Am I qualified to coach?

You don’t need a PhD. to help a friend. All you need is life experience, and the ability to translate what worked for you into suggestion that might work for someone else. 

 

Who makes a good coach? 

You will always be a good coach for the right person. In the world of sports, there are numerous examples of different coaching styles. There are the patient coaches, the yelling coaches, the coaches who praise and the coaches who are hard to please. 

 

Business leaders also have different leadership management styles: authoritative, and consensus and team builders. The style of your coaching will have a lot to do with your individual personality. If someone has asked you to coach them, assume they will respond to your coaching style.

 

The main point about coaching is that you do it with energy and good grace. It’s also important to remember that the majority of people respond to good old fashioned encouragement—a “you can do it!” attitude.

 

How is this different from mentoring?

Mentoring is taking someone under your wing in a professional setting.  The process implies a long-term commitment to an ongoing relationship. The format of 3Lunches is a minimal time commitment and involves every aspect of a person’s life, not just professional development.

 

Is there a limit to the areas I could be coached in?

There are no limits to the coaching subjects. It could be a problem in your personal life with a marriage or partner or a child, and it could be a work issue; interpersonal work problems, job loss, career switch. Whatever your issue, you have to identify it and then ask a person in your life who doesn’t have the same problem to coach you.

 

What does it say about me if I need coaching?

Many of us get stuck in our lives because we don’t know how to do something.  That doesn’t mean we’re stupid; it means exactly what the words describe. We all are missing bits of information. We lack experience in particular areas. We’re scared of things we don’t understand very well. Or the world just changed around us and we’re unprepared. We lack finesse in certain areas. We have blind spots. Throughout our lives we face new situations or experiences and there is always someone around us who has more knowledge about what we may be facing.

 

How will I know when I need coaching?

You’ll know.