So you’ve decided to get yourself a coach…
Posted on February 04, 2016 by Krishna Setlur, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.
Four important things a Coachee can do to get the best out her coaching experience!
So you’ve decided to get yourself a coach…Congrats!!
A good coach can truly accelerate your success in almost any area of your life – be it your job, career, health, relationships, education, etc., etc. In fact even when you are undergoing extreme distress, e.g. when you have lost a job, or lost a dear one (in grief), or are recovering from or coping with a severe illness / terminal illness, coaches could help you in picking yourself up faster and getting back on track!
However, before you start the coaching process, here are few things you could do- just so that you get the best out of your coaching experience!
1. Define your situation for which you are getting coached!
The more sharply focused your definition, the better your coaching outcome. If you could put this situation in words, nothing like it! Sometimes, life throws situations at you that are not so clear- so be it! What you could do here is – still get down to a pen and paper- and write down the situation as much as you can. Once you have done this, please put down what might be the 5-8 factors that are possible causes or maybe even the direction / areas which might hold a solution!
2. Set up a healthy and well-defined coaching contract
A coaching process is not just about sitting around with an ‘Agony Aunt (or Uncle to be fair!). It does involve investment of time and effort of both the coach as well as the one who is being coached (Coachee). So have an open, clear and detailed discussion on what the coaching process would involve for you, what you can expect from it, and what the coach expects of you! So it’s not just about a paper contract, but more importantly it’s about the psychological contract too! But do remember that most coaches also have a simple paper contract that will be signed off by both of you!
3. Set aside dedicated time for your coaching!
Any good coach is most likely to follow a structured approach. Apart from the time that you and your coach spend together, there is likely some ‘home-work’ that your coach gives you, to help you move ahead with the coaching process. This could be completing some tasks, or introspection or getting some feedback from people around you. So please be prepared to budget time for these.
4. Be very, very, honest, open and transparent!
Remember – the coaching process is a highly confidential one. Any good coach is bound by a code of ethics (of the organisation that granted him/ her a credential e.g. International Coach Federation- ICF). So a coach cannot even reveal your name or any details that might help others to infer your identity. This is true even if you work for a corporate or an organisation that has sponsored the coaching session. Yes- the contents of your coaching conversation cannot be revealed to your manager or even to your HR person! The confidentiality applies even if your coaching is ‘pro-bono’. So any amount of honesty is safe. And need I add that the more open the conversation, the easier & faster it is for both to arrive at a solution! In this aspect, it is much like a session with your doctor or lawyer!
Finally – remember that the coaching process is a co-owned process- you own it as much – if not more – than the coach! So you can get only as much from the coaching process as you give it!!
So give it your best!!
And here’s wishing you WOW! Coaching experience!!
