Eighty percent of Fortune 500 companies now offer executive coaching. Great companies know this is an effective way to inspire their leaders to reach their highest potential.
While counseling seeks to look back and understand why you do the things you do and consulting tends to involve more training and advice, coaching is a supportive relationship where together we figure out who you are, where you want to be in life and the best path to get you there.
It’s similar to hiring a personal trainer at the gym. It’s not that we can’t work out on our own. It’s the benefit of having someone who shares the responsibility of making sure that we’re not simply putting in the time but that the time at the gym is as effective and goal-oriented as possible. What a trainer does for the body (helps lose weight, builds up endurance, increases self-esteem, strengthens muscles, etc.) I love to do for the soul (restoring dreams, inspiring creativity, encouraging through a transition, strengthening relationships, giving space for evaluating life, sifting through priorities, etc.)
The “value” words my clients use most often are: encouragement, support, sounding board, clarifying, inspiration, hope, excitement, transformation. The bottom line is coaching aims for action and change and a specific result that makes a positive difference in your life and career.
Coaching involves an effective combination of creativity and visioning combined with practical questions and regular accountability that bring those dreams into reality week by week.