As I began working with her, she opened up and revealed that she was scared of being found out.  She felt like a phony because she had a couple of weaknesses that she had successfully worked around for years.

The more we talked, the clearer it became that this very successful woman had never taken the time to look honestly at these perceived weaknesses, and so she never understood them or addressed them.  Instead, she developed a series of effective work-arounds that helped her get by at each level.  Finally, she reached a level where she knew she could not hide them any longer.

So what to do?  I encouraged her to be absolutely honest about what she had been hiding from herself, and it turned out that several of her issues were easily addressed with some focused effort.

However, some of the other “weaknesses” were more likely related to physical issues that she had never understood before.  For these we worked out a plan to go to a specialist to see if there were underlying physiological issues that had gone undiagnosed.  Once she learned about these she was able to work out a treatment plan with her doctor and discovered a completely new way to function.

The message here is that having someone ask us the right questions can point us in new directions with a renewed opportunity to stop working around problems and finally resolve them.

Here is what a coach can do for you

A good coach listens. Fully. Really hearing. And while they are listening, they are connecting the dots – looking for nuances and fine points that will help to move you toward your goal.

A good coach questions. “What does that really mean?” “How did your boss react to that?” “What is the logical conclusion of your theory?” Probing and challenging your viewpoint and perspective.

A good coach provides new information. “Have you thought about….?” “What if you tried…?”

“Sometimes it helps to…”

A good coach holds you accountable. “Were you able to…?” Did you have that difficult conversation?” “What is your progress on…?”

A good coach gives you the gift of the truth – 100% of the time. Whether it feels positive or not.

A good coach is interested in your development and success and is focused 100% on you.