MCOACHING: TAKING STEPS TOWARD HEALTHY CHANGE

WRITER: SCOTT PERKINS

When you hear the word “coach,” you probably imagine the leader of a sports team: one who encourages players; helps them get better; points out what’s preventing them from achieving goals.

But the term “coach” is rapidly taking on a new definition in our increasingly complex world.

Many people are hiring personal coaches to help them achieve goals in various facets of their life, from fitness to health to leadership to spirituality and relationships. In fact, personal-development coaching is becoming one of the fastest-growing industries in the world.

A 2012 study by PricewaterhouseCoopers determined there are more than 47,000 coaches worldwide who take in revenues exceeding $2 billion.

Most coaches earn a living working with business executives, but captains of industry aren’t the only ones hiring coaches.

So what is coaching? How can it benefit you?

Coaching is a relationship that guides change. It is forward-looking and actionoriented. Coaching should not be confused with counseling, which looks to the past to understand the present.

As a coaching relationship starts, a client brings unique goals, objectives, passions and challenges to the table. The coach’s job is to use questions and observation to empower the client to see the situation from different perspectives. Actions are then developed that will allow the client to make tangible steps toward his/her goals, while learning from and evaluating successes and failures together.

And the process works. According to the aforementioned Global Coaching Client Study:

• 80 percent reported increased overall self-confidence, as successes in one area fed successes in others;

• 73 percent felt an improvement in their relationships;

• 70 percent improved work performance;

• 67 percent developed a more satisfying work/life balance;

• 57 percent found they managed their time better.

All of these outcomes speak to the health of the individual. Learning ways to think and making steps toward goals, whether they are newly established or held for a long time, decreases stress and increases confidence.

My own coaching practice focuses on pastors and those looking to understand and improve their spiritual identity. With my clients, developing the awareness of personal mission or other options and perspectives to look at a challenge gives hope and renewed energy to press on.

Coaching can give pastors the power to be vulnerable in relationship, to develop alignment of their teams and to allow both themselves and their leaders to exercise their strengths. It also facilitates security in who they are that translates to their marriages, parenting and use of free time.

Coaching provides a safe place to put frustrations, feelings of being overwhelmed or feelings that progress is impossible on the table to be untangled. Whether it is with weight loss, organizational development, money or time management or spirituality, progress is a snowball; one small success creating energy and a sense of accomplishment that leads to more successes.

Finding a coach is simple. Do a Google search or go to coachfederation.com. Prices are reasonable but depend upon the coach. In North America, more than half of coaching is done by phone, so time and accessibility are not limiting factors.

Of the clients interviewed for the survey, 96 percent report they would begin a coaching relationship again if they had a do-over.

The results are often worth the money, time and effort.