The Coach As Encourager & Cheerleader

Coaching is an amazing discipline that can be truly transformative for its clients on many levels. For example, when a client comes to grips with the understanding that they haven’t been able to reach their goals because self-sabotaging tendencies, that is a very powerful moment in the client’s journey. When clients connect the dots and know that the obstacles they face have been erected and placed my them, I’ve found encouragement to be the most effective tool to get them to that point and from that point, back on track to an enthusiastic finish. Encouragement comes into play by urging clients to leverage their decision making capabilities to get the desired outcomes. Cheerleading plays a role by empowering clients with declarations and affirmations they can use to stay on track and to aid them to maintain momentum along the way. Both encouragement & cheerleading are key components to help clients, particularly in the startup stages of a goal pursuit process. If given the choice, most would choose encouragement over condemnation. Coaches should always be careful to present themselves as their clients’ equals.  So, the language a coach uses, his or her attitude, posture, as well as tone should be reflective of an elective but complimentary service carefully crafted to enhance the client’s experience through empowering, thought provoking exercises and dialogue.