Coaching is an investment in yourself.
Coaching is a transformative experience that helps individuals identify and achieve their goals in a safe and supportive environment. While goals vary from person to person, the top three reasons why individuals enter into a coaching relationship, as identified by the 2022 ICF Global Consumer Awareness Study, are to improve communication skills (37%), to develop a healthy work-life balance (35%), and to increase self-esteem/self-confidence (35%).
Those three goals are common to most professionals, so why turn to coaching? There are, in fact, several beneficial reasons why a person may turn to coaching. For starters, a coach provides support, guidance, and accountability, helping their clients to navigate challenges and build the skills and confidence they need to succeed. Coaching clients often report that they can achieve their goals faster if they’re working with a coach than if they are not. And anyone who wants to work toward a goal but feels stuck or unsure about how to achieve it can benefit from partnering with a coach.
According to the study, improving communication skills is the number one reason people seek a coach. Whether it’s learning to listen more attentively, expressing yourself more clearly, or navigating difficult conversations more effectively, coaching can help you become better communicate and foster deeper connections with others. Working with a coach can also improve executive presence and emotional intelligence, as well as help you learn to lead with more ease and impact.
At the same time, many people turn to coaching for help in managing varying demands and meeting many responsibilities, in both their personal and professional lives. Working with a coach can help you reduce stress, manage burnout, and find a better work-life balance.
Finally, coaching can help quiet your inner critic and ease feelings of imposter syndrome. Coaching can provide a sense of empowerment. Many coaching participants have shared that they are no longer afraid to face new challenges, and they feel more equipped to handle the unknown. Improving self-confidence is almost always one of the top reasons cited for partnering with a coach.
Unlike broader development activities, such as training or e-learning, coaching is tailored to your individual and team needs, and it can help you address blind spots, overcome resistance, and build resilience. And for employers, indirect results of coaching include increases in departmental or organizational revenue, and more engaged and effective employees.
Athletes have coaches to help improve their performance so they can win matches and break records — including their own personal records. Even if you are at the top, you can still challenge yourself and continue to grow. A coach will help keep you focused on your goals. And the coaching process often unlocks previously untapped sources of imagination, productivity, and leadership.
When you make the decision to invest in coaching, you are making the decision to invest in yourself.
