A long time ago I was introduced to the concept of coaching and was caught off guard. I thought to myself, “What is this stuff?” I perceived coaching as a made up specialty and awkwardly strange. My initial judgment was flawed because I was not educated about the coaching discipline. I thought coaching was a bunch of fluff and I did not take it seriously at first.
I was introduced to the world of coaching as a student/client and the encounter was uncomfortable at first because I had to remove my defense mechanisms and allow my ego and sense of self to be challenged. My first assumption was that the coach was going to contradict my beliefs and behaviors, but that assumption turned out to be false. The coach held our space in confidentiality and genuinely accepted my perceptions of reality. The coach provided a support system that allowed me to become comfortable in the situation and introduced thought provoking questions that helped me gain a greater understanding of the overall situation.
This is when I came face-to-face with the power of coaching. Coaching was not about an individual telling me what to do and how I am doing everything all wrong, but rather, coaching is about accepting me as I am and allowing me to investigate myself with my own judgment of right and wrong. I was the one with the power to make the final decisions and the coach was there as a guiding, support system that brought additional awareness and empowerment. The enhanced perspective always brought out new findings about who I am, what I stand for, why I judge, why I feel certain ways, and more.
Today, leveraging the power of coaching and building relationships with other coaches has positively contributed to my lifestyle and enhanced my communicating abilities with family, friends, and other professionals. I have achieved a greater understanding of myself in a shorter period of time than I would have without the coaching experience. I am more equipped to overcome challenges and better able to achieve higher levels of success because of the coaching engagement.
Coaching has a stigma attached to it. Generally, we do not want our ego to be vulnerable and there needs to be a lot of trust involved before someone commits to coaching. There needs to be several interactions before someone is comfortable enough to make the commitment. We don’t get into long-term relationships with people we don’t know (i.e. marriage) .
Those who are most likely to purchase coaching are the ones who have already had a positive experience with coaching. Coaching is about repeat customers and referrals. This is a testament to the power of the coaching experience. “Coaching clients understand the value of coaching and others are in the dark about the unique benefits that enable high performers to consistently outperform their competitive counterparts.”
Coaching is dominated by women practitioners at an average of 80 percent. This provides a competitive advantage for male practitioners because there is a different dynamic that takes place with a male coach when compared to a female coach. All male coaches are not created equal. There are different techniques and styles that create the necessary relationship that brings out the best in the client. Finding an exceptional male coach that fits your specific needs is not a simple procedure, but when this relationship is formed it creates incredible forward momentum for the client that rapidly multiplies.
As a professional coach, I have had female coaches and male coaches. Each coach had a unique style that contributed to my overall development. There were different comfort levels and different dynamics that came into play when discussing critical issues. Some coaches brought out additional insight that initially went unseen and others had expert communication styles that enhanced my understanding of certain topics. An expert coach knows how to communicate in a way that does not offend the client and provides the necessary support that allows the client to break new barriers and gain an incredible sense of self that was previously extinct.
Keith Lawrence Miller, M.A., PCC, BCC, CPRW
Elite Pro Coach | Ivy League Resumes
ICF Certified & Credentialed Coach (PCC) | Board Certified Coach (BCC)
M.A. Columbia University | Organizational Psychologist
(855) My-Pro-Coach | Skype (718) 717-2820
http://EliteProCoach.com | www.LinkedIn.com/in/keithlawmiller
Leadership coaching is dedicated to enhancing leadership skills and abilities by enhancing the leader within and creating self-awareness. Targeting and understanding the underlying processes that dictate predictable behaviors creates a necessary awareness in alignment with reality that enables superior leadership. All leadership is not equal, but rather, fluid, flexible, and adaptive to the situation and environment. Implementing the correct developmental process proactively separates the good from the great. Our leadership coaching processes develops great leaders. However, facing perceived fears, accepting critical feedback, and managing emotional highs & lows in alignment with universal laws is required for maximizing personal and professional growth.
Everyone is capable of being a leader and that leadership begins with leading the self. The material offered goes above and beyond generic leadership content found on other leadership sites such as mission, vision, and tactics of leadership. Rather, we expand on these processes and include the real human aspect and psychological foundation of creating valued connections that by association inspire followers to exceed performance expectations. Additionally, these writings are geared to elicit behaviors that make leaders more follower-friendly, and attempt by diffusion, to refine the skills needed to lead successfully.
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