You need some help getting unstuck so you can reach your professional or business goals… so where do you turn?

When it comes to professional development and support, there are four main disciplines to consider: coaching, therapy/counseling, mentoring, and consulting. Each of these approaches varies in focus, whether they’re problem-solving or solution-oriented, and whether they believe the client already has the answers or needs guidance. Understanding the differences between them can help you determine which one is best suited for your current needs and stage of growth.

Coaching is a variable-length, creative partnership of equals, focused on the present and future,  where the coach asks powerful questions and collaborates with you to design a structured plan to help you achieve your personal and/or professional goals.

Mentoring is a long-term relationship, focused on the present and future, where someone with more experience, knowledge, and/or connections than you passes along what they have learned, assuming that what worked for them will also work for you.

Counseling/Therapy is a variable-length relationship that focuses on your past and present to help you explore physical, emotional, and mental health issues. The goal is to improve your well-being, ease distress, and resolve crises that result from those health issues. Counseling may also involve clinical diagnosis and the prescription of medications. Similar to coaching, a counselor believes you already have the answers within yourself.

Consulting is a variable-length, past and present-focused relationship which provides you with expertise and advice to solve business problems, or develops your business as a whole. A consultant typically deals with the overall organization or specific parts of it, and only indirectly affects individuals within it.

Will Coaching Work For Me?

Do I have a real desire to grow and change?

Coaching is about creating change from within, not changing others. One of the key requirements for success in a coaching relationship is your genuine desire to grow and change, even if you don’t know exactly how yet.

Am I open to experimentation?

We stay the same by sticking to our usual routines and habits, but we change and grow by exploring new possibilities. We experiment, learn, adjust, and try again to build confidence and create new behaviors that lead to the lasting change we want.

Am I committed and persistent?

People change by unlearning the old and replacing it with something new. This kind of growth and change requires time, energy, commitment, and action. Are you realistic about the sustainable investment required to bring about real and lasting results? Are you willing to make time for self-reflection, experimentation, practice of new behaviors and habits, and integration of new self-knowledge?

Who will I ask for help?

Your support network provides encouragement and accountability, making change easier to achieve. Asking for help also brings fresh perspectives, which can uncover things you might otherwise miss.

Is now the right time?

What’s changed recently that makes your desire for change more urgent? Will that urgency motivate you when you encounter challenges and obstacles?

What’s the value to me?

At the end of the day, if you’re able to make the change you want, to achieve the results you desire faster than you could on your own, what’s that worth to you?

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Sound worthwhile, or still on the fence? Either way, you can connect with me and schedule a free discovery call to learn more.