A Great Coach Can…
Help You Find Untapped Potential
Every single one of us has a reservoir of untapped potential below the surface of our lives. That potential often gets buried in the busyness of life. There are work needs, family needs, and all of the other demands of life that are constantly pulling and pushing at us. Most of us are just trying to survive. “Thrive” is a buzz word that most of us have heard of, even desire, but fail to experience. One might think that we just need to work harder, but that’s exhausting, something too many of us are already experiencing.
If working harder isn’t the answer then what is? I don’t know that I have the perfect answer, but I want to make a suggestion. Coaching might help you find that reservoir of untapped potential. Adding more to your already hectic, busy and complex life isn’t necessary. A better answer might be just under the surface.
A coach won’t provide the answer for you, but they can help you find a way forward. You are the expert on your life and you know you and your situation better than anyone. Given the right questions, time to think, the opportunity to process out loud, and help with solid actions steps you can tap the wisdom and potential already present in your life.
Help You Get Unstuck
The weight of our busy schedule, incessant demands, or just life, in general, tends to be so heavy that we sink deep into ruts. Those ruts challenge our ability to get movement. It’s tempting to give up, or just go with it, but getting unstuck might be and quite likely is possible.
Growing up in Montana getting stuck has been a part of life. Winter can be brutal even for townies. Most of us have 4 wheel drive vehicles, but even they can’t compete with some situations. Most of the time there is someone who will help pull you out. Creativity though can go a long way toward getting unstuck. For those of us who have been stuck solid, we explore every option—use the floor mats for traction, find some gravel or sand, find the right angle to try to get over or through or around those darn ruts, rock the vehicle to get more space, dig a path, and of course pray. It’s surprising how often one or several of these methods actually work. It’s also surprising how creative we can be when it’s necessary.
All of us certainly can use a helping hand, but often no one can get you unstuck as well as you can. When you do the work you not only get to celebrate, you learn, grow, and achieve things you never thought possible. Coaches believe in you. They know there is more in you than you are aware of. They also know that given the right circumstances, creative thinking will abound in you. A coach can help you dig the depths of your creativity to find answers on how to move from stuck to making momentum.
Help You Make Progress
I often ask my clients, “What can you do today that will move you forward?” Most of us get overwhelmed by the gap between where we are and where we want to be. The distance feels like a hundred-mile trek on foot through wilderness areas filled with barriers. In the face of such an overwhelming distance, fear often takes over. And fear paralyzes us, keeps us from seeing the next step, or even causes us to run away thereby increasing the gap.
Coaches help their clients identify their desires, goals, and dreams. We also help our clients find clarity about why those goals are important, what it would feel like to achieve them, and how to celebrate the little victories along the way as well as the final victory of achieving the goal itself.
Movement is a success. Each step is a step forward. Coaches help clients break down the journey into achievable steps. And we celebrate with you “each step” of the way.
Help You Rediscover Your Purpose and Calling
The danger of coaching people is that you can coach them toward less meaningful things. There’s something important about asking the questions, “What am I here for? What is my purpose? What can I do better than 10,000 other people? How can I leave a legacy and make a difference?” These questions and others like them help us think about what it means to live a meaningful life that blesses others and inspires us as we move along.
When I am coaching I am aware of each person’s unique gifts, abilities, strengths, and potential impact. My clients are made in the image of God people who are here for a reason. I can’t create a purpose for them. I can’t distinguish their unique calling. But I can help them be aware of purpose and calling, ask them questions to help them discern its uniqueness in them. As they find the words, begin to discern, and find the greater meaning, I can help them “see” how that impacts their everyday reality and their goals.
Help You Embrace Greater Significance
We all long for our lives to have meaning. We want to make a difference. Far too many of us settle for the mundane dreariness of work-a-day lives. I wonder how much more meaning our work, our relationships, and our lives, in general, would have if we pushed into the beauty of making each day a day of significant living. Honestly, I settle for to mundane and monotonous all too often. And yet, I am challenged to find greater significance in the monotony. There are little miracles each day waiting to be observed and celebrated. Coaches have helped me see more of those moments, which is why I am such an advocate of coaching.
I am 6’4” which means that I tower over a lot of people. I am always surprised at the number of opportunities I have to bless someone with my height. Many trips to the store offer opportunities to reach something for someone else. And I always feel encouraged. I like the picture of this. Coaches don’t necessarily reach something for us, but they do extend our reach, help us find the important things in our lives, and live with greater significance.
Final Thoughts
Jane Creswell’s book Christ-Centered Coaching has been really helpful in developing the outline above. Jane was the first internal coach at IBM and the founder of the IBM Coaches Network. She also holds Master Certified Coach credentials from the International Coach Federation. Jane spent years working with corporate executives and watching them respond positively to coaching experiences. Through coaching, they experienced workplaces healthier for themselves and the people they worked with.
Jane took her coaching experience, at first tentatively, and began working with Church leaders. Pastors and ministry leaders, like the corporate leaders she had previously worked with, deal with an abundance of stress, complexity, pain, and challenges. Jane writes based on her experience that Christ-Centered Coaching, “can help you love God—and your people—with all of your strength.” Jane places emphasis on the ALL in that passage. Even if you are not a ministry leader, loving God—and your people (your friends, your family, your colleagues)—with all of your strength is the most worthy endeavor you can ever pursue.
I am passionate about the same things. It’s why, at this stage of my life, I am moving from an upfront teaching and vision casting kind of leadership to an encouraging others kind of leadership. I want other people to have the platform more often. I want to assist them as they prayerfully reach for their goals, grow in their walk with God, and are used by Him.
If you are interested in professional coaching, then reach out to me for a no-obligation conversation. If I can’t help you then I can recommend someone who can.