7 S
ituations That Benefit From Coaching
Coaching works best when there’s some sense of urgency felt on the part of the client. This can be a sense that the status quo isn’t working, or there’s an opportunity that is really worth the investment. One-on-one external coaching is also a great complement to other development support — on-going coaching from one’s manager, training, formal feedback, goal-setting, mentoring.
Though this list is not exhaustive, it represents situations where my clients have found themselves benefiting from coaching.
- You have taken on increased scope and scale. When your responsibility and the breadth of your business has grown, you know you need to be thinking more strategically and you catch yourself mired in the tactical here-and-now. Strategic thinking means thinking more broadly and with a longer time horizon. It requires disciplined reflection about your internal and external business environment. If you are a creative thinker and want to use your imagination, it is helpful to do this kind of critical and strategic thinking with someone who offers structure and experience.
- You want a more effective “presence.” Public speaking and executive presence require clarity. We often concentrate on what we’ll say — our rational business case. But “presence” begins with what you look like, what you sound like and then what you say. How do others see you? Who are these others — your audience? How are you balancing the essential ingredients — your authority, authenticity and approachability? How do these show up in what you look like, sound like and say?
- Your sense of personal satisfaction and purpose are losing traction. When you want to regain the momentum that clarity of purpose and personal values in action can bring to enrich your business, family and community. That’s when skilled coaching can help you tap into the full breadth of your natural resources: mind, body, spirit and emotions.
- Your are ready to align your goals with your energy. If “ambition” is defined as goals + energy, what is your level of energy and clarity of your goals? How are your goals and energy aligned — or out of alignment. What’s holding you back? A coach can help you identify what really compels you and identify what you perceive as roadblocks. What might you be able to do to fuel your goals and address what is draining you?
- You feel “stuck.” Are you at a point in your goal achievement that you might benefit from having regular accountability support? This is someone outside your circle of personal or business associates who can help you challenge yourself to commit to and take action, track and celebrate attainment of even the smallest steps. A coach can help you expand your perspective to include choices that resonate more with your values, and recognize opportunities to shift direction.
- You need to win the cooperation of others for your mission. Whose cooperation do you need to succeed? Sometimes our intelligence, logic, reason and reliance on “formal” structures overshadows the power of relationships. Where might your reliance on reason block your awareness of the power of engaging others’ imagination, input and relationships? Work with a coach can help you map out your influence strategy and execute your plan one stepping stone at a time.
- You want help navigating in a complex business environment. Success in a complex business environment requires understanding how things get done through formal and informal strategies and structures and relationships. Yes, you might have a decent understanding of how formal lines of authority and communication work. But the larger and more global the business environment, the more important informal relationships, personal agenda and networks of communication are at work beneath the surface. Coaching can help you take measure of both: your organizational savvy and political savvy. Coaching can assist in mapping out the territory in which you operate and chart your course.