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HOW DO YOU CHOOSE THE RIGHT COACH FOR YOU?
Interview some! Most coaches offer a complimentary interview session. With some it’s strictly interview, while others make it a sample session.
Chances are you’ll either feel a “fit” right away or not. You’ll think things like – I like this person, we get along, she’s easy to talk to, or he really knows his stuff. Go with your gut instincts!
HOW DOES IT WORK?
As many different methods as there are coaches.
HOW LONG DOES IT LAST?
It can go very rapidly. Sometimes I’ve gotten somewhere they wanted to go in one session. Other people I’ve worked with over a year. Coaching is not like therapy (see below). You could compare it in this respect to your accountant, or your general practitioner, nutritionist, or trainer. They are there should you need them, something you do for your wellness or to make your life easier. They’re part of your life! Some coaches require contracts; it’s up to
individual. Some require contracts for certain kinds of work but not for others.
With a physical trainer, for instance, you may start out and work for a while and then reach a certain goal and stop for a while. Then you may decide to go back for a tune-up, or further goals. The person already knows you so you don’t have to go through learning curve again.
WHAT IS COACHING NOT?
It is definitely not therapy, though field of psychology is changing, I think in part because of emergence of field of coaching. I believe field of coaching evolved because it met a need that wasn’t being met.
Coaching focuses on strengths, and positive, and turns toward future. It’s a “where do we go from here?” thing, as well as what skills do you need to get there, and what obstacles need to be removed. For example, if you recognize a need to be networking and don’t like it and aren’t good at it, instead of pondering why you don’t and aren’t, we would start working on skills you can learn to reach your objective. With coaching, there’s opportunity for modeling, and also coaches are free to accompany you to, say, a networking event, and observe and give feedback. Neat idea, isn’t it?
It’s also not friendship, no matter how good a friend you have. Friends have their own agendas and issues, and cannot be objective. Coaching is work, pleasant work, but work nonetheless, and it also has ethics. It takes some training and experience to not put your “self” into equation, i.e., if you are timid about being an entrepreneur and prefer working for someone else, you might advise someone else against it, who is very equipped to be an entrepreneur and to succeed at it and love it.
WHAT ELSE?
Many coaches are also teachers, offering teleclasses, distance learning courses and ebooks. They offer workshops, presentations and seminars, and write special reports and white papers.
PAYMENT?
Coaches generally accept credit cards, PayPal or other online payment, money orders and personal checks, depending. Fees vary.
The best way to find these things out is to give it a try. Look up some coaches’ websites and read about them and their work. Then email some to schedule a sample phone session. If you’ve never had coaching, you won’t know exactly how it works, you’re your coach will know! It's free. You have nothing to lose.
This is something really nice you can do for yourself this year.
STEP ONE: Schedule a sample session!
©Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc . I offer coaching, distance learning and ebooks around emotional intelligence for your personal and professional development. Transitions are a specialty. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for free ezine. For daily EQ Tips, send blank email to EQ4U-subscribe@yahoogroups.com .
