From Here to There: How Coaching Helps You Move Forward
I want to get specific about coaching. Most of us have not worked with a coach, just as most of us have not worked with a professional organizer.
When I established my company 22 years ago, professional organizing and working with an organizer was even less common for the general population than it is now.
Much of my time and marketing efforts those first few years were spent educating people about what a professional organizer is. I shared the dozens of specialties we can offer, like daily money managing or real estate staging all the way to my own organizing specialties of residential and small business organizing, productivity and time management. I shared how an organizer can deliver our services - like how I provide productivity and organizational coaching or professional speaking, or in-home or virtual consultations. And finally, what all of that means to you as an individual - what supports and services you can expect, and how an organizer can help you as a person.
Thankfully in these past 22 years, there have been television series on HGTV and Netflix, there have been New York Times Best Selling books about organizing, and now of course we have Instagram and tik tok to better illustrate what a professional organizer can do.
I want to spend the summer doing the same about Productivity Coaching, educating my community about what coaching is, and helping you imagine how working with a productivity coach can help you. Over the last year or more, we’ve been working towards this.
I reorganized and re-published my website this past April with a greater emphasis on coaching and education. I have shared information about the coaching process, examples of how coaching can help, client/coach agreements and expectations, and coaching forms for clients to review and complete to facilitate onboarding coaching clients.
And we’re going to walk through these together. This week, I want to discuss identifying the Gap between where you are and where you want to be, and the Coachability Self-Test.
The first step in coaching is realizing there are things you would like to change in your life. Perhaps there are areas that could be better, smoother, more fulfilling, new and different. Or maybe you realize that you are already in a new and different situation than you used to be and you would like to be intentional in how you adapt to this new situation. These situations could be parenting or empty-nesting, married or divorced or widowed, employed or retired, diagnosed with ADHD or another neurodiversity, with another long term illness that impacts your life.
Perhaps you have realized that you want to make change, like a move or a new business venture or even a wellness journey, and you would like support around achieving something.
Is there a difference? Between where you are today and where you envision yourself? In weeks to come, I will talk about The Gap, the gap between where you are now and where you want to be.
Change is required. In organizing or coaching, a client has realized for themselves that there is a difference between where they are in life and where they want to be. I am willing and able to navigate that gap with them. But change is required. A change in perspective, a change in someone's physical environment, a change in routines and habits.
When a new client reaches out to me for more information, I respond with a message with the following questions:
What are your Goals and Projects, and what is their priority order?
What are you willing to add in (habits, routines, learning) or part with (clutter, unsupportive ways of being), to make these Goals and Projects succeed?
Why are these Goals and Projects important to you?
What is your deadline for the Goals and Projects?
I do not need to know the answers to these questions as much as my clients need to know the answers to these questions.
These questions start the conversation. They help my clients recognize the Gap, and introduce the idea that change is required - parting with mental or physical clutter, adding in new habits and perspectives, and doing the work in the interest of being more productive, more organized, etc.
As part of that initial response, I also share three forms, my coaching intake form, a sample session prep form, and a Coachability Self-Test.
The “Coachability Self-Test” is important to complete because a client needs to answer for themselves, “Is coaching for you?” Because, just like not everyone wants or needs to work with a professional organizer, not everyone wants or needs to work with a productivity coach. And that is ok!
I was first introduced to this Coachability Self-Test in my coursework with CATI, the Coach Approach Training Institute and Densow Brown. So I want to give credit and gratitude where credit is due! Thank you to Coach Approach and Denslow, and now Sara and CATI, for all that they do!
Coachability Self-Test
These 9 statements are scored on a scale of 1-5, with 1 = This statement is not true for me, to 5 = This statement is almost always true for me.
Here are the statements:
I recognize the value of coaching and see it as an investment in my own growth and happiness.
I am willing and able to pay for this, and to handle my coaching fees responsibly.
I can be relied upon to set up systems to be on time for coaching calls.
I recognize that there is value in having a partner that holds a vision for me of my greatest potential and who is working to help me function to my best ability.
I am eager to take the actions necessary to accomplish my dreams and change patterns that do not serve me.
I know that my own answers are within me. I believe that through guidance, feedback, and my own sense of right action I can discover those answers.
I am willing to try on new perspectives that may be different from those I currently hold.
I know that life and self-discovery can be fun and satisfying. Self-awareness and fulfilling my life purpose are very important to me.
If I feel I’m not getting what I expect or need from my coach, I will share this as soon as I can and make clear requests to my coach to get what I need.
The results;
0 - 22 Coaching is probably not appropriate for you at this time, all the way to
40 - 45 Coaching would likely be a pivotal piece of your life. You are willing to do what it takes to actualize and claim your life's purpose and who you truly are.
Similarly to the questions in my intro email, these questions start the conversation. They illustrate to a prospective client what the client can expect from the process, what they will need to do to get started and also the benefits that they can expect from the coaching process and the relationship.
Let’s review: I want to spend the summer educating my community about what productivity coaching is, and helping you imagine how working with a productivity coaching can help you.
If you want to know more about anything I have talked about today, please reach out! You can head over to my website at PeaceofMindPO.com to see my coaching forms. You can contact me regarding:
The Coaching process.
Identifying the Gap, between where you are and where you want to be.
Setting goals and navigating projects
Making positive changes by letting some things and habits go, and taking on other better and more supportive habits - yep, I’m here!
