How do I know if coaching is right for me?
Working with a coach is a huge investment so here are three things to consider before making a commitment.
1. Do you have a coaching need or is it something else?
As much as I’m a strong advocate for coaching is it not always the best solution.
A mentor is best when you’re missing knowledge or expertise and could benefit from the insight of someone who has been there, done that.
If you find yourself getting tripped up by the same patterns or your facing emotional challenges that feel unmanageable then a therapist can help you explore those in a safe way that leads to you developing your own inner resources.
Coaching works well when you*:
- are stuck
- because you have been sent
- for a reason you can’t articulate
- are transitioning into a new job or project
- want to think about endings or beginnings
- have a thing to explore – doing something differently, or being different
- need a place outside your context – family or organisation – where, over time you would like an external thinking partner or critical friend
Sometimes you might work with a mixture of the three. Check out Coaching, mentoring and therapy, what is the difference? for more.
2. Are you open to change and ready to do the work?
Your coach is not there to tell you what to do, you have enough people in your life for that. Their role is to help you get clear on your goals and work out your own path to get there.
I always know coaching is right for someone when they admit they know they need to change but are stuck on how. It’s ok to feel resistance to change, the key thing is that you are curious enough to explore it.
Nothing will really change unless you take action and you won’t take action on something that isn’t important to you.
So ask yourself, this thing you want to work on with a coach, how important is it to you on a scale of 1-10. If you answer is 7 or less, it might not be the right time for coaching.
If you’re ready to work on how you can change your mindset, approach, beliefs and behaviours then your investment in a coach is likely to pay off.
3. Have you found the right coach?
It’s worth spending the time to talk to at least 3 coaches so you find one that will help you reach your goals.
I always say that your coach should be someone you can drop your guard with AND they make you feel a little uncomfortable because they encourage you to explore what’s holding you back.
These posts give you more information about what to ask when meeting a coach for the first time:
11 things to ask a coach before you take them on
Ultimately, to know for sure you’ll need to experience coaching for yourself and it’s absolutely ok to ask a potential coach to give you a taste of their coaching style. If you’ve got more questions send them to jude@thinkwithjude.com. I promise you will get and answer from me.
*taken from Claire Pedrick’s Book, Simplifying Coaching: How to Have More Transformational Conversations by Doing Less.
