Change is at the heart of coaching and that can be pretty scary for most people. Once a client decides they are ready to embark on real transformation, they can experience a sense of vulnerability which can be a valuable tool if it is managed in an atmosphere of trust and is respected above all else.
The Coach-Client relationship is built on mutual honesty, respect, and transparency and is the vehicle used to move the client forward. And as in any healthy relationship, both parties must be fully engaged and ready to do the work.
The coach has to believe in her client and the client has to trust the coach to guide him toward his loftiest goals.
A strong motivation for many clients is that they may be struggling with important transitions; sometimes wrestling with very deep personal transformations and are left feeling vulnerable. But it is at this point of authentic vulnerability that will allow clients to embody their own capacity for self-reliability and responsibility, and ability to achieve.
One of the reasons coaches become coaches might be because they had a great mentor who emboldened them to do something great. As a coach, I can only guide someone to places I have been. And I don’t mean that I need to have medaled in the Olympics or rowed at the NCAA Division 1 level to guide someone there. But I need to have conquered my fears of success and learned to manage my mind and control what I can. And I now know what is required to be 100% present in achieving my goals.
In this age of information overload there are formulas, apps and systems available to everyone for virtually every aspect of our lives. But which one is right for you? Where do apps leave a person? What is actually measured by measuring and tracking food, activity, sleep? In the end, data is just data. It is how we use it that determines its value.
Are you weighing your self everyday? Are you measuring everything you eat? Are you tracking your activity? The better question is why? I frequently see clients using this data as a means to beat themselves up.
A coach can provide an objective perspective toward goal setting and the best ways to measure progress. Tracking data points does not equal success, especially when the parameters for real change have not been clearly defined.
Once you decide what you really want—what is essential for your growth and happiness—a committed and caring coach can work with you to devise a plan to move toward your goals, with measurable progress, helping you achieve success. We’ll just do it – together.