Using a Coach

Here’s a question I’ve asked and been asked: How do you know when to use a professional coach? Many people seem to believe working with a coach is an elite benefit arranged by Human Resources for highly paid executives in big budget organizations or it’s a last ditch effort for employees before they are fired. Is this the extent of a coach’s usefulness?

The answer is professional coaches aren’t just a perk for high level executives, celebrities or those on the brink of unemployment. The greater value of a coach is as a resource in individual development. Anyone with a particular goal in mind, a strong personal commitment to achieving results and the ability to actively take steps towards achieving that goal can benefit from working with a coach. Being in a small business or an entrepreneur is no reason to dismiss the idea of having your own coach. If the industry you are in, the size of your organization and life span of your company aren’t a consideration for using a coach, what is? You can boil it down to two things: your need and you.

Start by evaluating your need against what a coach is equipped to help with. If you need someone to give you specific answers or actually do the work you’re probably better off with a good consultant. Suppose your need is building a particular skill or improving at a certain task. Here you may consider a trained facilitator, instructional designer or someone with proficiency in the task or skill in question.

This can be confusing because lots of people are leaving the ranks of corporate America and parlaying their experience into a career as a “coach” when what they are offering is their know how within a particular business. We often associate a coach with training because of the way the term is used in athletics, where the coach may actually be teaching a skill like hitting or fielding a baseball.

At this point, it’s worth understanding what a coach can help with. A professional coach isn’t going to tell you or teach you to do something, though hopefully you will learn throughout the relationship. A coach is going to help you build insight about how to accomplish your objective. He does not need to be an educator, but does need to be a motivator. A good coach doesn’t need industry specific knowledge, but does need coaching skills.

If your need includes getting clarity on the desired outcome, understanding the impact of your behaviors, assumptions or beliefs on success, helping to create a plan of action, and monitoring progress then a coach is a possibility for you. In summary, when you need help to build your own insight, stay motivated and provide objective support and guidance then its time to consider a coach.

Once you know the situation is appropriate you have to determine if you are ready to work with a coach. This is more then making the decision to hire a coach, though that is a part of it. This step is really about determining your commitment to the process of gaining insight. You have consider how equipped you are to be coached.

Remember your coach isn’t going to hand you the answers he is going to challenge you and prepare you to deal with the next difficult situation. The process won’t always be easy but, if you are set to do the work, it can yield remarkable results.



Using a Coach - To learn more about this author, visit Chris Dawson's Website.

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