WHAT DO YOU DO FOR A LIVING?

So, what do you do for a living?  I am a Positive Psychology Coach, Leadership Coach, Leadership Development Consultant and a Professor of Leadership and Organizational Development.  That's a mouthful!!!

I recently had a conversation with an acquaintance who nearly swallowed his gum when I mentioned Coaching as one of the things I do for a living.  After a short conversation with him, I was reminded about the many misgivings about real Coaching.  I thought I would use this post to explain why people work with coaches, the value I offer to coaching clients and the process I use to drive results.

Why people work with a Coach?

A client works with me because they want to take action towards achieving their goals.  They may feel uncertain of what the next steps are, or are experiencing issues at work, or are going through a transition.  Whatever the issue, they trust me to help them work through it.  I have the benefit of viewing the clients circumstance from a distance, similar to a basketball coach who sees the game from the sideline.  This meta-view facilitates objectivity and perspective for the client.

What is Coaching

I like this definition provided by Positive Acorn, coaching is a relationship between two people in which one party, the coach, asks powerful questions and develops a system of accountability in order to help the other party acquire personal insight and information necessary to move toward a goal.

"Coaching is a relationship between two people..."

The coach and client grant power to a third unit, the relationship.  The client sets the agenda, chooses the goals and determines the best way to reach success.   The coach holds them to these things and acts to support the client's creative thinking process. The client is in turn empowered by the relationship and is able to move forward in achieving their goals.  

"the client acquires insight and information necessary to move in a positive direction towards a goal through powerful questions and accountability."

The coach is there to facilitate a conversation that prompts the client to think in new ways and gain perspective, to help them remember past experiences of success and failure and understand how that information might be useful in the current situation, to assist them in brainstorming next steps, and finally, to hold the client accountable for their action or lack thereof.

What is Positive Psychology Coach?

I am a trained and Certified Positive Psychology Coach.  Positive Psychology is the scientific study of 

what makes life most worth living.  Positive Psychology is often referred to as "The Science of Happiness". It is a call for psychological science and practice to be as concerned with strengths as with weaknesses; as interested in building the best things in life as in repairing the worst; and as interested in making the lives of normal people fulfilling as with healing pathology.

A Positive Psychology Coach is one that has a positive focus, utilizes the benefits of positive emotion and uses the science of strengths to increase the overall wellbeing of their clients.

As a coach, I am trained to facilitate a conversation.  Its my job to help you, the client, gain insight into what is needed in order to move forward with your goals.  I approach the relationship believing the client is the expert on their own lives and that it is more powerful for clients to draw their own conclusions than to be given the answers.  

Coaches work with clients who are whole, resourceful and able generate ideas towards solutions and goals.  If a client experiences depression or other psychological disorders they are referred to an appropriate professional to be diagnosed and treated.  I do work with clients dealing with a psychological disorder as long as they are being treated by a professional and if they are not experiencing the debilitating effects of their diagnosis.

Get it?
Positive Psychology Coaching is a revolution in the understanding of how the study of psychology can support and drive the best things in life and help us to achieve our goals.  It is an understanding that we should put as much attention and energy into identifying and developing personal assets as we do with deficits.  Positive Psychology is a science based on Psychology, Psychotherapy, Appreciative Inquiry and Solutions Focus to help people thrive and live more fulfilling lives.  This is why I have chosen to serve others as a Positive Psychology Coach.