IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
What are the Confirmed Benefits of Life Coaching?
A life coach can help a person to identify strengths, develop them, and identify personal and professional goals. Their role is to assist the client throughout the change process. This happens in several ways.
If a person chooses coaching, there are many benefits. Coaching conversations help a person focus attention on their desired goals (Moore, Jackson, & Tschannen-Moren, 2016).
Most of the session involves the coach listening, and then asking powerfully focused questions. The foundation of a good coaching relationship is trust and authenticity. This allows for vulnerability. Clients who open themselves to being vulnerable also can experience growth in self-compassion (Moore, et al., 2016). Researcher Kristin Neff (2019) defines this as a combination of self-kindness, mindfulness, and a sense of common humanity (Neff, 2019).
Life coaches pay particular attention to assisting clients to identify their strengths. Clients learn to explore and develop them as a means to achieve their goals, and also to cultivate positive emotions (Moore, et al., 2016). Generating positive emotions leads to what Fredrickson (2013) calls, “an upward spiral.”
In her landmark work, she identified ten positive emotions:
-
inspiration
-
hope
-
pride
-
interest
-
love
-
awe
-
amusement
-
joy
-
gratitude
-
serenity
Coaching creates the space for clients to build on these emotions and flourish.
Most people do not like being told what to do or when to do it. Coaches who understand this will build coaching relationships that allow the client to act autonomously. Autonomous motivation means the person controls the decision-making process. The coach provides resources and support and nudges as needed, but the client is in charge. People who are autonomously motivated pursue actions that are of interest to them (Moore, et al., 2016). They view the actions as important. Behaviour change happens when the client experiences greater autonomous motivation.
Moore and colleagues (2016) cite five benefits originally identified in Deci’s (2013) presentation, “How do we support autonomy and build accountability?” They are:
-
Positive behaviour changes last longer
-
Increased creativity and flexibility
-
Improved performance
-
Making changes is enjoyable
-
Health and personal relationships improve
Life Coaching involves a willingness to learn, grow, and adapt.
What does Research provide?
Many of the effects of coaching come from applying knowledge obtained from social science research. For example, the Self-Determination Theory of Motivation is “the end game of coaching” (Moore, et al., 2016). The authors describe this as a person’s ability to reach their peak in “motivation, engagement, performance, persistence, and creativity.” The coach’s job is to ensure that the environment meets three psychological needs. They are autonomy, competence, and relatedness as defined by Deci and Ryan (1985).
According to Moore and colleagues, other areas affecting the growth and legitimacy of coaching include:
-
Positive Psychology (for example, character strength research; the Broaden and Build Theory of Positive Emotions; specific interventions like gratitude journaling, and mindset research.)
-
Appreciative Inquiry (AI) – A change process that explores and emphasizes the best in a person or situation; this can be especially useful for organisational change processes.
-
Interviewing (MI) – This approach encourages people to develop their own reasons for change. Doing this often leads to less resistance and greater success while working with a coach. It has been tested in counselling people with addictions.
-
Emotional Intelligence (EI) – EI includes four areas: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management (Goleman & Boyatzis, 2017).
-
Design Thinking – A human-centered method that helps people find creative solutions to problems (Bayer, 2018).
-
Flow Theory – Also known as “being in the zone” this is an immersive experience that yields peak performance.
-
Social Cognitive Theory – Postulates that learning happens in social contexts. It is the interplay between a person, their environment, and behaviour (LaMorte, 2018).
-
Adult and constructive development – Conceived by Bob Kegan, this theory focuses on “growth and elaboration of a person’s ways of understanding the self and the world” (Palus & Horth, 2016).
-
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – This is a type of psychotherapy (talk therapy). It helps clients identify and overcome negative thinking patterns. This helps the client better handle future challenging situations (Mayo Clinic, n.d.).
What are some Benefits for the Client?
Coaching provides several benefits, these include:
-
A safe space for exploring options and growing
-
Better risk management
-
Increased productivity
-
More job satisfaction
-
Flexibility
-
Better networking opportunities
-
Goal attainment
-
Strengths identification
-
Focused use of strengths though interventions
-
Increased Camaraderie
Everyone can benefit from working with a coach. No matter who your coach is, their role is to be “your external eyes and ears, providing a more accurate picture of your reality” (Atul Gawande, 2017).
If you want to get great at something, get a coach. At least, that is what Gawande advocates in his 2017 TED Talk.
How can a life coach help me?
The point of life coaching is to assist the client to move from stagnation to growth. The coach does not establish the goals; the client does. The coach helps shine a light on strengths that can help the person achieve their goals. Respect for the client’s autonomy is paramount.
Life coaching work to help the individual flourish. Sometimes these are formal relationships with start and endpoints. Other times they are informal, starting and stopping naturally. ‘Fit’ is important to a successful coaching partnership whether it has a formal or informal status.
Coaching is a collaborative relationship that is formed to help an individual identify and reach goals, develop solutions, actualise potential, and achieve positive growth and transformation. The International Coach Federation (ICF), a non-profit organisation formed by practising coaches, defines coaching as “a partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximise their personal and professional potential.”
Coaching views the client as a whole, capable, and resourceful individual. A coaching relationship can be either short or long term. Coaches aim to employ a non-directive approach that allows the client to discover their own answers, devise and implement their own plan of action, and assess their progress. Although coaching offers myriad potential and possibilities, it certainly isn’t the only answer, and it can’t fix everything.
What are the Goals and Aims of Life Coaching?
From a “big picture” perspective, the goals and aims of coaching include raising awareness, discovering and fully using one’s potential, learning self-responsibility and self-accountability, enhancing the quality of life, aligning values with lifestyle, growth, change, increasing performance, seeing new perspectives and viewpoints, and exploring new possibilities. As this list shows, coaching focuses on positive expansion and forward movement.
Are you ready for Coaching?
In the blank next to each for the following questions, rate whether you agree, are neutral toward, or disagree with the statement using the numbers 1,2, or 3 where 1 = disagree, 2 = neutral, and 3 = agree.
1. I am interested in discovering and actualizing my existing skills and talents. ___
2. I am seeking ways to enhance my life, career, and/or relationships. ___
3. I am receptive to external sources of support and guidance. ___
4. I am ready for change, transformation, and growth. ___
5. I would like guidance and support in clarifying and reaching my goals. ___
6. I am ready and willing to do what is necessary to achieve my goals. ___
7. I would like to learn and develop the abilities of self-assessment and reflection. ___
8. I enjoy collaborative processes. ___
9. I want to empower myself. ___
10. I am ready to leave the past behind and focus on the present and the future. ___