Why and When to Use a Coach: Is Coaching Right for You?
Wondering whether coaching is right for you? Discover when to use a coach, how coaching works, the benefits of coaching and the difference between coaching and therapy.
Why and When to Use a Coach
People often assume you need a coach when something is going wrong.
You’re struggling at work. You’ve lost confidence. You don’t know what to do next.
But actually, some of the best times to work with a coach are when things are going reasonably well – you simply know you want something to change.
Perhaps you want to progress in your career, become a more confident leader, start or grow a business, deal with a difficult situation, or work out what the next chapter looks like.
Sometimes you can't even define exactly what you want. You just have that nagging feeling that something needs to be different.
That can be a very good time to use a coach.
What Does a Coach Actually Do?
A good coach isn't there to tell you what to do.
Coaching gives you dedicated time and space to step away from everything else and think properly about you – where you are now, where you want to be and what might be getting in the way.
A coach will ask questions, challenge assumptions, help you look at situations differently and turn your thinking into action.
And that last part is important.
We can spend months – sometimes years – thinking about making a change without actually doing anything about it.
Coaching helps bridge the gap between thinking and doing.
When Should You Use a Coach?
There isn't one particular point when you become "ready" for coaching.
Executive coaching, career coaching and business coaching can be useful at many different stages. You might consider working with a coach if you are:
- preparing for promotion or a more senior role;
- stepping into leadership or wanting to become a more confident leader;
- looking to improve your communication or executive presence;
- dealing with a challenging workplace situation;
- considering a career change;
- starting or growing a business;
- thinking about a portfolio career or board role;
- feeling stuck despite being successful; or
- simply asking yourself, "What do I want next?"
You don't need to have a crisis – or even a clearly defined goal.
"I know I want something to change, but I'm not sure what" is a perfectly good place to start.
Coaching vs Therapy: What's the Difference?
Coaching and therapy both provide space for reflection, but they have different purposes.
Therapy may explore past experiences, relationships, trauma, emotional difficulties or patterns affecting someone's mental health and wellbeing. It is delivered by appropriately trained mental-health professionals.
Coaching is generally more future-focused.
It starts with where you are now and looks at where you want to go, what may be holding you back and what actions could help you move forward.
I tend to think of coaching as four fairly simple questions:
Where am I now?
Where do I want to be?
What's getting in the way?
What am I going to do next?
There may be times when someone benefits from both coaching and therapy. They aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, but it is important to understand the distinction.
What Are the Benefits of Coaching?
One of the biggest benefits of coaching is perspective.
Most of us have assumptions about what we can and can't do. Sometimes those assumptions are completely reasonable. Sometimes they haven't been questioned for years.
A coach can help you examine them.
Coaching also creates accountability. There is a big difference between saying, "I really should do that" and agreeing on the action you're going to take before your next coaching session.
Small actions begin to create momentum.
And momentum creates change.
You Don't Need to Have Everything Worked Out
People sometimes put off coaching because they don't know exactly what they want.
But figuring that out can be part of the process.
What we want from our careers and lives changes over time. Success might mean promotion and progression at one stage and greater freedom, purpose or flexibility at another.
Sometimes you don't need a complete plan.
You just need somewhere to start.
So, Is Coaching Worth It?
Perhaps a better question is:
If I made progress on this particular issue, what difference would it make?
Coaching isn't a magic formula and a coach won't make your decisions for you.
What good coaching can give you is the space to think more clearly, challenge some of your assumptions, understand what you really want and, most importantly, do something about it.
Sometimes that's the difference between thinking about change – and actually making it.
Thinking About Coaching?
I work with executives, professionals and business owners who want to make progress in their career, leadership or business – whether that's navigating change, developing confidence and communication, stepping into a bigger role, growing a business or simply working out what comes next.
An initial conversation is simply a chance to talk about where you are now, what you'd like to change and whether coaching feels like the right next step.
Send me an email at info@360-boardroom.com if you want to learn more
