The biggest myth about executive coaching is that it’s something that’s done to you. It’s not. It’s something you do for yourself.

Hiring a coach is a sign of strength—not weakness. Many people are good at what they do. However, they know they can be better.

Time is an artificial measurement in terms of coaching. Some people make dramatic improvements in their leadership skills within weeks. Others take longer, which is why coaching can be short term as well as longer engagements.

How long it takes to achieve results depends on where you currently are and where you’d like to be. Also factored in is how efficient you are with your time and if you’re fully committed to following through on the advice, you’re given.

You want to find a coach who has been where you want to go.

Don’t be afraid to ask a potential coach what they did before becoming a coach and why they think they can help you. If you’re still unsure, ask follow-up questions. Still not convinced? Move on.

Coaching produces significant change when the person being coached (client) is ready to begin a new order. When clients acknowledge their concerns and hopes, a path to goal-setting is created. With feedback, challenging assignments, and a supportive network, coaching moves insight into action, resulting in growth.

Coaching differs from mentoring in three fundamental ways. Coaching is about the task of improvement, and mentoring is about the relationship mission. Coaches bring individual focus, and mentors bring a network focus. Finally, the work of a coach is short-term in relationship to the time orientation of a mentor.

Significant career transition points are excellent times to benefit from coaching. Every move into roles of increasing responsibility represents a turn in leadership. These transition moments are superb to benefit from an executive coach. Also, short-term coaching focused on specific issues can also be of great benefit. The client needs to have time for coaching; it cannot be something relegated to side work.

There are so many models of coaching that a new question is needed. To assess value, the best question to consider is, "what is it worth?" It's costly to lose extraordinary talent, so shifting the conversation from expense to value will answer this question.

Coaching to improve a technical skill might be of a shorter duration than coaching aimed to improve delegation. Most coaching assignments last several months to six months. There will be regular meetings between coach and client, and many coaches involve managers and other stakeholders in the process.

When a point exists that an exchange of value isn't being created, in the best relationships, coaches and clients will pause. They explore sources of discontent and challenge and decide how to move forward. Every conclusion in this context should raise a discussion about goal progress.

The effects of coaching can be profound. Growth and change are anxiety-producing events, and appreciation of those forces is essential to the client and their network. Co-workers and intimate partners may not be prepared for change. It's critical to have the means to assess and understand the impact of coaching on others.

A life coach is someone who helps you get clarity about the direction of your life. In addition, a coach will help you uncover beliefs and values that don’t serve you.

First we look at where you are, and determine where you want to get to. Once we know the destination, then we look at what is stopping you getting there, and how we can move you forward.

Therapy is more focused on mental health, and transforming dysfunctional behaviours into functional ones. It tends to involve a lot of focus on the past.

Life Coaching, however, is more focused on moving forward and creating your future.

It should be stressed that life coaching is not a replacement for professional psychological help. If you believe you are suffering from mental health issues, you should first speak to your doctor as a first port of call.

A life coach is for you if you want to maximise your potential and raise your standards above mediocrity. The simple answer is all types of people can use a life coach at some time in their life.

However, some common characteristics of people who have a life coach; are a deep desire for change, a need for direction and a focus on achieving their dreams.

Research has shown that people who have a life coach remain more focused and gain quicker results with the support and guidance of a coach.

Each session is built upon the previous coaching session, ensuring a clear and definite path to the outcomes.

During each session, we’ll review the actions and achievements from the last session and look at general progress made.

We’ll look at your present position concerning your goal and uncover any obstacles you may need to overcome.

Exploring what actions and behaviours worked and didn’t will be important for formulating new action steps.

Lastly, we will look at what actions you want to set for yourself for the next session’s goal.