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What is life coaching?
As I see it, life coaching aims to help you achieve clarity and confidence to work through issues that are holding you back from enjoying a challenging and harmonious life. Life coaching is not about making simplistic judgments about someone's life and telling that person how they ought to live it. The majority of coaches set out to fix what is wrong with people. I don't believe in that approach at all.
Personal experience and social science research have shown that people are the sum of their genes, their cumulative experiences and the circumstances in which they live their lives. I believe, therefore, that successful coaching has to be based on an understanding of all these factors and not just focus on superficial behaviours. For me, then, effective, authentic coaching is based on the following five principles:
ii) a relationship of equality between client and coach;
iii) a desire on the client's part to focus on the future, while acknowledging the effects of the past;
iv) a willingness by the client to work through challenging issues towards empowerment, self-confidence and a happier, more productive life; and
v) a belief in people's ability to accept themselves and yet make changes that will improve their lives.