I could be accused of being a bit of a dry old stick and careful with my money...but it's my experience that coaching has a magical quality about it and worth the money.
By coaching, I mean the type of support where someone listens to you deeply and helps you reconfigure your ideas in such a way that you do it yourself. This can be through a face to face consultation or over the phone. A good coaching session is like doing extreme sports...risky, exhausting and exhilarating. (This type of coaching is a learning development process which some describe as mentoring).
The first time I paid for a coach, I had just 6 one hour sessions which I used over a 12 month period. Never have I got such a bargain....
this was having a tip top person caring about me, my work, inspiring me, available to exchange short e-mails when I got stuck, holding me gently accountable and all of this ALL the time...."Aren't good friends the same?!" I hear you cry. NO, THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. Try it and see!
I am finding coaching everywhere! It’s playing a key role in self development, in business, in wealth creation. I am especially excited about the role that coaching can play in international development and in education.
I have done a lot of training, a lot of consulting and a lot of programme development in the fields of child health and education overseas. I am convinced that the tools used in life and business coaching can bring extra quality to our work in this area. We need to make the transformation we aspire to in our workshops and visits, robust, cost effective and durable. When we do it well we will find ourselves learning more deeply, what the needs are of those we serve. I believe coaching (or mentoring) is a crucial addition to many international programmes.
Watch this blog and this category for much more on coaching, mentoring, its role in strengthening our health and development programme for young people and simple ways to set it up.
Thanks especially to Diana Sterling, Sarah Newton and Patrick Lavin for bringing me into this fascinating world of coaching and mentoring and helping me understand how much it can do for me and those I reach.
