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“Some really interesting personal lifelong ambitions have been raised by a couple of the people in the group this week. And once again I am reminded of what a privilege it is to be a catalyst in their journey. If you are even remotely interested in coaching I urge you not to hesitate. Do whatever it takes. And commit to someone else’s success. It is amazing. “

This from Diary Of A Coach this week.

Is it such a great life being a coach? Let us know by sending us comments on your experiences - both good or bad - about life as a coach…

Our coach at Diary Of A Coach writes:

“One of my past keys to success has been to really connect someone with why what they have chosen to work on is important to them. Typically these sorts of people want to get straight in to action. No problem at all with that since coaching is about taking action. However if one is disconnected from what they are doing and why they are doing it, it is very easy to get distracted, lose heart or give up.

So spending a little time early on getting clarity around the real drivers behind a desired goal or outcome is a worthwhile investment. The vision has to become bigger than the challenges one may face on the way. Connecting someone emotionally to their goals is vital because as a coach you can keep re-connecting them with this in times of hardship, boredom or self doubt.”

Agree? Disagree? Let us know.

“When I first trained as a coach six years ago, my trainer said there was no such joy as being part of someone else’s success. I now experience for myself the truth in that. I am heartened by the very noticeable spirit of support and contribution with this particular group. They each have their own business and personal goals. And in addition to their weekly sessions with me, they have decided to share their goals with each other and look for ways to help and challenge each other. Two of them want to change their careers - bold steps since both are in their forties and have spent years training as a lawyer in one case and a GP in the other. Is it my pattern or theirs that I attract people wanting to get off the corporate treadmill and do something for themselves?”

This from Diary Of A Coach, a personal take on what it is like to be a coach today.

Writing in The Guardian (UK) this weekend, Lindsay Swan describes herself as a coaching convert. “I know enough successful people who can attest to its effectiveness, to convince me it is more than New Age flim-flam.” For her it was a question of finding the right coach, which she evidently achieved.

By contrast, Craig Harper writes about personal development fraud in an article on Coachglobe.com “Despite their philanthropic, selfless, all-about-you overtones, their primary (if not, sole) objective is …. to make money”, he says of coaches.

How can we be assured as smooth a journey as Swan with her coaching? And what made Harper quite so anti-coaching?

Where is the real proof that coaching interventions actually work? And what does Harper base his opinions on? Where’s the moderation in the discussion about whether coaching is ‘good’ or ‘bad’?

So – it’s decision time for me.  A few close coaching colleagues have finally bitten the bullet and gone for accreditation but they have chosen different bodies and their experiences are all really different.  From what I can see, it looks as though the good administrators (who keep an eye on every hour they work with and have done from moment one as a coach) find it easier to work their way through the system and those who focus on the coaching itself but are self-confessed admin-phobes struggle.  OK, I admit it, I am an admin-phobe so I am still trying to work out where to start when I look at the hoops to go through. 

If you’ve done it – was it worth it?  How long did it take?  Any advice you would pass on to someone who is still sitting on the fence?  Does accreditation really matter to potential clients – I have never been asked about accreditation in 3 years as a coach?

I am still quite new to coaching.  I have finished my training which was great and met so many really helpful and supportive coaches who have been invaluable as I set up my practice.  One thing that I am not really sure about that I would love to open up to other more experienced coaches.  Is it ever acceptable to be directive?  Some say absolutely yes when you have knowledge about a specific field and it helps move the client forward.  Others say that it is never acceptable.  My course said the latter.  The coach I have worked with does occasionally move into being a bit more directive and I really appreciate that although I’m not sure I’d find it beneficial if she did it too often.

Thanks - I look forward to your feedback!

(Sarah)

I was recently at a coaching seminar when I met an executive coach who said that he had never been coached.  He had been on the receiving end of coaching as part of his training course in role plays.  When I asked why he had never employed a coach himself, he said that he didn’t need anything “fixing”.  I have to admit, I was gobsmacked.  I don’t feel I would be the coach I am without having been coached.  I have never thought of myself as needing fixing but there are so many layers to who we are, that exploring them, developing, stretching and challenging has been a fundamental part of my development.  It has also been fascinating to be on the receiving end of different types of coaching and knowing what it feels like to be the client.  Having said that, I don’t necessarily think that a coach needs to have a coach all the time.

I mentioned this to another coach I know and she commented that she had also come across coaches who have not been coached themselves – that it is not as rare as I would have thought so I wanted to open up the discussion to others and find out what they think.

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