Working with a Life Coach...
by leah francisco
You may have heard the term “life coaching” and wondered what it really means. A life coach is someone
trained to help you to experience greater personal well
being, solve a problem, or clarify what you want most
and how to acheive it. In other words, a coach is an
objective and supportive outsider who helps get you
from here to there.
A coach is neither a therapist nor an advice giver ready
to fix you in some way, but rather an equal partner
with you, reflecting your greatness and guiding you
toward your own powerful choices and actions. Executive/career coaches help you manage your job performance or career, and in most cases, the coaching client
will also be evaluating life areas such as family, health,
relationships, spiritual growth. In my years of both
executive and life coaching, I have seen how personal
balance is critical to someone’s choices about work.
Basically, coaching is about change. When a coaching
client comes to me, she is ready to change something.
In fact, she may not even know what that change is,
and will say, “I know I want my life to be different in
some way, but I am not sure what I want to change.”
The coach’s role then is to explore life areas that will
help the clarify what she is after. Sometimes, a person
has an immediate problem to handle and may benefit
from working with a coach who can give perspective
and additional options--”Should I take a part-time
job?” “How do I want to handle this difficult family
problem, where I am in the middle?” Depending on
the client’s goal, the coaching can be as short as two or
three sessions or as long as a year or more.
Most coaches develop special areas of skilll. My niche
has been working with women in transitions, whether
by choice (a new career, a new relationship,etc.) or by
an unplanned event (a divorce, the illness of a family
member, a promotion opportunity). Since coaching
is a relatively new field--only about 25 years old--it is
growing rapidly and still is largely unregulated. The
gold standard today for a well qualified coach is credentialing through the International Coach Federation
(www.coachfederation.com), which sets high standards
and ethical requirements for coaches. However, there
are many fine coaches who do not have these credentials.
Here are some things to look for when you are thinking about working with a coach:
• See coaching as a positive partnership. Working
with a coach does not mean that you need repairing, that there is something wrong with you. People
who want to be even more effective in their lives seek
coaching. Your coach is a true partner, a guide who
can help you see things in new ways.
• Evaluate the experience of a coach. What is her/his
training and how long has she been coaching? Ask
her if she has she worked with clients with goals and
needs similar to yours. You can find coaches through
the International Coach Federation and the coaching
programs it recognizes.
• Find out if the coach offers an initial free consultation (Most do). This gives you the opportunity to find
out how the coach works (by phone, in person, email)
and what to expect in working with her. You can also
ask about fees, which vary widely depending on the
location, market and experience of the coach, and if
money is a concern, be sure to ask the coach if other
payment arrangements can be made.
• Look for specific competencies in a coach. All good
coaching programs emphasize key attributes in coaching. Integrity is essential along with total positive
regard for the person being coached. A coach is always
truthful about what she sees and never overpromises
what coaching can do. Coaches must maintain strict
confidentialty about the coaching relationship. Other
competencies include trust, skilled listening, empathy,
ability to assess and communicate about the needs of
the client. Your coach can help you work with your
fears and get unstuck. Coaching is not about telling
someone what to do; it is about understanding the
question to be asked and belief in the client’s ability to
answer it.
• Choose a coach you are comfortable with because
buidling trust means that the partnership feels like a
good fit.
Leia Francisco, M.A.,
ACC, has 20 years of
experience in coaching
women in transition and
helping them realize their
dreams. She has recently
moved part of her coaching practice from the
Washington, D.C. area to
the Hill Country, where
she has enjoyed meeting more great women.
She has been recognized
nationally as a speaker on
the interests of women
and and women’s leadership. You can reach her b