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Although coaching, both personal and professional, has been around for a couple of decades, some people have yet to discover all its benefits.
The trouble is that potential clients aren’t always sure what coaching is, how it works, and how it can improve their life and career.
Another issue lies in the fact that coaching is perceived as a big investment in terms of time and resources, and as such, it’s not high on most people’s priority list.
In order to demystify it, shed light on why it’s an essential element of success, and describe its value, let’s discuss the three levels of coaching.
The Level of Skills
This first level deals with specific techniques that will help you improve certain skills and business areas.
It revolves around learning how to set short-term goals and execute them. Together with your business coach, you’ll make plans, evaluate your activities, and develop a sense of accountability.
In case your plan falls through, and you fail to achieve your objectives, your coach will help you analyze everything and identify what went wrong.
Let’s say you’re trying to build a coherent leadership team, and your attempts are unsuccessful. A business coach will help you see things from a different perspective and become aware that, for example, your lack of interpersonal skills is a huge obstacle. In other words, if you’re not an active listener, or if you’re trying to push your agenda and are reluctant to accept other people’s ideas, the productivity and performance of your team will suffer.
But it’s not easy to take a hard look at yourself and realize that you’re making a mistake.
A trained eye will help you navigate this process and understand what you have to fix.
If we bear in mind that 60% of employees leave their job because of a bad boss, it’s clear that working on your managerial and leadership skills can prevent a high turnover rate and a toxic workplace culture.
The Level of Capacities and Key Competencies
The previous level of coaching doesn’t focus on a bigger picture – its main purpose is to help you make changes to your daily routines and overcome specific challenges.
The level of capacities and key competencies is a continuation of this process, and it’s crucial for creating a lasting change. Namely, after passing this level, you’ll be able to see the entire context and how your actions impact your goals and performance.
New behaviors that you learned during the first level become automatic and natural – you don’t have to force yourself to, say, lean towards others or nod your head in order to show others that you’re actively listening to them.
This new perception means that you’ll be able to step back and observe your behavior from a distance, which will allow you to identify the underlying beliefs and presumptions that drive it. As a result, it will be easier for you to make better on-the-spot decisions.
We’re talking about a deeper process that will enable you to see beyond what’s obvious and shift your mindset towards deconstructing your existing preconception and building new capacities.
Finding a coach for your company is the best decision you can make, as this professional will teach you and your team the necessary skills and new behaviors and transform your leadership style.
The Level of Fulfillment
This is the most advanced level of coaching, and its purpose is to unearth the forces behind your aspirations in order to help you get in touch with your most profound desires.
With a coach, you’ll see a bigger picture as to what success actually means for you and how to achieve it. The level of fulfillment implies that you’ll find out how to be satisfied with your job, as well as take your plans and aspirations to the next level.
For example, you’ll come to realize that the root cause of distrustful and controlling behavior towards your employees is actually a mechanism designed as protection and shield against betrayal. But, this kind of attitude is a huge obstacle to building trust.
At the level of fulfillment, you’ll be able to change your beliefs and assumptions and give way to a more authentic leadership style based on mutual trust and respect. This will result in becoming a true leader that your employees are willing to follow.
Each of these three levels of coaching is beneficial and has its place on your journey towards success. Your personal and professional growth heavily relies on your readiness to learn and change.
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