Collaborative Empowerment
An Empowering Collaboration
Life coaching is an empowering journey that facilitates personal and professional development, igniting a transformational process that inspires self-discovery, self-acceptance, and growth. A Life Coach, often described as a ‘change facilitator’, brings forth their client's latent potential, setting them on a path towards self-actualization (Grant, 2003). The power lies in the collaboration, strengthened by an unassailable trust. Cultivating time to foster the collaboration yields some incredible results.
Results, success, and an empowering journey are borne of that connected relationship. The symbiotic relationship between a Life Coach and their client pivots around trust, empathy, and empowerment. This collaboration enables clients to unearth their strengths, effectively navigate life challenges, and foster resilience, fostering an authentic and purposeful life (Grant, 2011).
The empowerment fostered in life coaching begins with the reframing of self-perceptions. As suggested by Whitmore (2009), effective life coaching helps clients to view situations from different perspectives, promoting creative problem-solving skills and enhancing self-confidence. These newfound perspectives often lead to a transformative shift, enabling clients to rise above the conventional limitations and achieve their aspirations. In a recent coaching collaboration, the moment of that ‘transformative shift’ for my client was palpable! Additionally, the energy that came from that moment afforded the client a lucid moment of self-awareness.
It reminded me that the role of a Life Coach extends beyond the individual level. It also contributes significantly to broader societal changes. Through fostering empowerment, Life Coaches often enable their clients to influence their communities positively, creating a ripple effect of transformation (Passmore & Oades, 2014). It is within the ripples that we can experience change and enlightenment for both client and coach. The empowering aspects of life coaching have been empirically supported. A study by Green, Oades, and Grant (2006) found that individuals who undergo life coaching experience improved wellbeing, goal attainment, and lower stress levels, underlining the power of this profession.
Life Coaches play a crucial role in their clients’ journey of self-discovery and empowerment, navigating them towards their highest potential and ultimately, a life lived authentically and fully. Perspectives also empower the coach for the next session and the energy to engage with the reflection process with an unyielding clarity.
References:
Grant, A.M. (2003). The impact of life coaching on goal attainment, metacognition, and mental health. Social Behavior and Personality, 31, 253-264.
Grant, A.M. (2011). Is it time to REGROW the GROW model? Issues related to teaching coaching session structures. The Coaching Psychologist, 7(2), 118-126.
Green, L.S., Oades, L.G., & Grant, A.M. (2006). Cognitive-behavioral, solution-focused life coaching: Enhancing goal striving, well-being, and hope. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 1(3), 142-149.
Passmore, J., & Oades, L.G. (2014). Positive Psychology Techniques – Coaching. The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of Positive Psychological Interventions, 1(3), 86-103.
Whitmore, J. (2009). Coaching for performance: GROWing human potential and purpose: The principles and practice of coaching and leadership. Nicholas Brealey Publishing.