HOW TO FIND A LIFE COACH

I talk a lot about the need to find your tribe – the people who support you on your journey to success. They’re your sounding board as you work out your goals and take steps to achieve them. They’ll cheer for your accomplishments but also keep you grounded with a reality check when you need it. They have your back.

A key member of your tribe is the life coach, a professional advisor who holds you accountable to the promises you make to yourself. Choosing the right life coach gives you added power for achieving your goals.

Life coaches are sometimes confused with mentors, since they both work with you to help you make improvements in your personal or professional life. But there are key differences.

Mentor: Sharing Their Knowledge

A mentor is a guide, usually unpaid, who opens doors for you and has the experience and knowledge to help you in a specific realm (most commonly the professional). They’re in the same field as you but at a more advanced level, so they can teach you new skills and introduce you to other helpful people and resources. If you’re successful with their help, you may end up leaving them behind, finding new mentors or becoming a mentor to someone else.

Help from a mentor might include teaching you how to interact with senior leaders at your company; advising you of the best way to present a proposal to managers; or suggesting specific actions you can take to win your next promotion.

I’ve had many mentors in my life. One who comes to mind is an officer from my military service, whose words I still live by: “Never settle, or you’re going to one day end up regretting it.” He was right.

Coach: Finding Your Way

A coach has a more long-term relationship with you and is usually a paid professional. They’re not necessarily in the same field as you are, but they should be familiar with issues you might encounter. While a mentor will give you specific instructions about a task or project, the coach will help you decide if you even need to carry out that task. The coach deals with the big picture and helps you find your own way.

Help from a coach might include exercises to discover your mindset and change it if desired; identifying your personal and professional strengths; and guiding you in the principles of creating a business plan.

You already know where you want to go. The coach’s responsibility is to come up with action steps you can take to get you there. The coach is not going to teach you anything new but sees roadblocks and impediments you put up and helps you remove them. They don’t give you solutions but help you to come up with them.

Choosing a Coach

These days, it’s not hard to find people offering to be your life coach. Just google “life coach” and you’ll get plenty of candidates. When making your final choice, look for someone who is:

• A coach, not a boss: Coaching means guiding you to your own decisions, not telling you what to do.
• Willing to listen: They need to tune in to your needs and desires and hear what you’re saying, not what they want to hear. At the same time . . .
• Is able to the truth: They don’t just tell you what they think you want to hear.
• Is experienced, either in coaching or life: A client track record is good, but life experience can substitute. How have they risen to challenges in their own life? Can they relate to your experience? Can they point you to helpful resources?
• A good fit: Consider their personality, their way of speaking to you and other traits. Simply put, do you like them as well as respect them?

Add a good coach to your tribe and you’ll have a supportive, caring guide to your destination.

Have you worked with a life coach? What was the experience like? Any advice for others? Share in the comments.

Your Starting Point

Start your journey to success with the Passion Test, which uses a series of questions to identify the top five passions that drive you. You’ll then work with Heather D. Mahoney, a certified Passion Test facilitator, to orient your life in alignment with your passions and create the life you’ve always wanted. Your first step? Take Heather’s free assessment.