S omehow, I feel that online coaching is on everyone’s lips. You almost think you get flooded with it. There is coaching for personality development, executives, cat owners, bloggers, spiritual coaching, etc. The list is endless.
If you enter coaching in Google, 898 million entries are displayed. That’s quite a lot. However, it seems to me that the term is used in a very inflationary way. What do I mean by that? A lot of offers are labeled coaching because it sounds appealing.
But, if you follow the classic definition, coaching is a structured conversation between coach and coachee, providing no proposed solutions. Instead, it is a thought-provoking, creative process that aims to ensure that the coached person taps into their full potential. Hence, it is clear that many of the ‘coachings’ offered are about something different.
To shed some light on the darkness, let’s have a look at a few myths about coaching.
Five Myths About Online Coaching
The coach can never be an expert in your life – that’s just you. Instead, the coach learns during the conversations what your challenges are.
You will consider and discuss possible solutions. Sometimes the issue vanishes into thin air if you look at it from a different perspective.
Therefore, coaching suits everyone who wants to progress faster or overcome blockages. Of course, most often, you can achieve it without outside help. But the change process usually takes a lot longer. However, in many cases, we can’t question the perspectives and attitudes we have acquired throughout our lives. Plus, these are sometimes not consciously accessible to us, so we simply can’t change them.
Why not accept a little support? Most of us go to the hairdresser and don’t cut our hair ourselves.
But it’s actually priceless if you have an excellent, experienced coach with whom you can quickly achieve lasting changes and solve difficulties.
A new iPhone costs 1000 Euros, so why not invest in yourself?
The coach often challenges the client’s existing perspectives or attitudes and assumptions. And that can be pretty exhausting.
Coaching improves performance, well-being, and work attitudes (Theeboom, 2013). If managers and leaders use coaching methods, resulting in higher team-member engagement, better working relationships, and reduced turnover intentions. (DiGirolamo, 2019).
But How Do You Find The Right Coach?
Coaching is a process in which the coach and client partner in a thought-provoking approach to achieve goals. To be successful, you should hire a trained coach, ideally with appropriate certification.
The interpersonal relationship with your coach is also crucial. Do you like the coach, and can you imagine working with them over an extended period of time?
If you realize, after a while, that the selected coach is inappropriate, you should look for another coach who suits you better. A good coach will understand your wish.
If I have to describe online coaching, I like to use a quote from the famous sculptor Michelangelo.
"I saw the angel in the marble and chiseled until I released him."
With online coaching, you will understand your limiting attitudes and perspectives that prevent you from achieving what you want.
You will leave these blockages behind you – instead, you will tap into your full potential and abilities. Everything you need to succeed is already there and will emerge while getting rid of the obstructive ballast.
Take Away
- Coaching is a learning process in which the coach and you work together as partners.
- You decide what to talk about and what you want to achieve. The coach supports you but provides no advice.
- Coaching promotes self-reflection, challenges your attitudes, and enables tapping into your full potential.
- The coach should have qualified training, and the client must be ready to leave their comfort zone.
Are you interested in online coaching? Or are you not sure whether coaching is right for you? Let’s talk about it.
I look forward to it.
