It was back in 2002 that I first heard of the term ‘coaching’ in something other than a sporting context. Such was the place I was in personally and professionally at the time that once I had researched what coaching was, I knew I needed it.
For me, it was a deep-seated frustration and dissatisfaction about how life was unfolding professionally that led me to coaching. I was stuck (or believed I was stuck) in a situation that I could not see a way out of. The coaching journey I embarked on was quite life-changing because things that I could not previously see became visible to me and opened up new possibilities.
People choose to find a coach for a variety of reasons but there is one core thing that usually leads someone to seek out a coach. That core thing is that life, or an aspect of life (professional or personal) is not working the way we believe it should be.
Whether you are looking for a promotion, stuck in a cycle of ineffectiveness, need clarity about an issue or opportunity, are facing a crisis, not sure how to navigate a particular circumstance or, without any particular negative issue, just sense the need to grow and develop then coaching could be a valuable experience for you.
For me, coaching became a way to find the support I needed at different points in life without having to go down the therapy path. I have used coaches in one-off engagements about a particular topic, through to longer-term professional development and I have never failed to walk away from a coaching session without new insight.
Most importantly, in coaching you find you have an ally, a sounding board, and confidant there to serve you. Having someone independent to be able to work things through with leaves you feeling that you are not doing it all alone.
Stuart