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At some level many of us feel there is a gap between our current performance and our full potential. We won’t narrow that gap unless we work on it. We may not even initially realise what steps we could take or what stands in our way.
Coaching provides support and challenge. Both of these factors are required to get the big shifts in thinking that can accelerate growth and change. Coaching takes place in an environment of trust and rapport between the coach and the coaching counterpart. The relationship is critical. I love some of the silences that can follow a challenging question. It is in these moments that I sense my client’s brains digging for insight and then suddenly comes an ‘ah ha’ moment. It has been said coaching is a mixture of art and science. Some of these moments also have some magic. They lead to real change and concrete action.
I did my core coaching education with the Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership (IECL). The IECL researched what people found as benefits of coaching and as they say, it’s probably not what you think.
The research showed the top 5 benefits as being:
Areas of achievement from coaching were highlighted as:
✓ Authenticity
✓ Self-awareness
✓ Influencing others
✓ Fostering others
✓ Performance effectiveness
The benefits and achievements identified in the research ring true to me. I reflect on the feedback of my coaching counterparts and so often it is in these areas that they notice significant advancement in their professional lives. The new perspectives can also spill over in a positive way to their personal lives. I see great enthusiasm when people start to kick goals in these areas. It becomes a virtuous cycle.