When you google “Coach” you get a lot of options. For most people, who haven’t experienced coaching, it can be a quagmire trying to figure out what you want.
If you’re looking for a turbo boost for life, career or business, here is a short explanation of the different kinds of coaches that might suit your situation.
Executive Coach – this is the kind of work I do.
Exec coaches started out in the domain of CEOs. Senior Managers discovered that the more senior they got, the less people were willing to question, challenge or encourage them. They looked to a coach to help them recognize how they add value, to encourage new thinking and to become aware of their blind spots.
Now exec coaches work with all levels of people, in a variety of jobs. They focus on helping people shift their thinking, behaviour and habits in the work arena.
Coaching helps you move forward quickly, because you are setting the agenda. You identify the area you want to change and your coach helps you move beyond the limits of your current thinking. The goal is to gain a new perspective and discover new ways to be more effective.
Exec Coaches will help you make the most of what you’ve got. They help you recognise your strengths and build on them in a way that stays true to you.
Their aim is to help you be happier and more effective in the job you choose. That might mean becoming a more inspiring manager, figuring out what’s next in your career or resolving a relationship issue with a client, your boss or a team member.
We work by using the most relevant questions we can come up with. It’s the unexpected question that helps you think differently, and the big reason you can’t coach yourself. My job is to help you see things in a new light, observe things you may take for granted and look for what hasn’t been said.
Your coaching time is an oasis to think, a precious commodity in today’s offices. It’s thinking magnified, because we will both be completely focused on how to approach this area differently.
Normally, coaching has a limited number of sessions, I prefer 4-6. These are usually one and a half to two hours and are spaced out with a few weeks in between so you can try out your new thinking.
The results come quickly, are usually noticed by your boss and can make a big difference.
Business Coaches – these are consultants who use their experience to help resolve problems and improve your business, rather than yourself.
They will often work with small business owners to help them with their business strategy, sales, tech or innovation. Some Business Coaches work for large consultancies helping clients identify more efficient ways of working, better use of staff time or of resources.
They are often hired to do an overview of the whole business or to augment an area that the business is specifically trying to improve.
Life Coaches – life coaches also work on behaviour, thinking and habits of individuals.
They might overlap with exec coaching and help someone with work issues. They can help you with more personal goals, like fitness or relationships.
These coaches sometimes have a specialty. Like Exec Coaches, they may help people define a career direction or work on interview techniques. They also might help with weight loss, transition into retirement or other major life changes like divorce, maternity or menopause.
Their desire is to help their client clarify what they want and then create a path or plan to get there. Usually they will set a series of coaching sessions to monitor and encourage their client’s progress.
Sports coach – the coaches we are most familiar with.
They may coach the whole team, like in football or they might be focused on just the individual, like a tennis or golf coach. Their role is to help you be a better athlete by observation, recommendation, structure and practice.
Coach – this is a small bus that transports people.
Just like the coaches above, its goal is to get you from point A to point B.
Now all you have to do is decide where you are headed.
If you feel stuck in your career, need a better work life balance, want to add value to what you’re doing or feel you haven’t hit your potential. Give me a call.
If you feel stuck because you haven’t got a car, take a coach.
Kathy Reeves Consulting 