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What is Performance Coaching?

By Greg Douglas, LMHC

o Performance coaching improves motivation, empowerment and commitment.

o Coaching clarifies goals, major life decisions, and strategies.

o Performance coaching improves productivity and career success.

o Coaching improves confidence and self-esteem.

o Performance coaching promotes and accelerates positive change in relationships, school and sports performance.

A performance coach is a trained professional who guides and motivates people to achieve goals. Performance coaching helps individuals define and clarify goals, major life decisions, and the steps and tasks necessary to achieve success. And coaching is a process of personal development and change.

Performance coaching includes 4 major types of coaching:

1. Life Coaching – addresses personal goals, life choices and changes, along with the steps necessary to achieve your personal goals.

2. Career & Academic Coaching – In this type of coaching we assess career and academic strengths and limitations, and develop of an action plan to reach desired outcomes.

3. Relationship Coaching – to enhance and improve healthy, positive relationships (improved communication, intimacy, and partnership).

4. Sports Performance Coaching – teaches the proper way to focus, motivate, and manage the “internal, emotional game,” and unlock true potential to perform at the highest level.

What are the benefits of performance coaching?

A Fresh Perspective – Positive change and success often begins with a new perspective. Looking at an old problem or obstacle in a new way often leads to new ideas that fuel positive action.

Decision Making Skills – Working with a performance coach can help people understand how they make decisions, how to make more effective decisions, and what factors need to be considered before making difficult choices.

Clarity – We often fail to make the best choices or reach our full potential due to a lack of clarity. Performance coaching can define the most important goals, objectives and action plan – and empowers the path toward an ideal future.

Productivity – Coaching helps unlock your true potential and identifies the most productive path. Understanding the barriers that have prevented you from taking action allows for new insights and increased motivation.

Confidence – Working with the strengths that we already have enables us to feel confident about what we are doing and increases self-esteem. Coaching builds confidence by focusing on existing strengths.

Accountability – Meeting regularly with a performance coach helps to keep you accountable with your action plan. Each session is used to measure the progress made since the last meeting. The plan may be modified depending on progress or obstacles.

How is coaching different from traditional therapy?

There are some similarities, and some important differences between a performance coach and a therapist. Performance coaches do not treat disorders like anxiety, depression, and other emotional problems. Performance coaching is best suited for individuals who normally function well and want to improve their lives in a specific area.

Past, Present and Future

A performance coach will help you with your current situation and future goals rather than analyzing the past. Traditional psychotherapy is often centered on uncovering patterns of behavior that continue to cause distress in an individual’s life. Coaching is focused on goals, decisions and action plans.

Solution Focused vs. Problem Focused

A major difference between performance coaching and therapy is a focus on solutions. Therapists tend to be focused on a specific problem or disorder. Performance coaching is focused on solutions that allow you to move from point A to point B as quickly as possible. The focus of performance coaching sessions includes finding new ways to think and act that will allow you to reach your goals.

The Role and Function of a Performance Coach

The Performance Coaching process starts with a full assessment of client needs, goals, values and strengths. A written plan of action is developed with specific steps and time lines. And the coach guides the action stage where the plan is fully implemented. The specific roles of the coach include:

* Motivator

A life or performance coach is a source of motivation and inspiration that gives you the push you need to reach your full potential. You might hire a performance coach for similar reasons that you would hire a personal trainer. You may already be fit, but have specific goals that need more guidance and motivation. This type of motivational coaching is excellent for goals like weight loss, workplace or household organization, academic, work, or sports performance.

* Strategist

Performance coaching also helps people identify and develop the most effective strategies for meeting their goals. A performance coach is focused on efficiency – the best strategies to achieve results quickly and productively, to create lasting change.

* Accountability Partner

A key aspect of performance coaching is to monitor progress toward goals. Coaching encourages people to keep moving forward in a positive manner. It can be difficult to hold oneself accountable for making changes, but checking in with a performance coach encourages forward momentum.

Performance coaching will hold you accountable to achieve your personal, professional, and life goals. Your personal coach will be at your side each step of the way to provide you with an effective strategy and will motivate and empower you to keep moving forward. Coaching helps you to navigate the hurdles and road blocks on your path, and challenges you to succeed with all of your goals.

For more information about performance coaching, or to set up an initial session with our experienced staff, please contact us today.