Make a promise to yourself
The promise you make to yourself in coaching is to allow yourself to learn and grow from the process, to persist despite setbacks, to be honest with yourself about what is truly important, and to stop beating yourself up when you get it wrong.
- I promise to take responsibility for discovering the solutions that are right for me and that allow me to be the best I can be in my life.
- I promise to be open and honest with myself and I trust that as long as I am taking positive action, I am making progress.
- I promise to commit to developing my awareness of myself so that I can replace habits and behaviours that are destructive with ones that are creative and productive.
- I promise never to accept second best for myself
- I promise to seek to learn from all my experiences and actions.
Schedule your coaching time in your diary and treat it as a priority
You chose coaching because you want to achieve important goals for yourself by developing your personal or professional abilities. Making coaching a priority means making YOU a priority. Treat it as your most luxurious me-time. Make some space in your calendar and prioritise your sessions. Putting yourself first will set all other things in perspective. Of course, there will be times when you really have to cancel a session because of unforeseen events. In this case reschedule immediately.
Have your session goal ready
Be clear about what you want to achieve in your session. Check your journal or notes and especially at what point you are on your goal journey. Decide what would be the right next step. Or do you have an actual topic you want to work on? This will save you a lot of time in the session. In case you don’t have a session goal ready you will work on it first thing within the session.
Ensure you have a quiet and save place for taking your sessions
The outcome of your coaching session is depending on the level of your concentration and personal well-being. That is why it is important to create the right environment for your session. Choose a location that is convenient for you and where you feel save and positive. Make sure that you won’t be disturbed – by other people or the telephone. You even may want to have some soft, calming music playing very low in the background or a nice glass of your favourite drink.
Take a few moments to review your last sessions’ goals and the actions you’ve completed or attempted
Start your session a little before you speak to your coach. Take your time to get into the right frame of mind. Browse your journal or notes. Check the actions you have committed to complete. Are there any questions you have regarding the last session or that came up in between?
Keep a journal between your sessions to keep track of your progress
A journal will help you to reflect on your thoughts on a deeper level. It also allows you to keep track of your progress. A lot of thinking will happen (also on a subconscious level) between the session and when you don’t expect it. This way you will have a place to store your thoughts and ideas. It will help you throughout your journey.
Complete your assignments between sessions
Assignments will help you to deepen your coaching experience. It gives you an opportunity to reflect on advanced level – just by yourself. Complete your assignment and if you wish, send it to your coach before the next session. Always ask yourself the final question: What have I learned from this?
Spend a few moments after each session reflecting on your thoughts and refining your actions
The time with your coach is quite intensive and you are pretty occupied answering all those demanding questions. That is why it is beneficial to stay in thinking mode for a few more moments after the session and to secure your most important thoughts. Also, very important: check the action list you just agreed to work on. Make yourself aware of the tasks ahead and go!