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How coaching works

Writer's picture: Joel GreenawayJoel Greenaway


What coaching is

Let's start by clarifying coaching - what it is, and as importantly, what it isn't. We see coaching as the process of uncovering new meaning or a deeper awareness, which leads to growth and subsequently, making better choices with that new found growth. Training is about your questions being answered. Coaching is having your answers questioned.


 

How does coaching work?

This is not a one-size fits all approach, but generally the process of coaching can be formulaic. That’s not to say it’s simple, it’s certainly not.

Imagine a mountain that you want to climb. Or if imagination isn't a strong point of yours, see the handy graphic below:




Desire. You’re figuring out where you want to be. What do you truly want and where do you want to go? This is where good coaching begins, in challenging that objective and asking “why?” enough times to get clear on what success looks like.

Then we prepare to climb. What path to take? How to get there? What equipment and supplies will be helpful?


Understanding. This is where the hard work begins and it can be gruelling at times. You might find that you need to change your route. There may be obstacles you hadn't anticipated and it might take longer than you thought to get where you had planned. You might even have to turn back. This isn't a failure, it's a success of the coaching you have received. You now know that what you thought was your desire was actually a means to an end, a step to a greater goal or something you don't really value at all.


Once you pass through the fog, you’ll see more clearly where you need to go. Your understanding of the path you’re on will become deeper. There may be false summits, but you and your coach will climb on.


Awareness. From the top of the mountain, you see more clearly than ever. The world that you left at the bottom looks distant and you actually understand what’s at the core of what matters to you and can make a real decision on where to go next.


Action. The heart of coaching is in building this conscious choice so that you are in command of your destiny, not a victim of your circumstances. Coming down from a place of awareness is easier than the climb, but the hard work isn't over.


Growth. When you arrive back at the bottom, you are forever changed. This is the place where new ways of being and acting present themselves, are informed by the journey and celebrated as a success. Maybe from here, you want to climb a bigger mountain. Maybe this one mountain was a lifetimes worth of meaning. Your next step, like your first step, is up to you.


The goals you have for yourself take work. It takes preparation, planning, and the right team around you to climb higher than you’ve climbed before.


 

Do I need a coach?

No one really NEEDS a coach. No one really NEEDS an iPad - but when you have it, it makes you feel good.


The real value of coaching is linked to the objective. For example, we might not need professional growth or a promotion at work, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important to us, and it would certainly make us happier. When you speak with your coach, you'll notice the focus will be on what you WANT; what you desire and what you want to achieve. Which might not always align with what you need.


A person could gain value from coaching if they're looking to:


  • Build out their self-awareness and understand what they really desire

  • Improve performance at work and become a better leader or manager

  • Bolster confidence and self-esteem

  • Live a more balanced and fulfilling life

  • Process disappointment and loss in work or life

  • Explore a change in a new job or different career

  • Anything that really matters to them as a human


“It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfilment, it is in the happiness of pursuit.” — Denis Waitley


Every coach is different, just like every client is different. If you think you might value coaching, contact our experts today to find out more about how we can help you on your journey.

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WHAT PEOPLE SAY

KATHRYN, Strategic Leader

Working with Joel over the last year has been incredible. Wow! wow! wow! Thank you for taking me from manager to leader. You are explicitly wise, amazingly awesome and seriously inspiring. 

HARDIP, Corporate Director

For me, my return on investment was around my assertiveness which is very difficult to put a value on, because that’s going to be with me for life. When I work with my coach, it feels like a safe, supported and nurtured space.

ROBERT, Startup Founder

Joel was a joy to work with. As a coach he seamlessly combined compassion, humour, and wisdom to help me tackle problems and think about things in a whole new light.

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