(audio version available at the end of this blog)

Who should hire a coach?  At coaching schools the popular, if self-serving answer is, “everyone”.  This blog series is designed for those of us who prefer specific answers to our coaching questions.

In our first installment we discussed who should not hire a coach.  Now we turn to the fun part, who should?

Our first imaginary client is the one who thinks there is more to life than, well, “this”.

Many of my clients start out this way.  They walk through my door, sit down, and seem very restless.  When I ask them about their goals, many, for the very first time, admit that whatever they have been doing is not working out.  They are unhappy.

And they know they want some kind of change.

At that moment they may not have a complete handle on what that change would look like.  And part of my job is to remind them that change for the sake of change is often not the wise solution.

These are clients who have a realistic and visceral understanding that life should be more (or less) than whatever they have.  My job is to help them get specific and understand why the change will improve their lives.

It takes an enormous amount of courage to speak out about the mismanagement of our own lives.  I have coached clients from 23-67 (update: as of 2019 the range is now 21-72!)  who have this realization so it is not age specific, and it is never too late to “hire” a new management team for your life.

I recall a time in my 30s when I seemingly “had it all”, yet the weight of responsibility I did not want or value overwhelmed me, and soon produced a massive crash.  It took me two years to hire a coach, much of that intervening time spent restless and rudderless.

My coach created the space for me to decide the specifics of the change.

Coaching is the time-out clients require to assess what they want.  Then coach and client create a realistic plan for getting it or getting out.  The only requirement is the likelihood that you will act upon the lessons learned throughout the coaching process.  Coaching is about talking it out, planning, and experimenting with the plan.

So if your life is not what you want, it is time to hire a coach.

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If you have any questions about coaching please feel free to contact me at scott@kineticcoaching.co, and remember I always offer a complimentary 30-45 minute session to prospective clients to determine if we want to work together.