The other day, my friend and I were talking about the fact that the beginning of the school year and the beginning of the calendar year (which in Spain and Ireland coincide with September and January, respectively) are the two moments when many of us take time to plan and think about new projects, and we concluded that September is probably more productive than January in that respect.
Por eso me parece un momento ideal para empezar un proceso de coaching… ¿Cómo? ¿Que no sabes lo que es un proceso de coaching? Pues la verdad es que no me extraña; the word coaching It is a very widely used term nowadays, but it doesn´t always have a clear meaning, which can lead to a lot of confusion. It´s often associated with mentoring or therapy; however, those concepts are widely different (this is explained here and here).
So then, what is coaching? We can start with the official definition by ICF (International Coaching Federation), which is the world´s institution of reference regarding coaching:
ICF defines coaching as partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential
¿Qué significa todo esto? Que durante un periodo de tiempo (de unas semanas, unos meses…), el coach acompaña al cliente en su proceso particular de crecimiento personal y profesional (que siempre van de la mano), creando el entorno y las condiciones adecuadas para que se pueda producir ese avance.
The starting point of a coaching process is defining a specific goal identified by the client: puede ser un problema que solucionar, una meta que alcanzar, un reto que superar, una tarea o proyecto que completar… El objetivo es importante porque sirve de punto de referencia: le permite al cliente comparar donde está con donde quiere estar, en el ámbito que sea. Y a partir de ahí, el proceso consiste en ir trazando un plan, un camino para llegar de aquí a allí, y en empezar a recorrer ese camino, comprometiéndose a hacer el trabajo necesario.
It´s really important to get off to a good start with the coaching process by clearly defining the goal. But undoubtedly, the most interesting part is not whether the goal is achieved in the end or not, but everything that happens along the way. That´s where we see the magic, the growth and the evolution happen. But these things takes time; that´s why it´s a process, not a one-off session!
Lo que pasa por el camino es que van surgiendo todo tipo de cosas: sorpresas, imprevistos, resultados deseados y no deseados, obstáculos internos y externos… Si lo piensas, es normal, así es como funciona la vida, no la podemos controlar por mucho que queramos, y eso es lo que hace que muchas veces nos desesperemos y tiremos la toalla en lugar de seguir persiguiendo nuestros objetivos. A good coach can help us, not just to navigate unexpected events more or less successfully, but even to make the most of them, learning from them and becoming stronger as a result..
Con el acompañamiento experto de un coach, el cliente tiene la oportunidad (siempre que se lo tome en serio) de ir observando, reflexionando y aprendiendo a medida que avanza en su camino, e inevitablemente empieza a darse cuenta de cosas… Eventually, as a result, as the client becomes more self-aware and gains clarity about their situation, they discover new perspectives, becoming capable of overcoming blockers and creating options and opportunities that didn´t exist before.
The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
Marcus Aurelius
Would you like to start a coaching process with me, and discover the treasures hidden along the way?
