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Professional Coaching is an ongoing professional relationship that helps people produce extraordinary results in their lives, careers, businesses or organizations. Through the process of coaching, clients deepen their learning, improve their performance, and enhance their quality of life.

Benefits of Working With A Coach

1. Create the life you truly want.  By drawing on your own creativity and enthusiasm, a coach will help you put your energy where it will serve you best .

2. Give yourself permission to discover what truly fulfills you, what gives you confidence and what empowers you.

3. Develop a workable action plan rather than living by default.  A change in who you are being and what you are doing creates a change in your outer world as well.  You will create new ways of being and doing that will in turn attract the things you want!

4. Make commitments that will stick by setting up accountability with your coach. Accountability will help you to follow through AND you will have support through the entire process!

5. Experience the joy, and the unending challenge, of living in your own authenticity.

6. Decide what matters most and what you value.  You will use these criteria in making decisions and choices that you truly want to make, leaving behind ambiguity and confusion.

7. Get the support you need. Knowing that you've got someone behind you 100% goes a long way in helping you to take risks. A coach can hold your dream when you have doubts.

8. Be all you can be, inside and out. Whatever your desire or goal, a coach can help you create a strategic plan that will work for you.

9. Learn to say yes because you want to, say no when you need to, and gain mastery of old habits that stop you from speaking your truth.

10. Discover your own unique sense of balance in mind, body and spirit. You cannot be your best self if you are stressed, overwhelmed and unhappy. A coach will help you take charge and create your best life.

The International Coach Federation adheres to a form of coaching that honors the client as the expert in his/her life and work. He or she is creative, resourceful and whole.  Standing on this foundation, it is the responsibility of the coach to:

Discover, clarify, and align with what the client wants to achieve

Encourage client self-discovery

Elicit client-generated solutions and strategies

Hold the client responsible and accountable

Coaches are trained to listen, to observe and to customize their approach to individual client needs. They seek to elicit solutions and strategies from the client. The coach's job is to provide support to enhance the skills, resources, and creativity that the client already has.

The synergy that occurs as a result of the coaching relationship is what makes the biggest difference. Following are some ways to maximize the value of your coaching work:

1. Set an intention for each session.

2. Focus on what you are feeling, not just on what you want to produce.

3. Talk about what matters most to you.

4. Be selfish in the sense that YOU are what matters most. When you are happy and doing well, others will also benefit.

5. Be open to seeing things differently.

6. Look at what isn't working in your life.

7. Create more space, not just time, in your life.

Most coaches ask for a minimum commitment of three to six months, which is how long it typically takes to affect a change.  But if coaching is not working for you in the beginning, a coach will usually agree to stopping immediately. Additionally, since coaching is a highly personal connection, if your coach is not perfect for you, chances are they will be able to refer you to a colleague that will be more suited to your personal style.

Some clients hire a coach to help them accomplish specific goals or projects.  Usually, however, the client keeps working with the coach after that because there are even more interesting things to accomplish.

Most coaches working with individuals charge in a range of $200 to $500 per month. Executive coaches charge more due to the nature of this work. Corporate coaching or programs are more, often running $1,000 to $10,000 per month.

Click for information about Selecting a Coach.