Listen: Your coach will listen for many things such as what motivates, energizes, and excites you, your beliefs and conclusions, what you’re saying in your self-talk, evidence of emotional pain that blocks action, self-doubt, growth you may not be giving yourself credit for, resources you have available but may not recognize, and much more.
Question: Your coach will ask you tough questions. Some questions may be difficult to answer or uncomfortable to share about, but remember the more you allow yourself to be honest, to be challenged and stretched, the more progress you will make.
Have integrity: Your coach will abide by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the North Carolina Social Work Certification and Licensure Board (NCSWCLB) Code of Ethics.
Tell the Truth: Your coach will tell the truth 100% of the time, from a viewpoint of compassion. At times, this may take the form of challenging you with a truth that you may prefer to avoid or deny. Truth is sometimes uncomfortable and hard to hear, but necessary for your progress.
Design: Your coach assists you in defining your personal goals in alignment with your needs and values, assists you in creating strategies, discovering resources, and taking action confidently.
Facilitate Forward Action: A coach does not provide therapy or counseling. Instead, a coach makes requests, offers suggestions, advice, and opinions that may be helpful in facilitating your ongoing forward momentum. Your coach is an equal partner in designing your action plan.
Strengthen and Inspire: Your coach will cheer you on and celebrate you, help you to see your strengths, overcome self-doubt, and emotionally to dare to risk and change.
Stretch: Your coach will help you to develop goals, stretch towards your dreams, think bigger, go farther, be committed, grow, and achieve more than you’ve dared to imagine.
Develop Self-trust: You coach will assist you in seeing yourself as someone you can trust and depend on. Developing more confidence, knowing that you can trust yourself, and reach out to others will make you stronger. Becoming dependent on your coach is not the purpose of coaching.