Life is about making choices, seeing those choices through, and living through consequences. ~ Molly Bloom
I love coaching – being coached as well as coaching others. Coaching allows me to gain new perspectives about my life, my work and about other human beings. Years ago, if anyone had suggested I find a coach, I would have looked at them sideways. At that time, coaching was considered “pop psychology” and a scam. Thankfully, since I started my coaching career in 1997, the field of coaching has come a long way.
Coaching is a life choice and for the coaching process to be successful, the client must make the choice to work on their personal and/or professional growth. When the client is not choosing coaching, the level of success decreases – if the coaching takes place at all. For teens and young adults, academic achievement is most often their area of “professional” growth, but a coach can simultaneously support these younger clients around personal growth issues as well.
A common example of being “out of choice” is when a parent wants their teen to work with a coach, often based on their own experience or the experience of friends and neighbors. Does the teenager want coaching or even understand what it is and how it can be beneficial? And, more importantly for teenagers, what’s in it for them? This does not mean that we don’t need to enforce structure with teenagers and guide them along the way. It’s about choice. A great way for teens to find out who they are is by giving them a choice versus an edict, while being open to mistakes and missteps. Finding themselves is a step towards independence and self-determination, critical to growth, change and success in young people. Parents are urged to suggest coaching and by offering a choice of at least two coaches to interview and let the process unfold. Parents may be pleasantly surprised at the choices teenagers make when offered a chance to weigh the options.
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