​Business coaching is a resource that is designed to help individuals through change by asking powerful questions, helping people come to realisations, insights and "a-ha!" moments that help them push forward to achieve their goals. I believe this process is instrumental to survival in the current business world.

So, do we need professional coaches or should our managers be doing that for us? Some managers have an instinct which helps them get the best from people that could be compared to the role a coach can play. They are warm, truly care about their team’s welfare and have fantastic EQ which allows them to draw people out and realise ambitions that they might not even have known they had. I hope you’ve had a manager like this, because it’s a truly fortunate experience.

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For many, though, we’re not able to rely on managers being coaches in the enlightened sense described above. Let’s not blame the managers though. The point of taking control is that you don’t need the right leader/manager/employer/era/moment to be your best. You are in control of being your best, and you can hit that goal. There are resources everywhere that can help you, and coaching is one of them.

How to do more than survive at work?

So far, we’ve addressed the issue of change and how taking control is the number 1 way to survive and thrive in the business climate of now and the future.

But we want more than survival, don’t we? When we talk about thriving, what does it actually mean? Get ready to ask yourself some questions again:

• How satisfied are you with your current job?

• Are you glad you chose the career you’re in? Why?

• What could be improved?

• When you’re 85 and you look back at your career, what do you want to be able to say about it?

• What do you really, really want?

• What are you prepared to do to get it?

If you’re lucky, you have 8 hours sleeping, 8 hours at work and 8 hours free time per day. How do you want to spend the third of your life that you spend in the office? And the third of your life that you spend on free time?

I passionately believe that a sense of purpose creates a deep satisfaction that transcends almost all other things. I’ve worked with thousands of individuals on their careers and at the end of the day, it’s not the pay cheque that matters the most to people. Those that know what they want to do, believe in the purpose of their work, and are appreciated for what they have done, are the happiest.

Having a Purpose at work

How do you know whether you have a good sense of your own purpose? Here are some (more!) questions that you can ask yourself to think about your own level of purpose in work and life:

• What makes you proud of your organisation?

• How does your role fit in to the company?

• What hobbies or pastimes have you found that energise and give you a sense of purpose?

• What are you proud of in your life?

• What do you care about the most?

• What is the ideal amount of time you could spend on your passion?

A coach is trained to help you answer these questions and unlock your motivation, your energy and the feeling that you are in control of your own destiny and life. Whilst change is happening all around you, you can be driving personal change and avoid getting stuck in the passenger seat whilst the train heads in a direction you’re uncertain of.

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As a final thought, I’m reminded of something a coach friend of mine, Sheila Town, observed. During her training to become a business coach she happened to observe a sports coach in action, and made a comparison which was simple but powerful: “Seeing coaches with young Indonesian ice skaters over the weekend made me think about how a good coach can really help you raise your game. You see a change in the way the skaters move across the ice, the chin goes up, the body straightens and suddenly there is a flex that you can see. It is wonderful to see them lose fear and speed up.”

Doesn’t that sound beautiful.

If you would like to find out more about how coaching can unleash your potential, don't hesitate to book a coaching session with one of our coaches today.

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