What is NLP | Do I Need a Coach?

Do you need a coach? And how to find the right one.

In this video, Michael answers “Do I need a coach?”

How Do They Help?

We all have blind spots and biases.

(See more on Confirmation Bias, Cognitive Dissonance and More Heuristics, Effects and Biases,)

We’re  all likely to need some form of external help, to navigate challenges and reach the potential we’re looking for.

A coach can be of significant help to

1. help us get from a) to b), where b) is significantly better than where we would have got to on our own,
2. turn learning into real world results, and
3. help us overcome challenging situations.

Many successful people have coaches,  although some might be more formal and some less formal.

Does Everyone Benefit?

Not automatically. A successful coaching engagement as three key elements

1. the client,
2. the environment, and
3. the coach.

When these are aligned, the client should receive significant value from any programme. If they are not aligned the results can be random.

This is the reason why we offer potential coaching clients 3 ‘no charge’ Skype discovery sessions. If we’re both happy to continue after that then client will almost always significantly benefit from any programme.

What Qualities Do I Need To Benefit?

In my experience a good client needs to:

• Take responsibility for their success.
• Demonstrate at at least a touch of ambition, courage, discipline and openness.
• Commit to a minimum amount of quality time and emotional work into the programme.
• Choose the right coach for them.

Quite often, our challenges are not unique after all. Many people experience similar difficulties and the solutions have similar patterns. A good coach, over their years of experience, will have built up many ways of addressing any challenges that a client brings.

The Environment

Success for most clients involves how they react with their environment. Some environments are toxic and can undo almost everything the client tries, some environments are positive and the client has to do very little to produce really good, consistent results.

It’s useful to distinguish what is

1. under the client’s direct control,
2. under the client’s influence,
3. neither under the control nor the influence of the client.

In third case, we may suggest that the client changes their environment (new location, job, partner etc), or agree to work instead on whatever is under their control or influence.

Advice For Choosing A Coach

• They’ve successfully helped someone like you in the area that you want to be helped. They are happy to share what they did with that client. (Share the process, not content of course.)
• They’ll be confidential.
• After a discovery phase, you’re both clear about what you need to do to be successful.
• They genuinely believe in you and genuinely commit to your success.
• You’re prepared to be totally honest with them.
• You enjoy working with them and are prepared to listen to what they say.
• You’re happy to action anything you’ve agreed together.

Good coaches have listened to the concerns of hundreds of people and have kept a careful eye on those that have successfully solved them – learning how people succeed is key to NLP.

However, even a great coach may not be great for you at the time you go looking. You have to find the right coach for your needs, and sometimes, you also have to learn how to use a coach.

The best partnerships arise when the client and the coach choose each other.  Never go with a coach that doesn’t feel right for you. Choosing a coach you’re happy to work with is an important part of the process.

The next section explores how to get the most from this guide

Full NLP Techniques List

What is NLP Section Index

1: What is NLP | What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming 
2: The NLP Adventure Starts
3: Mental maps and world view
4: Cognitive Dissonance
5: Confirmation Bias 
6: More Heuristics, Effects and Biases
7: What does NLP offer?
8: Do I need a coach?
9: Get the most of this guide?
10: Exercise
11: Summary

What is NLP | Do I need a coach?