ARE YOU STRUGGLING AS A COACH?

Here is something about coaching and the experience of coaching that I think you should know and be able to live—effective coaching is effortless. Or at least should be. If you have learned the basic skills of coaching and you understand the basic premises of self-actualizing coaching, if you are in the right state, and if you are on track with your client —there really should be no struggle in coaching. Ideally, given those basics, coaching should never be a struggle. But what if it is? What if you find yourself struggling in the coaching session? What then?

Before answering these questions, let’s be clear about what we mean by the word “struggling.” Struggling does not mean merely exerting effort. You can exert effort, and lots and lots of it, and still not experience struggling. People do that all the time. Think of children playing intensely, running and jumping, and getting out of breath while playing, and yet, experientially—it is not a struggle. It is fun. Adults do it with any sport, invention, hobby, work, etc. that they love, that they care about, and that they have become basically competent in.