What are life coaches, and what do they do exactly for you?
THESE are just 3 possible scenarios that may prompt leaders to seek the expertise of a life coach:
- ‘Now that I have been performing the most senior role in the Company for the past eight years, what’s next?’
- ‘Now that I’ve been running this business successfully for my employer for the past decade, should I take that quantum leap into entrepreneurship?’
- ‘For the first time in my 25-year career, I am being outplaced. What shall I do next?’
Coaching has been around for centuries, in various forms and shapes. Given the challenges of the world we live in today, life and executive coaching is fast becoming much more known and prominent .
Companies have, over the past half a decade, or even longer, increasingly sought the input of coaches. Some have experienced much success, while others swear never to mention the word ‘coach’ again!
Not unlike HR (human resources), there are no statutory requirements for someone to venture into this field of practice. Like HR, however, some form of training and paper qualification/certification is preferred – so say many corporate users of coaching.
What are life coaches, and what do they do exactly?
Life coaching is about helping the coachee achieve a heightened sense of self awareness – of one’s habits, behaviours, thinking style, etc – and to utilise this awareness to achieve overall life goals, including areas related to personal aspirations, career goals, relationships, emotional and mental health, and to uncover hidden potential.
Cristina Madeira is a certified executive/life coach.
More about this subject
