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Coaching is an investment in your development, an investment of money, energy, and time. Presumably you or your company have made that investment because you want something to change or get even better.
Like any other training or coaching, whilst you can see progress in your dedicated workout session or lesson, the benefits are increased exponentially if you continue the work outside and come to each meeting with a purpose, a willingness to learn and a decision to make the most of it. What happens when someone books you into a meeting, you block it out in your calendar, turn up and find that there is no agenda and no clear purpose?
The same goes for coaching. Yes, you can turn up and tackle whatever you want to on that day, but chances are you will be spending a good proportion of your time on just deciding what to tackle. So here are some of the practical things you can do to make the most of that hour or so that you have set aside to focus on your own development.
- Think about your goals for the session before you get there.
Even if it’s only five or ten minutes as you walk to the office – outline an area of focus that will be the most helpful to you and think about what you could reasonably come out with from the session. That way, you can spend your time focusing on what is really important.
- Come with an open mind.
Be prepared to think about things in a new way. Be open to a challenge or maybe to trying an exercise. Changing perspective can be a very powerful way to unlock insights and get around those niggling things that might be getting in the way of reaching your true potential. - Be present and enjoy
A coaching session is a great opportunity to explore topics and problems, create visions and truly gain some inspirational insights. To give yourself the best chance of creating something great from your session or having that lightbulb moment, you need to be able to put away the daily demands just for that short time and let your mind be free to engage. Coaching insight comes from you. The coach is trained in helping you raise your awareness, see things anew and discover things that you may not have considered before. Even the most accomplished coach can’t force someone to have an insight. It’s up to you to come with an intention to be fully present. Whilst some topics may be difficult, or even painful, if you can show up viewing this as a chance for challenge and growth you can relish the chance to collaborate fully to solve problems and find solutions.
If you can do these three things before your session you will dramatically increase the value that you get and you might just be surprised at what you achieve in the process. Finally, if your coach provides exercises for you to do in between sessions, just like practising a musical instrument, a new language or a sport, doing the work in between will reward you with faster progress than if the only time you think about this is in the session itself.
Coaching can be transformational. Make the most of it.