The following article was published Cascade Business News, February 2003.

"When to Hire a Coach…"

By Ann Golden Eglé, PCC , CPCC Of Golden Visions Success Coaching

I love meeting new people and discussing the fascinating world of personal coaching. Unlike five years ago when I opened my executive coaching practice, today most people now know a little something about the benefits of coaching.

One question that I still get often is "when is the appropriate time to hire a coach?"

There are certain times in life when having your own personal coach is especially helpful. In honor of National Coaches Week, let’s look at such times in the lives of three of my past clients.

1) When we gain something. Hooray, Kirsten has just been promoted to her dream position! She now has and a huge corner office and fourteen people reporting to her. She was prepared for her workload to increase tenfold.

She was, however, ill prepared for the immediate political and personal challenges that presented themselves to her. People who used to support her were now threatened. She began to loose her sense of balance, time management and self esteem.

Kirsten hired a personal coach to help her work through these issues and more. She learned techniques to help her regain her sanity, health and relationships. Through coaching she grew more powerfully into her new position, building first upon her own strengths, traits and talents and then those of her new team.

Result—she began having more fun than ever, both in and outside of work; was promoted again one year later and now is vice president of a competing firm with better pay, benefits and flexibility.

2) When we lose something. Andrew had been with his firm for eighteen years, when one day he realized that he been overlooked for a promotion nine times in the last two years. A harsh reality startled him--it was not merely politics that prevented this lack of forward movement, it was him.

Through coaching Andrew discovered losses elsewhere in his life. Losing promotions merely highlighted his larger picture. He created a list of what he no longer wanted to tolerate; where he wanted to grow; what he wanted to experience and create in his life. He turned these lists into a primary goal list which then became his top priority.

Result—in time, Andrew eliminated everything that he had previously merely ‘tolerated’ and became far more confident. He did get his promotion and promotions after that. He became a more competent, respected and sought after partner.

3) When we feel stagnant, discontent or we simply want to grow into more than whom or what we are today. Carol had a great life, but things were beginning to change for her. She was celebrating the 15 year anniversary of successfully running her own business; was well respected in her community and happily married for 20 years. Yet she began to resent her long hours, endless family demands and never, ever having time for herself. Her creativity and zest for business and life was dwindling.

Through coaching she discovered that she had no boundaries. All of her clients knew that they could call her any time of the day or night. Her family had unreasonable expectations that she would drop anything for their needs. She had lost herself somewhere along the lines, and truly did not know what she wanted any more.

Through coaching Carol rediscovered what made her come alive, in business and in life. She set boundaries, took solitary retreats, began to write, paint and take yoga. Her professional drive and creativity once again began to flourish!

Result—after an initial adjustment period and some tough choices, everything in Carol’s life took an upswing. Family discovered how to take care of themselves, clients respected her boundaries and new clients appeared, seemingly out of no where! She was a richer, happier person. It was all inside of her all along, she simply needed help accessing the woman she was meant to be all along.

These are just three of millions of similar success stories circulating the world today. How will you know if and when the time is right for you to hire your own personal coach? When you gain something, lose something or simply want more!

Only you can tell…challenge yourself to become more aware of this vital personal tool today!

Ann Golden Eglé, CPCC, PCC, owner of Golden Visions Success Coaching, LLC, coaches executives, entrepreneurs, professionals and creative spirits throughout the US and Canada. She can be reached at 541-385-8887 or www.goldenvisionscoaching.com

Reprinted with permission from Cascade Business News, February 2003




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