Non-directive coaching is about trust between the coach and coachee (staff, client, customer). Your coach is a thinking partner, someone you can trust to ask questions and give you feedback. If you can’t get along with your coach personally the partnership won’t work. Having a coach you can trust will increase your ability to reach your goals and vision of success. Plan to contact a few coaches before you decide who to partner with.
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A directive coach tends to guide the conversation. You might hear a directive coach say “I have a hunch you want to speak about A more than B...or based on what I am hearing A is where we should spend our time”.
A non-directive coach will leave it up to the coachee to determine where their time is spent. You might hear a non-directive coach say “You said making an income and relaxation are priorities, if we placed both on a scale, which priority would appear to have more weight?” Non-directive coaches will focus on asking high-value questions during the majority of the coaching session. A solution-focused coach may provide more direct advice. Both models are acceptable. The decision to choose one type of coach over the other depends on your needs.
Although a coach may not be able to provide specific details about their coaching sessions, they should highlight some general successes with clients and with their business or career. Examples can include:
Have a sense of all the options available for your coaching sessions. Coaching does not always have to be face to face.
An accredited coach should be promoting excellence in coaching. Finding a coach that adheres to coaching standards and principles of ethical conduct is important. They should also be certified, or actively working to be certified, by a recognized association such as the International Coaching Federation.