Coaching is one of the tools available nowadays that can boost your personality, career, or quality of your life to a totally new level. But where to start and what to discuss with your coach to get the best results? I've talked with professional coaches at Femme Palette Simona Šašková and Jana Honková to understand the situation more.
There are many topics that you can discuss with a coach. But it all starts with your motivation and areas you'd like to dig into. Topics can cover your career development and finding the right job, or it can also focus on the self-development topic and how to find a work-life balance.
"Inner peace and fulfilment are among the popular topics for discussion," shared with me Professional Coach Jana Honková. "Coachees are interested in how to have more inner peace, calm, and satisfaction in life and how to find the bigger meaning."
"Career is another interesting and big topic that covers questions on finding the right and fulfilling job. We work on identifying what a coachee enjoys doing and what he or she is good at. Typically, we need to overcome the self-limiting belief that "I cannot possibly earn money with this" (i.e., painting, dancing, making earrings). People who are almost at the end of their career can also touch on career topics. In this case, we discuss what it is that they truly want to do in the final years of their career and after."
"Managers and Executives usually want to discuss people and change management topics. How to better manage staff, how to ensure team members are motivated, and how to react to changes including changes in the work environment during the recent pandemic."
Simona Šašková, Leadership Coach, added, "Nowadays the most popular topic I get to discuss is how to lead in unpredictable circumstances, with people that you barely see, with a daily overload of tasks, and never-ending office hours. The topic tightly connected to it is mental resilience and how to cope with all the pressure from different directions."
"No matter the discussed topic – we should act more than discuss. The discussion should focus on how to find the courage to act in a way that is needed. And how to grow as a person and a leader beyond our current image that we have about ourselves. Step out from the past and recalibrate our skills."
As Simona mentioned, there's no right or wrong topic in coaching, and only you get to choose the topic for discussion. Coach is the expert in creating an environment that fosters creativity, openness and trust. A great coaching session offers a new perspective for you and supports you in taking actions.
Jana added, "Anything that matters to you can be(come) your coaching goal. Anything that matters to you can be turned into a coaching topic. What is important is that the coachee feels motivated to spend time and effort on it."
"Through proper, professional coaching, each person gradually uncovers what is truly important to them. Coachees end up discussing the topics that should be discussed in their particular case and at the given time. Sometimes, it's not the right time to open up a deep topic – and that is OK. Because the coachee has already touched upon it in coaching, the thought will continue developing in the subconscious. The process of growing self-awareness has already started. If the coachee is ready to take the next step and consciously take action, he or she can do it through coaching and other means."
If you're still thinking about how to progress through coaching sessions – treat it as a trial and give coaching a chance. As Jana added, "Do not put pressure on yourself to achieve some life-changing decisions or aha-moments within one coaching session. It is scary and omits the fact that you are in charge during a coaching session, which means you will only discover what you are ready for. While it may sometimes feel overwhelming, you are only going to be confronted with insights that you can handle."
"Some might say that coaching is only good for personal development and when you want to improve yourself. While this is not a lie, it sometimes scares people because it makes them feel like they are not good enough and need to sign up for coaching to be better. Instead of taking coaching as some medicine or reprogramming, look at it as one of the many tools you can use to achieve what you want in your life: whether it is a bigger house, deeper relationship and inner peace and love. Just try whether this tool fits your preferences and life situation and only continue using it if it makes sense to you."
Simona summed up that coaching is a perfect tool for those who are ready to review their beliefs, open to new perspectives, willing to grow, and prepared to invest in themselves. Don't spend needless time considering the coaching and what topics to discuss – just give it a try! To achieve the best results, try to define your long-term vision based on your values systematically. It can be your authentic leadership style, communication skills, or strategy to build your own business. You shouldn't forget that you are the client – and YOU bring the topic to the table.
Do you want to have a taste of what coaching is all about? Check out the Femme Palette Coaching + Mentoring program, where you'll get to talk with a coach, define your goals, and continue your growth with a dedicated mentor.
