Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Patrick Frazier, owner and executive coach for The Coaching Authority. We hope you enjoy Patrick's wisdom and perspective.
“…lately coaching in this town seems to have become all the rage.” CEO, South Bend, IN
Coaches, coaches, and more coaches. They are everywhere. There are life coaches, business coaches, health and fitness coaches, fashion coaches, sports coaches. There is a coach to help with just about anything.
Narrowing the field to simply business coaches, one will find many different areas of specialty. For example, business coaches often include career, performance, executive, success, small business, and leadership specialties, just to name a few. With a dizzying list of specialties, it does seem like coaching is “all the rage.” The question soon becomes not “is there a coach that can help you,” but rather “do you have a coach to help you?”
As a relatively new profession, certification and licensure are not generally required for coaching. There are many individuals who call themselves coaches that have not been formally trained in specific coaching skills. They transfer skill sets from other professions into their coaching practice. Perhaps this explains why there are so many in the market, as well as why there are huge opportunities for significant impact on our world.
Coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people improve results in their lives, careers, businesses, or organizations. Coaches team up with clients in a thought-provoking dialog that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. It targets growth areas, promotes a healthy balance between career and personal life, reveals the need to learn specific behaviors, and challenges underlying beliefs.
Coaching helps people have clarity and well-ordered priorities. The coaching process can be used to identify what skill sets the individual needs to develop for the next stage in his or her career and/or what resources or actions are needed in order to achieve their desired results. It’s designed to provide clients with a greater capacity to produce results and a greater confidence in their ability to do so. Though coaching may be the latest rage, it is certainly not for the person without a desire to change or improve results.
Great athletes wouldn't think of going to the Olympics without a coach. They know a coach will be there to observe, support, and highlight ways to improve performance. Dick Fosbury, Olympic Gold Medalist, said “When you reach that elite level, 90 percent is mental and 10 percent is physical. You are competing against yourself, not against the other athlete.” A good coach understands this mental battle and is a master at enabling the athlete to realize success. A coach gives you an edge, enabling you to go from being great to being a great champion - personally and/or professionally.
Relationship is the foundation of coaching. The coach and client intentionally develop a relationship characterized by a growing and mutual appreciation and respect for each other as individuals. Professional coaches are competent at establishing connection with individuals. Coaches assist the individual in clarifying issues, and they encourage the individual to commit to doing the right thing.
Coaches are skilled at listening, observing, discerning, modeling, and delivering. They provide feedback, utilize questions, form statements, challenge plans, and share ideas. Coaches are trained to customize their approach to individual client needs.
What’s The Risk?
Leaders limit their potential by not being open to coaching in some form. It has been said, “To get what you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done.” A coach helps others see what they’ve never seen, do what they’ve never done, and get results they’ve never had. Perhaps coaching is the latest rage. It’s because results are in high demand.
This content was written and shared by guest blogger Patrick Frazier.
As President of The Coaching Authority, Patrick Frazier brings over 20 years of experience in project leadership, process development, and management. Patrick had a successful management and process development run in both Information Technology and Operations for Citigroup Inc, as Senior Project Manager and Vice President Statement Processing. He was also Director of System Development and Project Manager for Associates Financial Services.
Patrick is a certified Total Quality Facilitator, Adventures in Attitude Facilitator, and Six Sigma Yellow Belt. He is certified in Rising Stars and ADVanced Insights Attribute Index. He has a BS in Computer Science from Missouri Western State College.
Patrick also has experience in Youth and Nonprofit arenas, such as his past involvement with College Success Collation, Upward Basketball, as Michiana Director, and the Hope Rescue Mission, as Volunteer Benefit Organizer
