize some studies done on executive coaching where the Return on Investment is estimated to be 5-10x. But I get it, not everyone has a ton of disposable income. There are options though. Group coaching may be one. It can be less expensive and still adds a lot of value. Also, if you have a skill/trade it’s possible that a barter can be worked out with a coach if they need your services (websites, IT help, marketing, etc. are all a great help for a coaching business). Get creative!
- I don’t know how to get started. As I mentioned above, the key thing is that you want to make a change/improvement. Once you figured that out you can go find a coach! Ask people you know about it, look at your local International Coaching Federation website, and even just Google it. Then you meet with them (typically the initial meeting won’t cost you anything) and see if there’s a fit – a good match is critical. Voila! You’re on your way.
- What if it doesn’t work? Having a coach is the start of a journey. The journey itself is going to be a fun and exciting one if you let it. Will there be a guarantee that you achieve everything you want? Of course not, however, I’d place my bet on someone who is being coached over not every time.
- I’m too old / young to have a coach. People get coached at all ages. It’s so fun to see young people interested because finding the path that’s right for you that early can be amazing. I personally enjoy working with people later in their careers as they have a lot of great experience and are ready for their next great challenge and are ready to focus their passion. The short answer is that there is only one right time to have a coach. It’s when you decide you want one.
- I don’t need a coach. See everything else above!
Are you excited about coaching yet? I know it’s a passion that has become near and dear to me. I benefit personally from coaching and am so lucky to be able to coach people myself. I hope this has given you something to think about as you build the path that’s right for you. Whatever you choose, live life with a purpose you believe in and it’s sure to bring you happiness.
Until next time, I wish you great energy and limitless potential.
See more at: https://seeshelcoaching.blogspot.com/
- Sheldon