In the fast-paced and ever-evolving world we live in, the pursuit of personal and professional development has become increasingly crucial. As individuals strive to unlock their full potential and organizations aim to foster a culture of growth, coaching has been receiving increasing attention.
I have personally been lucky to have had the opportunity to work with coaches at different stages in my career. It has helped me in areas of prioritization, time management, career progression, communication, leadership and managing up. Focusing on the most important things not only has allowed me to perform at a high level but to do so with more clarity and conviction.
There are some miss-understandings as to what coaching is, influencing expectations of the achievable results. There is a perception that coaches are for senior and/or high performing people only. There is somewhat of a badge of honour in the business world to working with a coach. However, coaching is a discipline that can be beneficial to everyone and anyone.
Another miss-conception is that the coach will provide the answers and solutions to problems and situations. A coach can stimulate growth through the client’s self reflection and discovery. Their job is to hold space and ask relevant questions for the client to embark on a journey of their own experiences and beliefs, to find the answer within themselves.
Given the volatility in the employment market over the last number of years there are lots of people finding themselves making career decisions, whether it's finding a new role or changing career completely. Having someone to support self discovery, identify strengths and weaknesses, challenge some of the thinking and play devil’s advocate can result in a sense of reassurance during these times.
The time we set aside for a coaching engagement is the biggest value this discipline provides. This is time we would typically not carve out to think about important topics, and assess if we are working towards the right goal/direction. I am sure most of you have seen the clip with Denzel Washington (below) that talks about 'Dreams without goals, are just dreams’. He goes on to explain that without commitment you will never start, but without consistency you will never finish.
As I further sharpen my tools, support clients and undergo my own research I am drawn to the idea of coaching for consistency. The idea of identifying and working through incremental goals, having a clear plan in place, and working to that plan. Constantly re-assessing our goals and plans is key to ensuring we are still working towards what is most important and ultimately fulfilling.
That, for me, is where a coach comes in. Accountability and challenging the status quo. If you do that naturally, through your own reflection practices, then you are likely on the right track. However, if you do have a sense of being overwhelmed or a feeling of lack of purpose, reprioritising your work and bringing focus through accountability can re-ignite your desire to execute and increase your productivity.
I do not define productivity as the number of hours worked, but rather the work done. It is indeed possible to work less hours and deliver the same quality work, or work the same hours but deliver even higher quality work. The important work.
Coaching benefits companies as their employees (provided they take advantage of this benefit) will be more engaged, more productive and generally happier with the work they are doing every day. This sense of accomplishment and positivity is infectious and can have a direct impact on team and company morale. Employee alignment can be a differentiating factor.
We have seen companies like BetterUp and CoachHub grow thanks to their mission to make coaching more flexible and accessible. 90% of BetterUp members have experienced a reduction in stress and a 181% improvement in focus. Their success is proof of the value and appreciation of coaching.
If you would like to investigate if coaching is a practice that can help you define and achieve your goals please do not hesitate to get in touch. Likewise, I would be honoured to talk to any companies considering opening up coaching as a support/benefit for their employees. Feel free to reach out: https://www.threepeaksgroup.com/contact-9
Thank you for reading, any feedback and/or comments welcome 🙏
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