6 benefits of coaching for career success
How many of you remember taking your driving test? I can certainly remember mine. I think my foot was shaking on the pedal, but I knew it was worth it because I had a goal that I had been working towards and really wanted to achieve. I wanted to be able to drive a car on my own, giving me independence and freedom.
I didn’t take the test because I happened to be passing the test centre one day. No, it was because I had a goal to get my driving license and had been progressing through my action plan (practising and driving lessons) to achieve that goal. The test was the final step in my plan and passing this test would mean success – I could drive a car on my own.
Now imagine taking away that goal, leaving me with no goal to get my driving license and therefore no plan to achieve it. Would I bother learning to drive now? Probably not because what would the motivation be behind taking lessons? What would I be doing it for? There would be no destination to move towards.
“Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination.”
It is the same in our careers. If we don’t dream about what we want to do and achieve, we have nothing to motivate us to move forward. With no career goal or plan, we move towards an unknown career destination which is likely to bring worry and stress along the way.
The benefits of coaching
Coaching can be essential to your career success. It is all about goal setting and we know that goals are essential for success.
During coaching, the coach will help you discover your goals and help you to define these goals. The coach will ensure you really want these goals so that your motivation and determination is high. They will then help you to identify challenges and barriers which may stop you from achieving your goals and help you to overcome them. They will develop an action plan with you as you start setting sail towards the destination.
I have been coaching for nearly 10 years and truly believe (and witness daily) the power of goal setting to lead you towards results and career success.
6 reasons goal setting can lead you towards career success
1. Purpose: Goals provide a sense of purpose, something to aim for.
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else” - Yogi Berra
2. Ownership: It’s your goal and you can achieve it! If you need assistance, you can seek help and ask others to join you.
3. Action: Goals enable action plans to be put into place so that you know where you are going and how you are going to get there.
“A dream becomes a goal when action is taken toward its achievement.” Bo Bennett
4. Adaptable: Goals provide something that can be adapted if ideas and circumstances change. It is better to have something you can change than nothing to change.
“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal” - Napoleon Hill.
5. Proud: You can be proud of every step you take to achieve your goal.
6. Achievement: You have something to celebrate when you achieve it making you feel happy, motivated and confident. You will feel fantastic!
“If you can dream it, you can do it” - Walt Disney.
Start setting some goals today and you will discover what you can achieve in your career. If you need a bit of extra help, seek assistance from a coach as they are experts in goal setting. A specialist career coach will be able to help you with all of the points above.