What is Coaching?

What is Coaching?

Coaching has become a buzzword in business.  Unlike in sports where the coach yells at you to do something faster or better, coaching for business and life is a process where you are guided by a person with relevant listening and questioning techniques to help you discover the potential inside you.

A coach is a catalyst for your growth.  A coach is someone you approach because you want to get better.  This is where the idea of a coach comes from and is similar to that of a sports coach.  A coach sees the potential in you, that you might not even see yourself. He or she  helps you to see yourself differently so that you are inspired to reach for new heights.

As any top sports star will tell you, they still need coaching no matter how good they are.  When a coach does his or her job well it is not about how much they know, but about how much they care.  Coaching for life and business growth is therefore defined by the the disposition the coach takes.  Any good coach has gone through, or is going through coaching themselves.  They are continuous learners with great empathy for those they coach.

You want to select a coach that has relevant experiences.  I believe you can only coach form who you are and therefore need to rely on life experiences that is transformational in order to benefit the client.

What are the Steps to Coaching?

There can be various steps but in general your coach will utilise a process that follows the following steps:

  1. Understand your need through conversation, testing and tools.
  2. Help you identify opportunities for growth by supporting new thinking patterns.
  3. Align new thinking to new doing and hold you accountable.
  4. Your coach can also make use of models such as the GROW model to help you.

What Does a Coach Not Do?

  1. A coach does not tell you what do.
  2. He/she is not your friend and will therefore not ‘let you off the hook’.
  3. A coach does not set the growth agenda.  You do.
  4. Coaching is not about digging into your past although a good coach understands how your past influence your emotional memory and  future actions.

How long is the process?
It depends on your needs.  Is this for you as an individual?  Do you want to align this to your business strategy?  Do you want to add an Enneagram personality assessment and feedback?

I have worked with individuals for one session and I have worked with individuals for a few years on an on-and-off basis.

How long are the sessions?
Sessions are normally an hour to an hour and a half.

Where do we meet?
I live in Stellenbosch, South Africa, but can easily connect online.

Can we bring a group?
Absolutely!  Peer coaching can be valuable.  I also do speaking engagements and team/organisation sessions around identity, meaning and purpose.

What does it cost?
Although my services to entrepreneurs focus on group or organsational interventions I do take on some private clients.  Please inquire for more details.

Can you help my business or speak at an event?
Absolutely!  Have a look at the general services page to give you a better idea on how I can help.

Contact me for your free consultation session to determine your needs and custom solution.