Thursday, July 26, 2007

Coaching

Coaching – newly defined
In the latter part of the 20th century and beyond, the term coaching took on new meaning, going far beyond the sports arena and into spheres like life coaching and executive coaching, and referring to areas that are more corporate or commercial in nature. Coaches, many of whom specialize in a specific area, work with clients, whether individuals or groups, in all areas of life including business, career, finances, spirituality and relationships.

Reaching greater fulfillment through coaching
Taking hold of the idea that many people are seeking more meaningful lives, coaching’s and the coach’s basic goal is to help clients work through simple job change, more complex career change, career transition, relationship or health issues or even to discover the road to financial freedom. In essence, coaching helps individuals develop greater skills in choosing what they want out of life and, in the process, achieve fulfillment and balance.

Coaches offer guidance and skills that assist people to make the decisions and personal changes necessary to achieve their goals. One element of the coaching technique encourages individuals to discover what it is that blocks their success or fulfillment, then to develop an action plan that will change those behaviors.

Employing coaching in business
Within organizations of all sizes and industries, coaches work to reach a variety of business goals. In order to improve employee/management performance, coaches are engaged to facilitate team building, leadership development, management development, team coaching and succession planning by identifying and closing the gaps between current performance and desired performance. Coaches use a variety of tools such as leadership and skill assessments, as well as 360 degree feedback, to identify an individual’s strengths and development needs.

Building team performance…
On the team level within an organization, executive coaches work with specific work groups to facilitate team coaching. Through various assessments and team-building exercises, coaches increase awareness of team dynamics resulting in a more efficient and effective work team.

…and executive development
At the executive and management level, coaches act as a confidential sounding board or thought partner to help navigate the many challenges that leaders face. Executive coaches provide executives and managers with feedback on actions and ideas that is infrequently given at higher levels in an organization. Executive Coaches will identify behaviors that may be blocking an executive or manager from reaching the next level of success.

Personal growth through coaching
On a personal basis, more and more individuals are employing life coaches. Life coaching or personal coaching is a rapidly growing means through which functional people (i.e., those not needing or seeking therapy) are getting the help they need to improve, develop, learn new skills, find personal success and happiness and manage life changes and personal challenges. Life coaching helps people grow in various personal areas, such as life-change, parenting; self-fulfillment and self-discovery.

Breaking through to top performance
Typically, people hire a life coach or business coach when they are re-evaluating their life choices, making a career transition, considering a business startup or simply feeling ready for a personal or professional breakthrough. Life coaching is all about goal setting, development and growth, where individuals and groups learn to perform at their best with the assistance of the coach, who challenges, guides and holds them accountable at each step of the way.