Ready for Coaching?

It is important to recognise that not everyone is ready for coaching. Psychologists Prochaska, Norcross, and DiClemente, among others, have developed a theory about the process of change, and the process by which we can be effective at implementing change in our lives. This model is called the Transtheoretical Model, it has a number of stages in which the person moves through before they take the actions required for change. As you read this, ask yourself where you are in the process of change. What obstacles are standing in your way from reaching the next level?

The first stage is known as pre contemplation. People in this stage do not recognise the need for change. They blame others, look for external causes to the problem and assign reasons for why things are the way they are. As much as these people often need to change they cannot be coached since they lay cause outside of themselves.
Stage two is contemplation. These people recognise that the issue is somehow about them. They may recognise that something isn’t working.  Business leaders, executives and high performers who engage in Master Business Coaching are keenly aware that something about them isn’t working as well as it should be.
Stage three is known as preparation/determination. In the preparation/determination stage, people have made a commitment to make a change.Their motivation for changing is reflected by statements such as: “I’ve got to do something about this — this is serious. Something has to change. What can I do?” This is sort of a research phase: people are now taking small steps toward cessation. They are trying to gather information (sometimes by reading things like this) about what they will need to do to change their behavior.
Stage four is the stage where people believe they have the ability to change.

There are 6 key ways that you can become aware of a need for coaching. They recognise;

1. a repetitive pattern that occurs in a certain area/
2. an invisible barrier that prevents results and creates a feeling of uncertainty
3. continuing feedback or lack of desired performance indicators that indicates that a possible issue is somehow being caused by you not outside of you
4. a lack direction or focus
5. that you should be achieving more but something is stopping you
6. that as you reach the summit you experience a case of “Is that all there is? Or now what?”

A secondary indicator is that you may have explored one of more of the following in the past 12 months:

• Self Help books
• Training/seminars
• Counselling
• Technical books
• Speaking with a trusted adviser
• Talking to people with similar problems
• Traditional coaching
• Talking to your boss