Q1: What is Coaching?

Winnie hopes that I can become an important partner in your life as a coach and help you fly to the place of your dreams.

The ICF (International Coach Federation) defines coaching as “partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.” Each coach believes that each client is their own expert on their lives and careers, and that they have the potential and resources to enrich their life. 

What is the role of a coach in a client-coach relationship? 

• Discover, Clarify, and Check what the client really wishes to achieve.

• Encourage Clients to become self-aware

• Initiate the thought process of finding answers and resolution strategies on their own

• Allow clients to become responsible and accountable for their decisions

Professional coaches work in a long-term partnership to assist clients in creating satisfying personal outcomes in their personal or professional lives, ultimately helping clients improve their performance and increasing their quality of life. Professional Coaching consists of listening, observing, and formulating the best way of cooperation depending on the needs of the client. They look for ways to stimulate clients, in order for them to find their own answers and solutions; coaches believe that every client is born with sufficient creativity and resources, and it’s the coach’s responsibility to support clients on the road to improving their lives. 

Reference: ICF Taiwan

Q2: Coaching Related Certifications

There are three ways to receive a ICF Coach Qualification:

1. Through certified school courses, and receive a certificate of completion.

2. Gaining credits through coaching school.

3. Learning by yourself, and completing the needed requirements.

Coach Credientials:

• Associate Certified Coach (ACC) - Completed 60 hours of coach specific education and 100 hours of client coaching experience. 

• Professional Certified Coach (PCC) - Completed 125 hours of coach specific education adn 100 hours of client coaching experience.

• Master Certified Coach (MCC) - Hold or have held a PCC Credential, completed 200 hours of coach specific education and 2,500 hours of client coaching experience.

Reference: ICF Taiwan

Q3: When do I need a Coach?

5 Reasons to Hire a Coach

1. I’m Stuck

   Whether if you are stuck in your career, family work life balance, or a major turning point in your life, or uncertain about the direction you should be taking in the future, or being troubled by a certain emotion. Finding the best way of moving forward often requires new ways of thinking.

2. I want to be a better me

   You have already tried many different things, because you are a capable and intelligent person. By helping you think in a different perspective, or heading into a problem in a different light, you can reach places that you’ve never thought possible before, and continue your own growth.

3. I feel alone at work

   I’m sure you know the saying, “It’s lonely at the top. Leadership often creates isolation.” Many leaders work alone, and even when they have a lot of people around them, they can’t share everything with the people they work with. Coaching offers a dedicated process to help you think deeply in a confidential environment that goes beyond what you would get from a friend.

4. Being held back by yourself

   You have realized that your thoughts have limited your growth. This type of mindset, or unwillingness to change is holding back you or your business. Coaches will support you, and challenge you to leave your comfort zone, to think outside the box, until you can find your solution.

5. I’m in a transition period

   Whether at work or at home, the transition period is full of unknown variables. These periods are riddled with risk. The transition period is the key to getting things on the right track. Learning from your mistakes can be helpful, but it’s even better to spot an issue and deal with it before it becomes a problem. Coaches have the ability to help you overcome the transition period. The relationship between coach and client is a great tool to help solve problems and to reach goals. But coaches are not omnipotent. Knowing when to hire a coach, when not to hire a coach is just as important as finding the right coach for you.

Q4: What’s the difference between coaching and counseling?

Coaches are there to assist you in moving forward, while counseling is there to assist in healing you from past trauma.

• Coaches are there to mainly help you move towards the future you want, so you’ll be able to see your current situation clearly, and find the flaws and problems in your life blueprint. Coaches help clients utilize their potential to break through wall after wall of difficulties and problems, through their own thoughts and solutions. For example, self-confidence problems, problems at work, difficulties in setting and pursuing goals, difficulties in breaking bad habits, craving more creativity, lack of motivation, etc.

• Counseling helps people whose past events have affected their emotional and mental state, and wish to return to a normal state. If the client has been unable to move forward, the client’s emotional state has been affected from previous physical or mental trauma. For example, anxiety disorders, major depressive disorders, personality disorders (antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder), post-traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism, anorexia, etc.

Q5: What are the benefits of Coaching?

The three views on growth and improvement are BEING, KNOWING, and DOING.

BEING (Personal Improvement): Finding your self-confidence, inner value, and courage to be who you want to be. 

KNOWING (Increasing Knowledge): Depending on the needs of each person, relevant resources will be shared in the process to expand your range of thought. 

DOING (Finding your passion, and improving efficiency): Drawing your life blueprint, confirming the status and direction of your personal life and career, setting and achieving short-term goals, etc. 

Q6: Are there different types of Coaches?

Coaches are mainly divided into individual coaches, and team coaches.

• Individual Coaches: Everyone portrays a variety of different roles and identities, so coaches can also be categorized differently. Life Coaches, Career Coaches, Executive Coaches, Relationship Coaches, up to as many as 30 types. Through the process of coaching, several topics will be discussed, but in the end, people oriented problems are most common. Such as, the meaning of your life, maintaining work-life balance, your core values, and your inner demons. Therefore, through the curiosity of the coach, as well as powerful questioning, coaches can help find the balance of “self” and to create an ideal life.

• Team Coaches: In corporate, or community situations, helping the team grow and move towards the same vision or goal is beneficial to everyone. For example, action learning workshops, assisting in solving complex personal issues, developing leadership skills, and building a mutual support relationship.