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5 Critical Elements Every Coach Should Know About by Fred Sarkari

Two men sat in a coffee shop. One of them, Richard, was looking considerably happier than when he entered. He dug around in his briefcase while the other man sipped at his coffee.

Soon Richard produced a Blackberry and prodded it with enthusiasm. “Let’s make another appointment,” he said. “Then we can figure out how I solve my business problem and get my career in order.” The other man had been telling Richard about the benefits of coaching, and Richard saw how it could turn his life around.

“Slow down a bit there,” said Coach. “I’m glad you’re excited. But now that you know the benefits of coaching, it would be helpful to know the process too. There’s a process good coaches must take their clients through — one involving analysis of your circumstances, goals, and values as well as a strategy for achieving them. You discover the behaviors that influence your choices and the philosophy that will get you where you want to be.”

Richard frowned. “How is any of that relevant right now? I realize coaching can be applied to a lot more than business, but I want to start changing my life by fixing my business problem first…don’t I?”

“Coaches can’t help you get the life you truly want by just dispensing advice and handing you a new goal. It’d be like dropping you in a huge city you’ve never been to before, giving you directions to a particular Starbucks, but not telling you where you’re starting from.” Coach tapped his finger in the middle of a napkin. “I’d be handing you a map with the ‘You Are Here’ missing from it.”

He paused to take a sip of his coffee before continuing. “We would walk through 5 key elements in the coaching journey, experiencing them together.

The first thing I’d do for you as a coach is show you where you’re at—First element of the journey. Awareness always precedes effective change. When you’re struggling to get that clear, unbiased view of the challenges you face in life, your coach helps you clarify the issues and gain the perspective you need. It is imperative that we are aware of the key issues at hand and not just the symptoms affecting your over all life. You learn much more than what’s wrong with the immediate situation. You look at your life as a whole and figure out what’s holding you back from maximizing your potential.”

Richard nodded. “Okay, that makes sense. What’s the next step?”

“Second element of the journey is to know where we want to end up not only in the aspect of what we want to achieve but more importantly discovering who we are and who we want to become as a person. We create direction in our lives when we define our values, goals, mission, vision, and purpose.

Coach took another sip and continued. “Your values, goals, mission, and vision come from knowing what you want out of life. This is the most important part of the second element: it’s the starting point of establishing purpose for your life.

Richard frowned again. “That sounds pretty big—‘purpose for your life.’ My purpose is to achieve my goals.”

The Coach replied, “try seeing it through the eyes of the third element of the journey. Why do we do what we do?

Setting your destination is one of the easy steps. Knowing why you are committed to reaching that destination is more challenging, you must remain true to your purpose, true to your values. An efficient leader lives everyday by being true to themselves and the things that they believe in.

Steven Spielberg, a leader in the motion picture industry, was once asked how he knows what kind of movies his audience wants to see. He said: “I don’t. I just know what kind of movies I’d like to see, and those are the ones I make.” This is an example of a leader listening to his heart.” The best reason for doing something may simply be because it’s something you love to do. What could be more inspiring or provide justification for a course of action than that?

Martin Luther King Jr. changed a nation because people knew his reason for his actions.

Through this process I will help you link your goals to purpose so they can last for the long term for a goal is only a marker or milestone along the way.” Coach took a business card and began writing on the back. “Here’s something I remind my clients of when I follow up on their action plans. If you take anything from our meeting today, it should be this.” He pushed the card across the table. On it was written:

Goals are external – purpose is within us. Goals are milestones – purpose is everlasting. Goals leave you thirsty – purpose is happiness.

Richard took the card and read it. “Once you know your purpose,” Coach continued, “you easily complete the third element of the journey, which is having clarity in why we want what we want.”

A coach’s job is to steer their clients toward this desired lifestyle, help set goals for getting there, and then empower them to complete the action plan they’ve created.”

“Yeah, you said something about action plans before,” said Richard. “I take it that’s when I work out how to reach my goals?”

“Exactly,” replied Coach. “That’s the forth element of our journey together: becoming responsible for your desires through a specific action plan. Your coach helps you create a strategy for achieving those specific goals you’ve developed. But more importantly, your coach helps you implement your strategy, addressing the obstacles and helping you through the fear and discomfort of going through the transition phase of change. We will support you through direction, encourage you to visualize your passion and assist you in obtaining your purpose.

Richard, who had been squirming at the mention of action plans, raised his eyebrows. “That doesn’t sound too bad,” he said.

Coach nodded and continued. “And that support carries over to the 5th and last element of the journey: Following up and refinement. Like I said, we’re with you in making this exciting transition into a more satisfying life. It makes sense—if we’re both going to the trouble of creating an action plan, we want to make sure it actually happens. I would be checking on your progress and guiding you throughout the process. The critical part of the fifth element is for us to refine the journey on an ongoing basis; in essence to see what is working best for you and how to optimize the journey to meet your desired results.”

Richard sat back and gave a low whistle. “Again, wow. I had no idea coaching was so in-depth.”

“It is. And many highly successful people hire a coach with the goal of gaining an extra edge to attain success in a competitive world.” Coach folded his hands on the table. “Do you think this is something you’d be interested in?”

“Let’s make that next appointment,” said Richard.

5 Critical Elements of Coaching:

1. Become aware of your present life situation 2. Discover your desired outcome 3. What is the main purpose of this journey 4. Create a specific action plan and implement 5. Refine the journey on an ongoing bases

Fred Sarkari seeks to empower individuals and organizations to achieve their visions, goals and dreams. Fred believes that the people are the company’s greatest assets. To book Fred for your company conference or in-house workshop, please visit www.fredsarkari.com or call 800-742-2379.

Fred Sarkari - motivating keynote speaker

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