Coaching

What I do and why I do it.
I've spent the past few days at the International Coach Federation (ICF) annual conference in Orlando where I had the privilege of being a presenter as well as a participant. As a result, Iím more excited than ever about coaching.

As a coach I partner with clients to bridge the gap between meaning and prosperity. Together, we engage in a treasure hunt to uncover their unique sources of inspiration and delight and to locate the resources that will enable them to live their dreams. I am committed to marrying the practical with the visionary, and I love seeing this commitment flower as clients grow and change, stepping into lives that are both bigger and easier.

Why do I coach? Because I love it. Coaching feels like what I was designed to do. All of my adult life I have been a resource and a catalyst for people who wanted to change and grow their lives: artists who want to be better at business, business owners who want more leisure, professionals who want to take their lives and work to a new level of both service and satisfaction.

What I like most about my work is that it keeps me honest, helps me walk my talk. My clients inspire me with the courage, honesty, humor and trust. How can I fail to grow when my work is imbued with their light and grace?

Whether coaching is a starting point, a way of refreshing energy and intent, or a long term means of maintaining focus and direction, I feel privileged to share the road. If you have any questions about coaching or becoming a coach yourself, don't hesitate to call or write.

Getting Results, Fall 1999
Here's an analysis of the results clients most often attribute to coaching according to the ICF survey.

• more self-awareness 67.6%
• smarter goal setting 62.4%
• a more balanced life 60.5% <br> lower stress levels 57.1%
• self-discovery 52.9%
• more self-confidence 52.4%
• better quality of life 43.3%
• enhanced communication skills 39.5%
• project completion 35.7%
• improved health or fitness 33.8%
• better relationship with boss or co-workers 33.3%
• better family relationship 33.3%
• increased energy 31.9% <br> more fun 31.9%
• more income 25.7%
• stopped a bad habit 25.7%
• change in career 24.3%
• more free time 22.9%

Coaching Client Survey, Spring 1998
98% Say Investment Well Worth It

ANGEL FIRE, NM-During the first quarter of 1998, The International Coach Federation polled 210 coaching clients. Here are some of the highlights:

• 70% of respondents said their investment in a coach was "very valuable"; 28.5% said their investment was "valuable".
• 94% of respondents believe coaching is here to stay and become a recognized profession.
• 84.4% of respondents said the main role of their coach is to be a sounding board-to listen to them and give honest feedback.
• 78.1% called the coach a motivator, 56.7% a friend, 50.5% a mentor, 46.7% a business consultant and 41% a teacher.
• 80.5% of respondents say they turn to their coach for help on time management, 74.3% for career guidance, 73.8% for business advice, 58.6% on relationships/family issues, 45.2% on personal issues, 39.5% on goal-setting, 38.1% on financial guidance and 11% on creativity.

Coaching works because the coach helps clients set and reach higher and more appropriate goals, asks more of them than they would have done on their own and focuses them to produce results more quickly. Coaching uses a process of inquiry and personal discovery to build the client's level of awareness and responsibility, and provides the client with structure, support and feedback.

The poll was conducted by consultant Amy Watson, Principal, PROfusion Public Relations, with survey design assistance by Jackie Rieves Watson, Ph.D., professor of management and statistics, Amber University. The results should not be considered conclusive since scientific conditions were not established for the responses.

Coaching for Performance, John Whitmore
This is an excellent basic primer for coach and client alike. Based on the principles first elucidated by Tim Galwey in The Inner Game of Tennis, Whitmore demonstrates coaching techniques that build awareness and effectiveness. A worthwhile addition to your reference shelf.

Playing Your Bigger Game
"Shine your life like a light."

That line from the Indigo Girls captures what I mean by playing a bigger game.

The players in what I term the "bigger game" are individuals and organizations who are ready to step out of a paradigm in which inspiration and compensation come from outside sources and into a context in which they find what they seek within. In most cases, coaching clients are already adept at achievement and growth. Now they are ready to live and work on a more complex and more meaningful level, the level of the bigger game.

The bigger game is not about putting points on the scoreboard. (That would only prolong the old, small game.) The bigger game is about learning instead of proving how much you know. In this game you let go of what you know how to do and reach for what lies beyond. Crawling is nice, and today youíre gonna take on walking. For all you know, before the day is over you may fly.

The bigger game is about playing for stakes that matter. Again, itís not the points that count, itís the actual gain or loss that results from our play. Have I, by cultivating my unique gifts and calling, added to the love, light and grace in the world?

The coach for this bigger game is a partner dedicated to the dissolution of all that blocks you from being the person you are meant to be. It happens that in the course of that BEING process you will inevitable DO a great deal and do it well. In my view, however, that DOING is peripheral and not central to the process or the purpose of coaching.

Copyright (c) Shaboom, Inc.™ 2002. All rights reserved.

U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1530-311X.

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