Most of us feel from time to time that we are not performing up to our full potential, that there are some things in our lives that are just not working the way we would want them to work. We all have greatness within ourselves and this greatness sometimes gets lost in the hustlke and bustle of daily life, getting all those necessary chores done which we would maybe rather not do, but still have to be done. Too much focus on getting things done can put a lid on our real aspirations. We get so caught up in the day-to-day things that we lose touch with the big, life-changing things that we really want to do. This is where life coaching can help.
Its a way to realise a person's true potential, through a process of uncovering and eliminating one's limiting behavioural and thinking patterns in a supportive, caring and inspirational environment. It is to do with facilitating people empowering themselves with practical, effective tools and techniques. It is a solution-focussed process of personal development which can lead to lasting change in all areas of a person's life.
The following definition of life coaching comes from the New Insights Africa website (link below):
A life coach is there to guide and inspire his or her client to bring about a clearer understanding of their aspirations, goals and life purpose and to effect the necessary changes in their current and future behaviour to ensure the realisation of those goals and aspirations.
With the motivation, support and caring that a good life coach can provide, most people are capable of achieving far more and leading more fulfilling lives than they would if left to their own devices - human nature being what it is.
- The New Insights Africa
The International Coaching Federation has the following definition of coaching:
Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. Professional coaches provide an ongoing partnership designed to help clients produce fulfilling results in their personal and professional lives. Coaches help people improve their performances and enhance the quality of their lives. Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client; they believe the client is naturally creative and resourceful. The coach's job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has.
What is the Difference Between Coaching and Counselling?
Briefly, coaching is solution focussed while counselling tends to be problem focussed. Coaching aims to help a person function better towards defined life goals while counselling aims at fixing something in a person's life that might be experienced as “broken” or in need of fixing. Coaching is future-oriented while counselling is
orientated to the past. Both processes are valid and have a place in an individual's life. It might even be that a
person needs therapy or counselling in order to benefit fully from coaching, if things in the individual's past
are unresolved and holding them back from fully achieving their life goals.
The Coaching Process
Coaching is usually a one-on-one process conducted either telephonically or face-to-face. The process lends itself to telephonic implementation, usually supplemented by e-mail support.
The Life Wheel
Balance is important in finding purpose and happiness in life and so coaching focusses attention of all areas of life. The areas focused on in the New Insights coaching method are represented in the "Life Wheel”. Each area of the wheel needs to have an appropriate weight in a person's life and part of the coaching process is to examine imbalances and, when found, to take action to correct the imbalances.
Code of Ethics
Since coaching is a new profession potential clients might be concerned about the ethical conduct of coaches.
The International Coaching Federation has drafted a code of conduct. This code obviously only binds member of the ICF. However, for anyone thinking about hiring a coach, for their own protection they should ensure that the coach does adhere to some code of ethics, or is bound by some professional standards.
