What is coaching? Why should I do it?
Think of coaching as an effective hybrid between counseling and therapy. Coaching is goal-oriented, and the goals defined up-front serve as the basis for everything that follows in coaching. Like therapy, coaching tends to delve into some of your past, but it is more forward looking and focuses on concrete steps towards pre-defined goals. Like counseling, coaching holds you accountable for making decisions and acting on your roadmap to achieve your goals.
Coaches help people prioritize their purpose and values, and how they can implement these in everyday decisions. Coaches also guide people in identifying their strengths and weaknesses, to help them succeed personally and professionally.
According to Harvard Medical School, coaching has been proven to increase “job and life satisfaction.” Coaches can be especially helpful during periods of change– such as going back to in-person work after being online, leaving school and entering the workforce, or switching jobs.
Harvard Medical School also reports that “80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, and over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills.” Coaches are sometimes hired by individuals, and sometimes by companies to work with high potential workers.
“80% of people who receive coaching report increased self-confidence, and over 70% benefit from improved work performance, relationships, and more effective communication skills”
What is Career Coaching?
Career coaches help individuals define their professional goals and achieve them. Coaches can help people advance their careers, improve their performance, or start a business of their own. Career coaches sometimes give advice based on their own experience in a certain field, and always provide a different perspective to their clients based on their coaching expertise. Harvard Medical school reports that “86% of companies report that they recouped their investment on coaching and more.”
ideamix coach Pamela, a career coach and personal branding strategist, said that career coaching can be helpful for everyone, whether they’re starting a new job, changing jobs, wanting to change careers, or simply learning how to navigate the workplace. Coach Pamela works with her clients to set goals and craft strategies to achieve those goals. She utilizes different types of assessments that help people understand their career values, skills, and interests so that she can help them understand themselves and give them individualized support.
What is Life Coaching?
Life coaches help people improve their everyday lives and guide people in discovering their purpose. Life is made up of infinite decisions. Life coaches help people identify their values and encourage people to make decisions based on those values. By identifying their values, people can redefine what success means to them, which will allow them to have less regrets and greater satisfaction in their everyday lives.
ideamix coach Lisa is a life and leadership coach. Her approach is to start with helping her client connect with themselves and practice mindfulness. She explains that life coaching can be beneficial to everyone. She compared life to driving a car: there are times when you’re at a crossroads or places where you feel you’re going in circles, but if you have clarity on where you want to go, you can take the steps and make the decisions that get you there. Coach Lisa said that coaching helps you understand where you want to go, how you want to feel, and the obstacles preventing you from getting there.
What is Leadership Coaching?
Leadership coaching most often arises in the context of the workplace, but can be applied in life more generally. Leadership coaches help people strengthen their interpersonal and leadership skills. These coaches give people the tools to inspire and develop a successful team. Coach Lisa said that leadership coaching helps you figure out whether “you’re leading your life or if your life is leading you… you won’t know that until you figure out if you’re in the driver’s seat or not.”
Leadership coaches help people better understand themselves so that they can “go out and create the impact [they] want to create,” says Coach Lisa. This impact will look differently for different people, but it benefits everyone both personally and professionally. Coach Pamela explains that she helps leaders with their internal and external branding. She guides her clients in reconstituting their executive presence by improving their communication skills, helping them create more effective Linkedin profiles, or even showing them what to wear in professional settings. On the personal front, Coach Lisa helps individuals to be more present, and supportive of their partners in relationships.
How do I know which kind of coaching is right for me?
First, you should consider which areas in your life or aspects of your personality you’re seeking to change. Next, search for a coach whose expertise is in the areas you’re seeking advice for. Many coaches have multiple areas of expertise, so it may be helpful to find one who meets all your needs. Finally, you should schedule an introductory session with a coach who seems like a good fit for you. At ideamix, you can get matched with your best-fit coaches and schedule low cost introductory sessions.
Coaching is an individualized service and personality fit is important. If you do not feel like you connect with the first coach you meet, you should schedule an introductory session with another coach. Each coach can provide unique insights, so it may be helpful to communicate with different coaches for different needs. ideamix’s self assessment is a quick and easy way to connect individuals to vetted coaches, based on their individual developmental, personal or professional goals.
