Recently, a serious client asked me, “Am I unable to get coaching?” We are in an era in which the importance of getting an Executive Coaching has increased and become as common as getting a university degree, especially in light of rapid and escalating developments, which makes the question asked by my client very clever and shows a high degree of self-awareness.
In fact, this client was able to receive coaching, but weeks after starting coaching, she fell into the trap. The coaching became a breathing space for her or a place where she could find someone who actually listened to her, rather than a means of working hard to achieve her goals. So, what does it mean to be able to receive the coaching? Here are six steps to see if you are, and if hiring a coach would really help:
1. Clearly define the coaching goals:
Unlike therapy, coaching is a highly active engagement where there is a common goal and a real intention to achieve it. However, this does not mean that there is no goal of treatment, but in therapy, clients can explore and think freely with their therapist who monitors them and allows them to do so.
The best coaching sessions are those with clients who have already set the goal they aspire to achieve by the end of coaching, and the difficulties that they may face in achieving it, the potential results they wish to see, and their willingness to share what they have tried to do.
This does not mean that you have to be fully prepared and do all the work, as your goals can be "ideas" for what you aspire to achieve. However, they are able to make the coaching sessions highly effective, where many clients come ready for their first few sessions. However, as the sessions follow later under the supervision of the coach, they begin to relax and not prepare much, and in such sessions, time and effort can be wasted if the goals are clearly defined.
2. Prepare to express your feelings deeply:
Even the simplest work problems usually point to hidden emotions. Emotionally candid client sessions with the coach tend to be very productive and effective. As we know, it is difficult to put our emotions aside once we enter the workplace or make a call on the Zoom app.
It is very important for clients to be able to be candid with the coach and express their emotional state deeply. This can include looking at the coachees’ relationship history, childhood trauma, and workplace struggles, where the suffering associated with the workplace can be expressed by different names like stress. “Stress” is an eloquent symbolic expression of the suffering associated with the workplace, and those clients who come to the coaching session are willing to go deeper into talking about their emotional state and achieve the best results. In addition, they are more likely to make a difference.
3. Do not waste time talking about details:
I care about words, and this means that I think out loud and often take others on a long and sometimes painful journey through my own thoughts. However, while most coaches welcome the speech, it can be just a waste of clients' time without focusing on a specific point to reach it. It's also great to be prepared in advance to talk about your coaching topic, as spending 40 minutes out of a 60-minute session to tell the coach what you have been through since your last meeting may not be useful at times.
The coach does not need details, but rather needs a clear topic or a specific goal. Also, the big part of the work is performed directly, as spending your session talking about the details will take time that you could have invested in working hard to solve the problem.
4. Determine if you want to make a change:
The great coaches seek to give you the feeling that the sessions you are going through deserve attention, but the path to change is not always that easy. It can be hard for a coach to tell you how difficult things are. To find out if you can receive coaching or not, you have to ask yourself the following question: “Am I ready to listen to someone else's point of view, or has someone been able to show me the ways I need to see things from another angle?” If the answer is “No,” the coaching will probably not be helpful, but if the answer is “Yes,” you will discover that your personal awareness and aspirations can not only change your work, but they can also change your life.
5. Creating and answering questions:
Clients who think they know best are often unable to receive coaching, which makes it difficult for the coach to enhance their curiosity and the ability to express weakness and achieve deep and meaningful change. As for clients who come willing to think honestly and see the reality of themselves or situations from another perspective, they are the most likely to develop. Submitting to coaching while being truly open minded and ready to discover new ways of thinking and communicating will help you find the development you aspire to achieve when you finish coaching.
6. Full commitment:
The hardest work can be done outside of a coaching session, as many coaches give homework in between sessions, though The commitment - which is not limited to your session dates and attendance - is a necessary factor for long-term development and change. Clients who spend their time between sessions searching, thinking, writing diaries, and keeping an interest in the topic of work witness a rapid improvement in their results. Here's the reason why most coaches don't work on a session-by-session basis, but rather, they work on the basis of advance payments for the entire coaching because it is a commitment based on time and not just only on the session.
