WORK WITH A COACH AND BECOME ACCOUNTABLE

Success is much more likely when we are held accountable…

Having to report your progress to someone is a great tool to achieve a goal or make a change. No one likes to report that they are not succeeding or having put any effort into something. When you only answer to yourself, even the most disciplined find it easier not to look at our shortcomings, mistakes, or lack of progress and tuck it away into the back of your mind. When you are accountable to a mentor, you know you will have to tell them where you currently stand. That in itself can keep someone consistently progressing.
Being accountable can also create consistency.You are much more likely to continue working on something consistently when you know that periodically you will be checking in with status updates.
When people who want to make changes in their life don’t succeed, it’s not because they lack the tools to make the change, it is because they lose focus along the way. Being accountable creates a constant reminder and helps to retain focus for the duration of the change and possibly beyond.

Setting Boundaries With Your Coach

Cathy Sykora

Founder, The Health Coach Group

Cathy helps health coaches build and maintain successful businesses that improve the lives of others.

Working with a Coach

It is important to have boundaries and structure established for effective mentoring

Best practice when working with a coach:

  • Set regular meetings
    • This can be in person, over the phone, or over video. You can use text or email if needed on occasion, but live, real-time interaction where you are speaking to another person is usually most effective.
  • Establish boundaries
    • Determine what will be discussed and if there is a specific area to be addressed in mentoring.
    • Determine if the discussion will be solely about the area of mentorship or if other areas will be addressed as well.
    • Determine if there are areas of discussion which are hot buttons or completely off limits
    • Create a mutual respect for one another
  • Set goals with timelines
    • Be fully forthcoming with any relevant information about the goals
    • Be realistic with timelines
  • Establish expectations
    • Will there be a fee?
    • What are the guidelines for canceling or rescheduling meetings?
    • What if the relationship is not working out?
    • Is the mentorship short-term, if so is it date contingent, goal contingent, or other? Or is it ongoing?

Choosing a Coach

 

  • Experience
  • Values and Ethics that are similar to your own
  • Strength in areas you would like to experience growth
  • They practice what they preach
  • Someone with a communication style that you are receptive to
  • They have enough time
  • A Positive attitude
  • Trustworthy
  • Can give you honest, objective feedback

Seeing the World Through Someone Else’s Eyes

Objective feedback may not always be what you want to hear, but it is priceless. It gives you the ability to see your situation through someone’s eyes who isn’t emotionally attached. Getting objective feedback may identify areas that are keeping you stuck. A coach may notice patterns in your behaviors that you’d never seen before. Someone giving feedback has the ability to specifically point out things that we refuse to see, can’t see, or haven’t thought of.

What About You?

 

What do you think?

Could YOU use a health, life or business coach?

Use the directory in the footer of this page to find just the right health coach for you.

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Need help?  Contact support@thehealthcoachgroup.com, we’ll help you find just the right coach for you.

Share your experiences with coaching in the comments below.  Feel free to ask questions, and we’ll do our best to get them all answered right here.

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