Career Column:

How You Can Benefit from Coaching

If you have lasting pressures, unresolved conflict, changes that caught you off guard, lack of motivation, or other work issues, then it is time for you to benefit from the value of a coach. Coaching has emerged as an essential skill in today's world — not only for winning in professional sports, but winning in day-to-day work and long-term business as well. Applying a coaching mindset will help you to become more effective and creative as a contributor in your organization, no matter where you work. While there may not be an overwhelming amount of research on the topic, what has been done suggests that obtaining a coach may be helpful in dealing with decision-making, changing demands, loss, and pressure in today's global work world — wherever your work is located.

Stress and change are found to be some of the common reasons for work disruptions, lost time due to absence and sickness, and reductions in productivity. Allow coaching to help. It is an eclectic and diverse field that varies widely, but it generally involves planning goals and individual actions that achieve specific results. It is essentially the process of giving a person the added knowledge, competence and tools that s/he needs to develop professionally and personally. This can be highly effective in helping individuals overcome distress and other problems that may have a negative impact on their work.

Social Support and Health

When was the last time you wanted to talk with someone about a sticky situation, but felt that no one was there to listen or provide support? The supportive benefit that individuals obtain from a coach often will stem from the trusting relationship that develops when you request coaching services. Because of this, it is essential to reach out for the unconditional positive regard that a coach can provide — regardless of the issue. Research has found that the support that a coachee either receives, or believes that they will receive, will impact the way that they appraise and cope with stressful events. The coaching relationship can assist people with social support, in ways that make situations less stressful -- by reinterpreting them, helping to exert control over a situation, and/or diverting attention. This has a direct impact on behavioral, physical and psychological reactions. In addition, it helps to buffer the relationship between stressors and people's reactions to them, so that they do not lead to detrimental health outcomes. There is a significant amount of evidence that social support can improve physical health by lowering blood pressure and mortality risks. Allow coaching to give you some of that much-needed social support.

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