"If You Change The Way You Look At Things, The Things You Look At Change!" - Wayne Dyer

Life coaching is often confused with a classroom teaching methodology where an expert talks about growth and listeners take down notes if they choose to. And also not to confuse it with counselling either, which tends to be reactive in looking to the past in attending to mental health and well being concerns/issues. Whereas, life coaching is a segment that helps one overcome current physical, emotional, mental and spiritual obstacles and grow holistically proactively to create a brighter future from now onwards. Helping through this process is a Life Coach.

In simple terms, a life coach is someone who helps gain clarity, create & achieve goals, facilitate change along life’s new journeys as a committed partner from insight to action, from problems to solutions & unlock creative & unique capabilities in creating a life that one wants.

As the saying goes ‘Leaders are develop not born’, leadership requires focused insight & development. Leadership is a multi-faceted element. In order to make successful leaders, one should be a leader of his/her own senses thoughts and habits, if anything an increased awareness of it all .

Only where coaches are leading a life they want, can they harness the ability to guide, mentor and help others lead the lives of their choice. This is why life coaching plays such a powerful role in helping a leader get into inner & outer alignment, and at higher levels of thought, action and vision required to get to the next level(s).

Alignment and Clarity

By aligning the core nuances of thoughts, actions and visions, a leader is able to focus on a one-point vision and work holistically with all the senses to achieve that goal. However, this is easier said than done, which is where a Coach comes in.

Alignment is an outcome that many people may achieve after rigorous emotional and mental training. The going becomes even tougher when the mind is resilient to change and stuck in certain ways. The human mind is a powerful and proactive universe of thought which is adverse to a certain element, and can be very difficult to convince otherwise. Every person has their own internal value system to evaluate & decide one’s way forward. Nothing is right, nothing is wrong, it is all about perception. Such a scenario can wreak havoc in personal lives and in an organizational structure, and/or business or enterprise, - even a family where a uniform structure of goal envisioning, combined with leadership and ownership is important towards attaining shared success. The mind being a fickle thing, is often daunted by change.

Leaders too can fall into the trap where they hold onto control, will resist change which then undermines their desired growth potential.

Some of the situations are:

• Poor Personal life. Most Leaders struggle with a work-personal life balance which results from not prioritizing their own personal health within the big picture. Happy leaders lead & influence happy teams.
• Resistance. Yes, surprising as it may sound, leaders can, themselves, be resistant to change, feedback or in plain old denial. While at the realm of leading others, it is sometimes hard to accept one’s own flaws that are impeding success. It takes courage to be on a continuous self-improvement journey.
• Role Conflict. Wearing multiple hats & juggling responsibilities can be challenging and over-bearing at times and cause inner conflict(s) reflecting poor leadership.
• Ego-centric. It takes humility and spiritual maturity to rise above ego-centric behaviour and make choices that have a larger positive impact on individuals, the group, community & society at large which organizations ultimately serve. Spiritual Leadership is the ultimate goal.

Life & Business Coaches connect with their clients and help them re-align their beliefs, values and emotions with the organization’s goals & values. He/she understands the nuances involved in making the transition from blocks, or outright failure or simple mediocrity, and onto the path to success where no step is too big or too small.

This mindset especially comes in handy when the focused audience is the undeterred corporate / business / community sectors which often need uncommon engagement and interaction to change the modules / activities of their daily lives. Interestingly, India’s coaching industry is roughly estimated at $60 Million as compared to $5 Billion in the US, as such India is waking up to the potential of life & business coaching for its leaders, but it is a long journey.

Leader-Centric Coaching

People often negate the importance of good physical health for resounding emotional well-being. The mind-body connection is enhanced by a relaxed, fit and healthy body that hosts a sharp, focused and clear mind. Yoga, meditation, any relaxation technique (like Reiki, Deep Breathing, even Walking, Running, Swimming, Dance) all help one come into physical awareness, more harmony and optimal well-being. While coaching is an excellent way to achieve mental awareness, it is through awareness of thoughts, emotions & body sensations, that we can have insights into what’s going on in our inner life.

Coaching can also bring about change in the emotional paradigm by focusing on the following that makes leadership a truly holistic agenda. These aspects are as follows:

• Mental Clarity: Knowing what one wants, from oneself, teams, organizations, partners and even the market is crucial for a leader.
• Consistent Focus on the specific goals, performance, development, actions, growth through monitoring and measuring success.
• Stepping out of Comfort Zone: A true leader is constantly challenging oneself and one’s team for constant growth.
• Inspired Creativity: Finding creative ways of keeping it fun with prolific ideas to germinate across the organization.
• Managing Change: Companies, and at times families and/or individuals are in a constant cycle of chaos and change. Staying on top of it while staying centered & grounded makes a good leader.
• Better Problem Solving: Leaders are called on for identifying problems and turning them into opportunities for growth and opportunity, as well as profitability.
• Handling Power & Authority: Power struggles, ego clashes, delegation and team building, motivation, like in a family’s dynamics are challenges that come with leadership, and/or parenting ~ likened to leadership.
• Knowing when to stop: The work never ends; or should it? Knowing when enough is key for sustained productivity for any leadership role.
• Having Fun: A leader that does not know how to enjoy and have fun along with one’s team, and even more importantly one’s family, cannot survive, nor live well for long. A joyful journey leads to happy destinations.
• Holding the Big Picture: Stepping away from managing others and various roles and re-aligning with the bigger picture is a key responsibility of a leader - it’s essential.
• Self-Knowledge: A leader that knows oneself is the leader that grows. Understanding one’s strength, limitations, passions, gifts and leadership style is key to powerful leadership.
• Self-Awareness: Last and most importantly, finding inner balance and harmony by connecting with one’s Self (Soul) is key to any fulfillment.

In a nutshell, life and business coaching can alter one’s universe by shifting thought patterns and make it more proactive. Partnering with a life & business coach can be extremely transformative for those with the zeal to succeed and achieve something special in their lives, and believe in walking the walk instead of just talking the talk ~ it's about Vision, Empowerment, Focused Action, Commitment and Follow-through ~ it’s about Belief!

Book an Exploratory Session and Let’s Discover Your Way Forward to Successful Living.