Get a Life …. Get a Life Coach
So many of us are so busy making a living, that we forget to have a life. It’s that beautiful enjoyable life we are planning to have as soon as …. the house is paid for, the kids are in college, we find the career (or partner) they love, the current misery ends, we find out what we really want, we get that next big promotion, our organization recognizes our genius…. So many of us are living our lives while holding our breath !
How to escape the rat race ? More and more people are getting a life coach to help them break the mold. And they report astonishing results in relatively short periods of time.
Clients report the following outcomes:
- facing and overcoming their fears
- finding the passion and excitement again
- realizing new found potential
- getting a big boost in self-confidence
- working better with others
- exceeding their personal and career goals
- seeing their lives in a new positive light
- feeling free
Coaching is now one of the fastest growing mantras to take over the self development space. Life Coaching in particular is spreading like a wildfire of personal growth across the globe and is also rumored to be one of the fastest growing careers in the world.
So what exactly is it ?
The International Coach Federation (ICF) http://www.coachfederation.org defines coaching as:
“an ongoing partnership that helps clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life”
Coaching is about improving a clients whole life. Coaches come from a variety of backgrounds, with a common belief that their clients have the innate potential to achieve greatness and that the coach is the enabling catalyst. Coaches dedicate themselves to helping their clients achieve what they want in their lives.
The centerpiece of coaching is the aforementioned belief that every client is creative, resourceful and whole. It is taken that as human being’s we are complete and the coaches role is to help further develop our completeness, enabling us to live our best lives in the present and going forwards.To work on our lives rather than being merely in them.
Coaching has its roots in sports coaching, where an athlete is supported in achieving their maximum performance through a powerful partnership with their coach. Coaching is therefore not a repair kit for purportedly broken individuals. It differs from the schools of counseling and consultancy in allowing the client to find the solution themselves through powerful questions and thought provoking exercises, rather than providing these. Psychotherapy addresses major emotional issues and tries to help clients find context and understanding, based on the past. Coaching on the other hand will take business and personal issues and explore them in a framework that is action-oriented for the present and the future, not focusing on the past. The coach wants to help their client achieve a great future.
The relationship between client and coach is anchored on trust and confidentiality. Coaches use a variety of tools including visualizations, simulations and differing perspectives to make the client leave the comfort zone and experience being and doing what they really want. The coach is there to push, cajole, support, be with and most importantly listen. A partner devoted 100% to success.
I am often asked “why a coach, when I have friends or family to help me do this?” They can help but in different ways. Friends and family lack the objectivity that a coach can provide and often offer quick advice rather than powerful questions. A coach would help the client to come to a solution themselves. Ultimately, clients success or growth in a new direction can be threatening to someone whose relationship depends on their basically staying the way they are. The coach is there to help the client with the clients own agenda, irrespective.
Life Coaches, Business Coaches, Executive Coaches (irrespective of title) all aim to help create a better life for their clients. Clients come to coaching for a large variety of reasons including and by no means limited to:
- achieving a better work life balance
- career growth or change
- lack of energy and motivation
- being stuck
- breaking habits
- plans and ideas and how to take them forward
- performing more effectively at work
- fulfilling a dream
How to find a life coach in Dubai ?
Coaching is a relatively new addition to the beautiful, vibrant, busy and indeed increasingly stressful city of Dubai. There is a growing demand for coaching and as the profession is fairly young having only evolved over the past 10 years or so choosing a coach is not easy. A few basic guidelines to find the right coach could include:
- Getting referred to a coach by a friend or colleague
- Asking for a CV, stating their specific coaching qualifications, focus and specialization
- Testimonials or references from other clients
- Registration with the International Coach Federation (not mandatory, but good to have as coaches need to pay for it)
- ask whether the coach is a full or part-time coach. A lot of coaches are multi-careered with other skills as well as coaching to their credit
- Always ask for a free sample session to find out whether you like the style of the coach. Most coaches offer free sample sessions.
So what should you look for in a free sample session ?
Typically good coaches will use and follow these principles:
• Listening is more important than talking
• What motivates people must be understood
• Everyone is capable of achieving more
• A person’s past is no indication of their future
• People’s beliefs about what is possible for themselves are their only limits
• A coach must always provide full support
• Coaches don’t provide the answers
• Coaching does not include criticising people
• All coaching is completely confidential
• Some people’s needs cannot be met by coaching , and coaches recognise clients with these needs
If a client decides to proceed with a coach after the sample session and initial meeting, a clear contract, with payment terms, confidentiality agreement and other logistical matters such as number of sessions, or whether the coaching will be in person or over the telephone should be agreed and signed.
Workshops are an alternative way to find out whether you like a certain coaches’ style. developandgrow offers a variety of workshops to get your toes into personal development and test the waters. Check out the event section for more information.
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