About coaching
The term "coaching" was first used in sport. Those, who had the chance to work with a personal trainer know, that his/her role is to:

• ask what is the goal (to loose weight, to slim down, to build up the muscles, to increase the endurance, to enhance performance, to work on the whole body or to concentrate only on specific area)
• tailor an appropriate work-out program
• motivate, cheer, challenge, inform, reward

As a result of this cooperation, we stretch our own limits and do more sit-ups then we ever would without trainer's support. The reasons for such extra effort can vary:

• our ambition does not allow us to give up
• we don't want to let the trainer down
• during the training we get to see and believe, that we are capable of more
• trainer keeps us focused on our dream goal

Regardless what the reasons are, most importantly we reach the goal.

Personal Coaching is a special kind of relationship between a qualified professional and a client. The object of this relationship, and the cooperation based on it, is to support the clients in achieving his/her own personal and professional goals. The professional coach uses a variety of different skills and techniques to help the client discover, clarify and accomplish these goals. With the proper coaching support attainment of one's goals will be a faster, more effective and ultimately a more rewarding experience. It can even be fun! Nevertheless, the responsibility for results will always be on client's side.

Coaching as a form of service and cooperation is sometimes confused with consulting, therapy or mentoring. All of these approaches work well in appropriate situations: the consultant, as an expert in a specific field, gives a ready solution; the therapist helps the individual deal with emotions and the mentor shares his own knowledge and experience. The coach encourages and empowers the client to come up with his/her own solutions. During the coaching process the focus is on eliminating problems, setting goals, undertaking actions and accelerating the progress toward these goals. The client learns to make wiser decisions, take better actions and, as a consequence, get better results.

Why do people hire coaches?
Coaching is most successful in situations where there is a gap between a client's present situation and the one he/she desires. Most often changes result from wanting:

• more of something i.e. happiness, success, opportunities, freedom, time, money, passion, satisfaction, health... etc.;
• less of something i.e. work, stress, frustration, dilemmas... etc.

Here are some examples of areas for personal coaching:

• setting your own vision of the future
• reaching personal satisfaction
• finding the right balance between your private and professional lives
• overcoming the burn - out syndrome
• career change
• job change
• gaining new skills
• management of one's own finances
• improvement of self-organization

Clients hire a personal coach when:

• they are not happy with their life or in one or more of its areas, and don't know what to do to change it
• they know what they want to change to make their life different, but don't know how to affect that change
• they know what and how to change, but may be lacking the motivation, courage, self-discipline, skill or support to take action.

How coaching can help?
From sports, coaching has migrated to the business world and as a goal-focused approach, implemented quickly in the area of management and organizational development.

Pursuing success characterizes not only organizations but also us individuals. Most of us have got our own plans, goals and own idea of success. Regardless if we focus on single, specific goal or work on the overall improvement of our quality of life, personal coaching helps to:

• make life easier, both private and professional
• reduce the number of problems and to better solve the few that are left
• clarify the vision of what one really wants in life
• gain focus and direction
• set goals, make decisions and take action
• discover and explore all options
• create and implement a strategy for reaching one's goals
• identify and overcome the blocks and obstacles to one's goals
• reduce stress levels
• save time
• avoid making too many mistakes

and most importantly

• make it happen!

How is a coach different from a friend ?
While facing a challenge, people often turn for advice to best friends, partners or family members. They all want our happiness and success, but any change in our life may also mean a corresponding change in their life or their relationship with us. For that reason our loved ones may simply not be fully objective.
The coach is always 100 % honest with his client, even if this costs him the relationship. Loved ones may not always be so willing to take such a risk!
The coach always tells the truth because he is interested in only one thing - the client's success.
The coach has the knowledge, experience and tools that will support you.

Is coaching for me ?
Coaching is not just a nice inspiring conversation, but it is also, work. Before deciding if coaching could be a good option for you, ask yourself if you are ready for it.

Can you honestly agree with these following statements:

1. I am dependable, responsible and punctual     yes/no
2. I have time, that I can devote to myself     yes/no
3. There is a gap between where I am and where I want to be     yes/no
4. I am ready for change in my life     yes/no
5. I would like to reach my goals faster and more easily     yes/no
6. I am ready to be completely honest with my coach     yes/no
7. I am willing to do the work required to get where I want to goo     yes/no
If you honestly agreed with 7 statements, you are ready for coaching
If you honestly agreed with 5 or 6 statements, it is worth to consult with one or two coaches and make sure, that in this situation coaching can still be effective.
If you honestly agreed with less that 5 statements, coaching may not work for you very well at this time.