When people ask how coaching works, I often describe it as career GPS or the difference between walking to your destination without a map versus jumping on a tourbus that will get you there faster, wiser and more refreshed. (See this post on Real To Ideal’s FB page for the tourbus story.)
This week I read an article on CoachCampus.com that describes coaching as a lighthouse – guiding ships through the darkness towards the shore while illuminating possible dangers along the way. A light in the darkness is an apt metaphor for coaching because we often can’t see the path in front of us – the path that leads to our ultimate goals – and the obstacles we will encounter along the way. Coaching sheds light on that path so we can see the individual steps we need to take and helps us plan a way around the obstacles, often before we even encounter them. Maybe it’s not that dark and you think you don’t need a flashlight. But then someone hands you one and you shine it in front of you. And you realize how much was hidden from you before. Now you’re not just feeling your way slowly through semi-darkness, you’re able to run with confidence. You leap over small obstacles and easily dodge insurmountable ones. You’re fearless and nimble, thanks to that light you thought you didn’t need because you were doing fine on your own. (And you are fine on your own, you will get there eventually. Slowly and slightly bruised, maybe, but that builds character.) But if you want to be nimble and confident along your career path, if you want to drop the dead weight and sail quickly into your brilliant future, then consider career coaching.
Anna Champion calls it the “Talent Lighthouse” in the CoachCampus.com article, “Coaching Model: The Talent Lighthouse”:
The Talent Lighthouse shines light on to you to allow you to explore your own talent, increasing your own awareness and letting you see skills you have that maybe you never discovered before or had forgotten about. It listens to you in a way you never felt before, it isn’t judging your choice of journey or timing but supports you by questioning where you want to go and helps you to see how to get there. The support and guidance helps you recognize what else is out there and where danger and opportunities could lie. It awakes your curiosity to explore further and its calmness gives you the confidence to travel on further supported by the continual light shining and the dependable stability of the lighthouse.
The article goes into thorough detail of the coaching process from the structure of coaching calls to the benefits of coaching over time. Read more at: “Coaching Model: The Talent Lighthouse” on CoachCampus.com
Photo by Darren Flinders
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