What Is A Coach?

A qualified coach will:

Listen to you
Help you identify and prioritize your personal values and priorities
Help you identify and articulate your dreams for your life
Help you set long-term and short-term goals to help you work toward the fulfillment of your dreams
Help identify your personal motivators
Help you identify and remove potential obstacles or barriers to your success
Keep you focused
Challenge you
Introduce you to new ways of thinking
Help you identify your strengths and capitalize on them
Help you identify your weaknesses and minimize them
Provide you with new ideas and resources you've never considered
Brainstorm with you
Help you try new things and master new skills
Identify resources you can utilize
Mentor you
Encourage and support you
Hold you accountable for your actions (or lack of action)
Provide you with valuable feedback you can use
Help you measure your progress
Celebrate your successes with you!

Hiring a coach is a long-term commitment to yourself. Your coach will be there to help you identify what is truly important to you and develop a plan to achieve that. Your coach will be standing on the sidelines encouraging and supporting you as you take the actions necessary to achieve the goals that lead to your dreams. Your coach will be there at the finish line to congratulate you and help you gear up for the next race.

Unlike reading books and attending seminars, coaching is an ongoing process, and it's very interactive. Coaching essentially becomes a relationship—a supportive, mentoring relationship to help you achieve your potential. A truly great coach will tell you how to do something, show you how to do something (if necessary), and then cheer you on while you do it! A coach will be a safe sounding board and a confidential advisor. Your coach will be your number one fan, but also your biggest challenger—stretching you to achieve more than you could have achieved on your own. But remember, a coach isn't a crutch...

Key Link: What A Coach Is NOT