Defining Coaching
The International Coach Federation defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” (https://coachingfederation.org)
In my words, coaching is a goal-oriented and forward-looking partnership between coachee (the person being coached) and coach (myself).
The partnership is based on your desire and need to change, to get “unstuck”, or to grow. The purpose of the partnership is to support you in identifying a roadmap for achieving your personal and/or professional goals.
Who is coaching for?
Coaching is first and foremost an investment in yourself.
Therefore, coaching is for anyone who wants to invest in themself to bring about change in their life – whether personal or professional.
The change you want or need to bring may be small and concrete, big and transformational, or anywhere in between.
I believe all changes are amenable to coaching, as long as you have the desire and need to change.
The Coaching Process
Coaching consists of a series of structured conversations (“coaching sessions”) devoted to the coachee’s personal and/or professional goals.
- The first step is to book a free information session during which you will have a chance to ask all your questions about coaching.
- Once you decide to engage in a coaching partnership, the first session (“discovery” session) is devoted to discussing your overarching goals and expectations.
- Subsequently, each coaching session is devoted to a topic of your choice.
Together, we explore and identify realistic goals and an action plan during each session.
See the FAQ section for more information about the process and examples of common topics and goals.
Benefits of Coaching
There are a number of benefits to coaching for healthcare professionals. For the evidence, click here.
Beyond the benefits shown in studies, I believe coaching catalyzes positive change.
“Whoever travels without a guide needs two hundred years for a two-day journey.” -Rumi
Coaching allows you to gain insight, identify realistic goals and create an action plan that you are committed to. Contrary to receiving advice or being told what to do, coaching allows you to discover your own best solution.
Sounds interesting? It is!
Frequently Asked Questions
Once you decide that you want to enter a coaching partnership, I encourage you to consider what overarching goals you want to achieve during our work together. This will allow you to come prepared to the first coaching session (discovery or orientation session). Your preparation will allow for a more detailed and fleshed out discussion about which goals are realistic and what your expectations are.
For every subsequent session, I will encourage you to think about a topic beforehand. (See FAQs for examples of topics).
The purpose of thinking about a topic beforehand is that it enhances the quality and outcome of the session. When you think about the topic, you come better prepared and the action plan may be better designed.
In the days before a session, you may consider a particular topic for discussion. However, in the hours before the coaching session, an event or new thought comes up that you have no time to prepare. This new topic may be what is most important for you in the moment. There is no problem and the topic you bring to the coaching session should be the topic that is most important for you in the moment.
Overarching goals are the goals that you determine at the beginning of the coaching partnership. The overarching goals will guide the topics of each subsequent session.
A session topic is the topic (related to your overarching goal) that is discussed in a single coaching session.
Examples make it easier to understand.
Example 1:
- Over-arching goal: I want more work-life balance.
- Session topics (1 topic per coaching session)
- I want to figure out how I can be more efficient so that I don’t have to catch up on evenings and week-ends.
- I want to increase the quality of the time I spend with my partner.
- I want to figure out which professional commitments are important to me and which I should let go of.
- I want to find an activity that brings me joy and fulfillment.
Example 2
- Over-arching goal: I want to work on my professional development plan
- Session topics (1 topic per coaching session)
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- I want to express myself more confidently in meetings.
- I want to organize my CPD so that it reflects my professional goals.
- I want to ensure that my professional goals don’t lead to burnout.
- I want to adjust my leadership style.
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The pricing will be discussed during the information session and also confirmed during the first (discovery or orientation) coaching session.
Each coaching session lasts 1 hour. A typical coaching partnership consists of 6 sessions every 1-2 weeks. For information purposes, coaching seems to be more effective when the sessions occur every 2 weeks or less.
That being said, each person’s situation is unique. While some people find their way after a couple of sessions, others prefer to continue for months.
During our first coaching session, we will determine the number and frequency of coaching sessions needed based on what is feasible and best suits your needs.
