How Coaching transforms you into the best version of yourself

July 6th 2015. I just came back from the notary, proudly holding the fresh printed constitution of my new company TopCoach4You in my hands. Aged 48 I just founded my fifth - this time on my own - company.

Even as an executive coach I need a coach - besides my wife :) - to continue improving my own coaching skills and the quality of my coaching.

You may ask "Why does an experienced coach needs a coach? Isn't he the one who coaches others?".

Well, probably the most important thing to become a champion  - and it does not matter in which field - is self-awareness. 

Before we go deeper into why everybody needs a coach, let's clarify what a coach is and what he does.

Now it is December and many things happened since July besides a fantastic holiday trip by car from Spain through France and Italy and back again.

I progressed and while I was reading the book “A Definition of Coaching”, written and published by Noble Manhattan Coaching Ltd, which is owned by mastercoach Gerard O’Donovan, I had the idea to write this post about the Life transforming power of Coaching.

Isn’t it true that most for us are all full of fears and doubts, we lack self-esteem, we are world champions in procrastination, fantastic complainers and very wise when it comes to critizize and envy others?

We are also very often very good in pointing to others claiming “that’s not my fault” if things go wrong instead of analyzing first in order to raise the question “Was I wrong, did I do something wrong? What can I improve?”.

When did you truly apologize the last time you hurt someone with a sharp and sacarstic comment?

So if we think about our lifes, many of us will have to admit that we could do much better and that we could be much better versions of ourselves.

The big questions are two:

Why are we like we are and why do we behave like we behave?

What can we do to become better versions of ourselves?

The good news is that the aswers to these two questions are much simpler than we might think.

We are like we are and behave like we behave because most of us do lack a sufficient degree of self awareness as the key aspect for improvement. Most of us live determined and controlled by our environment claiming that the circumstances, the people out there, the governments and companies are responsible for our situation.

That is simply not true.

Very few make the effort to look in the mirror and ask questions like:

•  Who am I?
• Why I am here?
• What am I great at?
• What do I really love?
• Who do I really love?
• What is the purpose of my life?
• What is a goal worth to set and persue?
• What is my plan to get to that goal?
• When will I do the first step?
• Why do I always pull back when it comes to a decision that includes taking risk?

The answer to the question "What can we do to become better versions of ourselves?" is Coaching.

Coaching will additionally help you become more self aware and independent from your environment, so it will also help you discover the answers to the question "Why are we like we are and why do we behave like we behave?"

Hire a good coach and you will get results almost immedeatly from the very first session.

 What is a Life Coach and how does he help me?

A Life Coach helps each of their clients (Coachees) to become increasingly proactive, rather than reactive and increasingly creative in the way they approach their lives.

Here a 5 minute video that explains the "Why?" of Coaching in a motivational and clear way:

Mateusz M. “Unbroken”.

The empowering and positive process of change through coaching can be effective within all kinds of settings to bring out the best in people and Coaching is now a recognised profession with established methods for helping people grow and excel both in their personal lives and their work.

Life Coach and Trainer Curly Martin defines Life Coaching as a profession in the following way:

“Life coaching is a career and an ethical profession. The life coach uses the power of commitment to enable their clients to achieve beneficial and measurable results in all areas of their lives. Life coaching is a holistic process that has the power to balance and harmonise life.”

About Curly Martin: Source: ICF website: www.coachfederation.com

This simple and powerful definition of Life Coaching gives a sense of the spiritual and holistic approach which is a strong element in Life Coaching.

A key aspect of the coach’s role to their clients is to consistently hold a bigger perspective

As such the coach can be a tremendous ally for their clients and the relationship can have a profound effects.

That is one of the key aspects Bill Gates highlighted when he related to coaching.

The spiritual dimension of coaching underpins a very pragmatic approach to handling challenges and opportunities. The ICF’s (International Coach Federation’s) Description of coaching is as follows:

“Professional Coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses, or organizations. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.“

Source: ICF website: www.coachfederation.com

Coaching is one of many types of profession with a fundamental aim of helping others function well or better in their lives. However, it is crucial to appreciate the important differences between coaching and counselling, psychotherapy, and advicegiving services.

The different schools of thought and subcategories within these other professions each has its own position regarding how directional or nondirectional its practitioners’ interactions are with their clients.

True coaching takes place at the nondirectional end of the spectrum.

Its remit being to assist those who are considered well (as opposed to ill) to refine and improve what they do to do it even better.

True coaches do not give specific advice but they do teach the skills needed for creative thought and behaviour.

If a potential or existing coaching client is experiencing severe ongoing emotional distress other help is indicated and should be referred by the coach to alternative forms of help such as counselling or therapy.

The coach has an ethical duty to put the client’s wellbeing first, before their own selfinterest when making such decisions.

Coaching works with immediate life and business situations by enhancing the thinking that goes with them to make it more supportive and productive.

“Your coach will show you how to change the way that you think about adversity and may even point out that we learn far more from our mistakes than we do from our successes.”

Source: The Thirty Minute Life Coach, Gerard O’Donovan & Curly Martin, The Coaching Academy UK Ltd., page 38.

I hope I could explain and convince you why coaching is truely life transforming and that only coaching will help you to become the very best version of yourself.

Have a great day!

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About Andreas Jaffke: Andreas is a recognized coach, entrepreneur, executive and an expert in Organizational Digital Transformation. He believes in a combination of open and best-of-breed information technology and a Top Management driven organizational change management approach through transparent and continuous stakeholder communication and engagement, planning, discipline, hard work and an inspired, highly motivated team.

He is Founder and CEO of TopCoach4You. You can follow the company on Linkedin here.

He is a strong believer, practitioner and evangelist of Stephen Covey's "7 habits of highly effective people". Andreas coaches executives and entrepreneurs in his specialties Sales & Marketing and Strategic Business Planning.