Life Coaching: what is that?

Coaching is a new concept in Wichita and the surrounding areas. Coaching is utilized individually and in business. Coaching is about defining a more purposeful life, more fulfilling, and more joyful life. Coaching can help you change unwanted or unhelpful behavior, and help you become a better you. Coaching is a proven technique that really works. Every technique and strategy has been tested and validated.

Life coaching will help you ask yourself several questions:

• What do I want to do with my life?
• What is stopping me from doing it?
• What am I going to do about it?

A life coach will help you to find the answers that are right for you. It is like having a personal trainer for your life and career, who will work on improving and enhancing all areas of your life. A Life Coach will help you work out where you want to go, and help you plan the strategies to get there:

• Life coaching uses a series of techniques and strategies that will help you to:
• Clarify what you want out of life
• Identify life values
• Set effective goals
• Monitor your progress on your journey to change
• Stay focused and challenged
• Stick to your commitments
• Reassess and re-evaluate your goals, plans and strategies
• It will help you understand what is important in your life and what fulfills you.

Sports coaching became the center focus for the business world. The business world adopted the sports coaching idea and transformed it with changes in techniques for training and development. These techniques have been developed and enhanced and coaching today is one of the fastest-growing personal development strategies used by chief executive officers (CEO's), entrepreneurs, professionals, people in the midst of a career change and others struggling with life challenges. Life coaches work with their clients on issues such as:

• Work/life balance
• Dealing with conflict
• Increasing productivity
• Effective leadership
• Working as part of a team
• Communication skills
• Relationships
• Parenting skills

Life coaching backgrounds are rooted in:

• Sports coaching
• Business consulting and management training
• Education
• Clinical and counseling psychology

Dr. Cynthia Landers is has 20 years experience in life coaching, education, and healthcare. She holds a doctorate in Human Science. Since 1993 she has given multiple public appearances to speak on her area of expertise. Dr. Landers is a Life Coach expert in life challenges, relationships and executive training.

For more information you can contact Dr. Landers at customerservice@cynthialandersphd.com

Life coaching borrows from all these disciplines, but with important differences.

Coaching is not psychotherapy. Coaching utilizes techniques that were derived from clinical psychology. The difference between coaching and therapy are:

Coaching deals with functional clients who are dissatisfied with some aspect of their lives. People may come to coaching for a variety of reasons, but not necessarily because they have a problem. It may simply be from performance enhancement in a particular area of their life.

Coaching is more about understanding the problems and finding solutions through goal driven results. Therapy is focused on unraveling and understanding problems and difficulties.

Coaching does not deal with clinical issues, such as depression or high level of anxiety.

The client sets the agenda and determines the goals to be achieved. Coaching looks at a wide range of life issues, including skills for job performance.

Coaching is increasingly used in the business world. Corporations are finding that coaching is good for both the organization and the employee. Research has indicated that corporate coaching improves the performance of individuals, raises confidence, leads to better client services, improves working relationships, and develops employees for career ladders (Research and Development, 2000). These positive benefits lead to increased profits and improved employee retention.

People and organizations are turning to coaching due to the changing world. Businesses are aware of their need to change with time in order to survive the business climate; therefore people must reinvent themselves and update their skills in all areas of their lives if they are to compete for employment.

Organizations undergoing change seek outstanding performers if they are to succeed and compete in their business environment. Therefore, organizations and companies should provide their employees with the opportunity to learn and develop through challenging them. On the other side, downsizing means more responsibility for one person. This may cause stress and unhappiness. Only highly trained and motivated people will be able to cope with the pressures of job overload. Companies/organizations should offer their employees techniques and strategies to become effective worker. Companies/organizations cannot afford to hang on to people who are not used effectively or not stimulated or excited about their job.

Coaching is about change. Some people seek to make change in their life and move directly to their goal in the quickest possible manner, with no deviation or hesitation. Most people come to coaching with some level of dissatisfaction, something in their lives they want to change, unfilled dreams; something you wish you had done but haven't managed to achieve it thus far. Possibly you are aware of missed opportunities in your life, a chance that you didn't take and a lead you didn't follow up, an invitation to do something that you didn't do, in retrospect it seems like an interesting move.

Coaching will help you put a successful plan of action in place for real life changes.

If you are interested in contributing expert advice for Chamber members, please contact Beka Robinson at beka@wacc.org or 268-1151