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What a good Professional coach can do for you and what to look for in one

Ironically, unlike the technical engineering skills learnt through a working knowledge of processes and experiences, life itself seldom comes with an instruction manual. If you often wish that you could start planning and managing your life the same way you would an engineering project, then maybe it’s time to consider a coach to help you with it – much the same way a supervisor detached from the actual nitty-gritty of field work can see and direct the bigger picture.

The Value of a Professional Coach

Think of the term “coach”, and immediately sports comes to mind. Every good try gets attributed to the players, whereas the bad games are often blamed on the coach. As much as is it hard to admit, the best coaches are the ones who rarely get their time in the limelight because the people they coach succeed more often than not and thus get all the glory.

Professional coaches, much like their athletic counterparts, are professionals who want to help you achieve your personal glory. Their aim is to help you achieve professional goals through linking your personal potential with your work; they can do this by helping you realise what you want for yourself and helping you plan the roadwork to get there. Sometimes they may even bring out possibilities and potential hidden beneath the surface.

Although most like to think of professional coaches as contractors, a good professional coach is more like a business partner, working together with you instead of managing you. A good professional coach does not dictate; rather, a good coach works with you to lay down a growth plan consistent with your business, your profession, your skills and your goals as a person. Of course, it helps to have realistic yet bold expectations – but these are things in which a good professional coach can help you with as well.

Engaging a good professional coach will help you determine business goals that you want to set for yourself. If you are willing to go that extra mile and realise your full potential through a professional coach, there is no limit to what you can get out of the experience.

Benefits of Working with a Coach

Coaching is most successful when you are willing to work towards growth, and when there is a perceivable gap between where you are and where you want to be. When working together with a coach, you can solve problems, change your life, rejuvenate your business, transform your business relationships, increase sales and marketing targets, and implement a strategic plan towards success.

With the help of a coach, you will be able to:

1. Map the path between where you are and where you want to be

No project would be successful if the client and contractor can not envisage how the result would look like. Much like we need blueprints, mock-ups, scale models and the like, you need to have a vision of where you want yourself to be within a year from now, or ten down the line. Once you know what you really want to get out of life, you’re more likely to be able to map a practical path towards achieving it with the help of a good coach.

2. Learn the balance between work and life, yourself and others

Too often, the value of an individual gets lost within the larger context of a business or a project. It is easy to assume that everyone working as a team looks towards the same goals, uses the same means, and wants the same thing out of work. It is also easy to assume that everyone shares the same commitment towards work as the rest. However, there must be a balance between individuality and teamwork, and a good coach can point out the personal characteristics you and your colleagues have, and find a way to bring these together in a balanced work-life setting.

3. Get that promotion you’ve been wanting or expand your business

Believe it or not, you can actually be worth more than what you are earning or making right now. With the right coach, you can unlock hidden skills, talents and potential which you may not be aware of yet. You can then up-skill your work, making you a much more valued asset to your boss, colleagues or clients. Good professional coaches can also help you look at some practical strategic ways to increase your earning power and expand your business.

4. Push yourself beyond what you think you can achieve

It always helps if you work in a team. Being part of a team can give you the assurance that there will be somebody to cover your back when you are concentrating on forging forward. A team member or partner can also be counted on for a second opinion when there are difficult choices to make. In the same way, a good coach is like a partner who allows you to push beyond what you may think is impossible alone.

5. Make better decisions

People in the industry are smart. Smart enough to be huge businesspeople and entrepreneurs in their own right. Why is it still so that so many bad decisions get made too often? Sometimes, it all boils down to being able to bounce ideas off someone, and find the best option in the process. Of course, a good professional coach is ideal because he or she can offer thoughts on how to maximise your decisions while still keeping an unbiased, objective mind.

 6. Be bright and ready from the get go

Ever know that feeling of dread when you open your eyes and feel like you can’t face another day? Imagine how it would feel to wake up to a balanced life, knowing exactly what you want from your day and what you can and could do to nail that contract, finish those plans and end the day better than how you started it with. That’s the greatest benefit of working with a coach.

 What to Look For in a Professional Coach

Just like the right business partner, the right coach must be someone whom you feel comfortable working with, and someone whom you can trust. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, gauge their personalities, or test their expertise – these are professionals for whom you will be seeking a professional business service from.

Don’t be satisfied until you find someone who represents a good fit for you and your business, but don’t be too shallow to end up with a “yes-man” either. Most importantly, a professional coach is one who can challenge you every day.

When looking for a professional coach, ask these questions:

• Does he or she understand my business or industry? If not fully, is he or she open to learning about it?
• Can the coach understand me and can relate to my professional and personal goals and aspirations?
• Is he or she committed to helping me achieve what you want and beyond?
• Does the coach understand the significance of where I used to be, where I am, and where I want to be?
• Can he or she tailor a specific strategic roadmap just for me? Is this plan for my life specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and time-based?
• Does he or she adopt a partnership approach to our relationship?
• Is the coach action-orientated?
• Can the coach spend enough time with me to ensure that I am heading down the right track?
• Can I trust him or her with my personal and professional secrets?
• Have there been recommendations for this coach from other reputable businesses or industry peers?
• Does the coach have a good, sound portfolio with experiences coaching businesses similar like mine?
• Is the coach personable yet challenging and someone I can see myself working with?

If you can get a coach that fits most of the criteria above, then you’re well on your way to establishing a great partnership with someone who can help build you and your business.

How a Professional Coach Can Enhance Your Performance (and Life)

Once you’ve engaged the right coaches for you, there are some markers in which you can also gauge his or her effectiveness in transforming you and your business. While some of these may or may not apply depending on what you want out of your work, an effective coach will help you be able to:

•  Enhance your strategic work and life skills – this includes essential skill sets such as leadership skills, time management skills, people skills, communication skills, goal creation and achievement skills, relationship management skills, and self-awareness skills.
• Solve specific problems – with training, you should be able to solve day-today issues as well as looking at the larger picture.
• Pursue opportunities that you are passionate about – in work or life.
• Reinvigorate your business – you should be able to have a new outlook on processes, clients, service delivery, your offering, and more importantly, your place in the business.
• Boost sales and profitability – by creating a conducive environment suitable for your business.
• Design and implement a personal or professional plan of action – one that it tailored specifically for you, your personality, your goals, and your business.
• Create the life you want

Most importantly, dialogue with a great coach can help you identify and then achieve your goals and dreams.

Coaching – an investment in business, but more importantly in your life

Regardless of where you stand at the moment, there will always be a need for a good coach in your life. The same way even professional sportspeople need someone to stand at the sidelines with a full view of the game they play, even the best of us can benefit from outside input and advice. A coach which can play the part of a partner will be the best investment you can make because the results will show through both your business and your life.

If you are beginning to realise the importance of having a life manual – written by you and edited by a skilled coach – then perhaps engaging a professional coach would be a good first step towards mapping out a successful, fulfilled life journey.

Katheren Leitner is passionate about coaching and the world of possibilities it can open for her clients and specialises in their leadership effectiveness, communication skills, presentation skills and work/life balance. Currently owner and director of the Performance Development Company TrainingPlus, she has local and international corporate experience and works with a wide variety of clients across all levels of business and individuals. Her qualifications are in Communication, Business Management, Human Resources and Coaching.

To see how coaching can help you and or your employees you can email Katheren Leitner Katheren@trainingplus.co.nz