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As with so many things this concept started in the
Coaching started out as a way to help frenzied entrepreneurs and corporate executivescope with a life that seemed to be careering out of control. As reported by theBritish Journal of Administrative Management coaching ?takes a holistic view ofthe individual? ensuring that work, corporate values, personal needs and careerdevelopment are made to work in synergy and not against each other. However,what started as a ?corporate client? service has now become a valuable tool forany individual wanting to improve their life.
Borne out of the competitive pressures of today's economy as well as thestruggle to find balance in the frantic pace of modern life this Personal LifeCoaching is now rapidly attracting devotees in Britain. CEOs, entrepreneurs,professionals, people in career transition and many others grappling with lifeissues are all turning to this new ?tool? to guide them through life?sdifficulties and help raise them above the ?fog? to the clear heights of peaceand self-satisfaction. There are now hundreds of coaches across the country andit is that by the year 2004 it will be as common to have acoach as it is to have a personal fitness trainer.
Coaching is a very powerful, collaborative relationship between the coach and awilling individual, which facilitates that individual, through the process ofdiscovery, goal setting and strategic action-planning, in the realisation of anextraordinary result. It is also a body of knowledge, a technology and a styleof relating that focuses on the development of that human's potential.
More and more people are tired of the frenzied, technological information agethat we live in and are interested in a higher quality of life. Life where youhave more time for yourself and your relationships, with more energy to investin your emotional, physical and spiritual well-being. Whether you are acorporate executive working sixty hours a week, a single parent trying to raisea family or someone who is just tired of feeling stressed out and pressed fortime, you have a choice about how to live your life. You can step back,re-evaluate your priorities and make a conscious decision about the future youwould like to create.
Just as you would turn to the local gym or personal trainer if your body wereout of shape, now you can hire a personal coach to improve the quality of yourlife. With their help you can shape up your life and overcome all the obstaclesthat get in the way of living the life you want - like hiring a personaltrainer for your soul!
One might ask why a coach is needed, rather than a partner, best friend or workcolleague. Quite simply it is because of the qualification, professionalism andexperience of the person to whom you are talking - and the FREEDOM with whichyou can speak.
Most of us have experienced the desire to have a kind of heart to heart withsomeone who really understands workplace challenges, family demands, the needfor love and job satisfaction and the importance of personal space. It isimperative that this ?sounding board? is a person to whom you can offload ALLof your thoughts, fears, ideas and aspirations. Often discussion with a lovedone or work colleague can be restrained for any number of reasons - concern fortheir feelings, fear of displaying weakness, reluctance to share good, butperhaps unformulated, ideas or the unwillingness to disclose a secret.
One reason for the high demand for coaches and coaching comes from theincreasing number of entrepreneurs, infopreneurs and self employed peopleseeking to be successful in an extremely competitive market place. It is nowrecognised that the right coach gives the professional or business owner amajor and competitive advantage. It is estimated that over the last ten years wellover a quarter of a million people in the
The value and success of this ?tool? has been seized upon by hundreds ofcorporations worldwide including IBM, Ernst and Young, Deloitt Touche, LucentTechnologies, AT & T, Phyzer, Dupont, Delta Faucet, Kodak, Rodale, the FAA,Globe Business Services, Caterpillar Financial, JC Penny and Telus. All ofthese corporations have recognised the key differential between training andcoaching ? they each have their value but are distinctly different. A veryinteresting article published in the Public Personnel Management in the winterof 97 revealed a study done by the International Personal ManagementAssociation where training alone was compared with coaching combined withtraining. The study showed that training alone increased productivity by 22.4%while training plus coaching increased productivity by a massive 88 %.
Coaching contracts vary to some degree but generally a client will work with acoach for between six and twelve months for a monthly fee, which covers fourweekly sessions. There are no additional charges and the coach does not take apercentage or a contingency- type fee or award.
Very simply, people hire a coach because they want MORE of something (money,time, happiness, success, freedom) or LESS of something (frustration,toleration, delays, procrastination). A coach is trained to work with a clienton both personal and business goals as opposed to a therapist who works onissues- there is a huge difference. Having set those goals the coach will helpyou implement them and stay by your side until their completion. So thequestion is "Would you like to change your life? Do you want more time foryourself? Would you like to take better care of your health, reduce stress andcreate more balance in your life?". The answer is to hire a coach.
Very soon the question will be not "Do you have a coach?" but
"Who is your coach?"
Gerard
Contact Gerard at . To know more about Gerard coaching expertise,visit Gerard shares his rich coaching experiencefreely with you, which can be accessed at