Coaching is not the solution to everything.   There are many situations where some direct advice or some further individual work may be more appropriate.   If you believe the coaching is not the right answer though,  it may be helpful to explore why that is the case.

I don’t need a coach…

…I’m sure of this.

·       Maybe you are right. Coaching is not for everyone or all situations. Perhaps talking to someone who can provide direct advice because they have experience of your particular situation may be helpful.

·       The person being coached needs to be ready to be open, prepared to consider different possibilities and to recognise there may not be a quick fix.

…right now.

·       Perhaps the timing is not ideal.   There is a lot going on and many deadlines. You may be better placed in a month or so to be able to step back a bit and allow more time for  reflection on what you are looking for and the coaching itself.

…because I don’t see the issue .

·       Maybe you would benefit from asking for some gentle but specific feedback about the issue or opportunity that other people are seeing.  What is causing people to see an issue -  is there a different perception here that would be useful to understand ?

·       Having had some feedback, take the time to reflect. Is there really an issue here,  and do I want to do something about it ?

…because it didn’t work last time.

·       Coaching is very dependant on the relationship -  there needs to be trust on both sides.

·       Meet with several coaches – explore who you could be comfortable with and who has the right balance of making you feel listened to but also challenged.

·       Be clear about what outcomes you want from the coaching and what role you’d like the coach to play.

…because I’m not sure what I’m looking for.

·       This may be where a coach could help.

·       A large part of the coaching conversation is exploring what is important to the client and raising awareness of potential areas that would be worth further discussion to establish some clear objectives.

…because I can’t afford it.

·       Coaching from an experienced and effective coach is not going to be cheap,  but the impact can be wide ranging.   There may not be a need for many sessions – often a lot can be achieved in a session with a clear focus on a particular objective.

·       Many coaches are working for further accreditations and need to provide recordings and transcripts.   This would normally be reflected in a much lower charge for the session,  if you were OK with it being recorded for accreditation purposes.

·       There may be a coaching programme available at work – or your company may see the benefit it would bring to your engagement and effectiveness at work and be prepared to cover the costs.

If you are thinking about coaching, its worth exploring the reasons for and also the reasons against to understand what it is you are looking for and whether this is the right time for you. Contact me if you’d like to discuss this further.