Personal Coaching Can Be Vital To One’s Career Peak

When you think of the word COACH, what comes to mind? Someone in nylon shorts with a whistle around his neck telling you to run faster? Perhaps it's a picture of Dick Vermeil or Tony LaRussa at the helm of their team talking strategy with the players. Whatever your personal picture is of a coach, it is now within your realm to have your own personal career/performance coach.

Although the term coach is not new, the concept of the career/performance coach is relatively recent. According to Jennifer Haupt in her article on home businesses in ivillage.com, "Coaching is a type of consulting that synthesizes the best concepts from business, psychology, spirituality and sports. Personal coaches work with individuals and teams of executives to help them reach peak career performance without sacrificing their goals for family and personal lives. A personal coach helps clients to focus on what their true goals in every aspect of life are; asks clients to do more than they would have done on their own; and provides the tools, support and structure for clients to accomplish more."

Coaching can take several forms, from assisting an individual with personal or relationship issues to career-life planning or retirement goal-setting, as well as business and personal performance issues. Clients at The IMPACT Group have received coaching in many of these areas. For example, one individual wanted to know how to approach people through networking. Although this person had an extensive network that would be the envy of any job seeker, the client was unsure how to broach the subject in a way that would not be detrimental. Through coaching and role playing, contacts were made to the client's network. One such contact led to a consulting position that paid well above the client's last position and led to a full-time job.

What is the difference between counseling and coaching? According to the Career Action Center in Cupertino, California, a career counselor "helps you develop greater self-understanding and determine career goals. The counselor often uses assessment tools to help you identify your values, interests, work style and special strengths that bring meaning and satisfaction to your work. A career counselor looks at your past and present to help you see where and how you might do your best work."

The counselor will ask why questions and help you explore options. In addition a counselor will help you try to discover hidden barriers while focusing on internal issues and goals.

The career coach, according to the Career Action Center, "helps you establish specific career and life goals and move forward to accomplish them in a timely fashion." Although supportive, a coach holds the individual accountable for talking the necessary steps to achieve goals. A coaching relationship usually involves a commitment over a period of time and may last up to an average of nine months.

A coach then asks how questions and attempts to motivate and challenge the individual to take action while focusing on external solutions and action steps.

Coach University, a professional and training association for coaches, has noted that demand for coaching has tripled in 1998. Founder, Thomas Leonard, says coaching is experiencing increased popularity since "many people are tired of doing what they think they 'should' do and are ready to do something special and meaningful for the rest of their lives. One problem is that many can't see what this is or, if they can, they can't find a way to reorient their life around it. A coach can help them do both."

What situations lead an individual to coaching? One IMPACT Group client wanted to learn specific steps that she could take to get promoted in her job. Another client wanted coaching in interviewing. She had not been selected for several positions that interested her and felt that the reason was her interviewing skills. After five coaching sessions, the client felt confident that she could interview to her and the potential employer's satisfaction.

Companies often send employees to The IMPACT Group for coaching. Competent, hard-working individuals that companies want to retain may have performance issues that need to be addressed, and coaching can help them build confidence, new behaviors and attitudes that can make a world of difference in their dealings with co-workers, customers and business situations. A coach can help someone formulate specific steps to more successful behavior and learn to get the feedback from others about behaviors that need change and how much progress has been made.

One exciting aspect of coaching is that it can take several forms in the delivery process. Coaching can be delivered in the traditional face to face mode, but it can also be transacted via the telephone or through the computer. Sessions often last 30 to 60 minutes. Coaching can also be performed with groups in corporate settings.

Coaches can have varied backgrounds from business to psychology and are usually degreed. Some coaches can do counseling as well. Unlike counseling, coaching is not a licensed profession, so it is important to review credentials or references when choosing a coach.

Laura Berman Fortang, a nationally recognized career coach, in her book, Take Yourself To The Top, asks the following questions to assess if one is "ready, willing and able" to be coached. She suggests that individuals need to answer yes to all of nine statements a few of which are:

• There is a gap between where I am and want to be.
  
  
• I am fully willing to do all the work required to get me where I want to go.
  
  
• I am willing to stop or change the self-defeating behaviors that limit my success.
  
  
• I have the patience to take consistent actions toward my goals, regardless of how immediate the results are.

If you can answer yes to these statements you may want to be among the growing number of individuals hiring coaches today. Although your coach most likely will not be in shorts with a whistle, your coach could provide you with the necessary tools to make you a winner in all aspects of your life.