Do You Really Want To Go There?

Core Competency #8: Facilitates Client Growth

Coaching is all about choosing a targeted focus, exploring options, and setting SMART goals to move forward, but it's not always a straight line from here to there.

Good coaching goes under the surface and helps the client with more than simply what to do. A masterful coach assists their client by helping look "under the hood" so to speak. Helping someone understand why they are hesitant or worried or not good at counting the cost can be just as helpful as choosing action steps. Probably even more helpful.

If we can come alongside someone as they probe the depths of who they are, we can provide a safe place to nurture what is lacking, heal where there has been hurt, uncover unhealthy thought patterns and more. 

I've seen this in my own life. When I uncovered my tendency to skip the discerning part of the Working  Genius productivity model  I saw how I had invested so much time, and even money, into projects...

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What Other Mindsets Are There? Coaching Core Competency #2

Coaching Core Competency #2: Embodies a Coaching Mindset. 

Coaching is not the only way to approach spiritual development, forward movement, or solution generation, but it may be the best one for many situations. And possibly the most overlooked or misunderstood.

Here are a few ways we talk about it at Bridges Coaching.

1) We define the difference between Coaching and Counseling, Mentoring and Consulting. They all have their place. They all can be healthy. And they all are different.

In a nutshell:

  • Counseling is more diagnostic and prescriptive, it helps people deal with their past as it affects their present. Coaching may help people to uncover what has been holding them back, but it is a joint process rather than a professional reading the situation and determining how best to move forward.
  • Mentoring is more like apprenticing. It is a passing off of a skill or helping another person experience something common for the caregiver.
  • Consulting is bringing in an expert for their...
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The "Sexy" Coaching Core Competency #1

Coaching, as an industry, is not just a loosey-goosey way of conversational growth. There are specific guidelines called "Competencies" that are the foundation for what coaching entails, both in the secular applications and in Christian arenas.

The gold standard for coaching is the International Coaching Federation (ICF), they set the standards for credentialing worldwide. Bridges Coaching has chosen to align with Christian Coaches Network International (CCNI) which extrapolates all the ICF Coaching Core Competencies sharing how they are Biblical-based and used to forward the kingdom.

At Bridges Coaching we believe coaching makes disciples not dependents and in this coaching competencies series, we will dig into why we feel so strongly about that statement.

The first Core Competency is "Demonstrates Ethical Practice". In know, "Sexy" right? But the truth is that without ethical practice, coaching is just loosey-goosey.

Not everyone who says they are a coach...

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Simple Success: Is Content Deficit Really The Problem?

In these days of Google, kindle, and podcasts on demand, we live in a content-rich environment. if you want to know more about something all you need to do is ask SirI or Alexa!

I'm not sure if I have ever heard anyone wistfully say, "If only I knew where or how to get more information on that..."

I know a lot more than I do. 

What if a plan is really what is needed? Here are a two actual (and perhaps too personal) examples.

Here's what I know - what I have done - and what I am doing now.

I know sugar is not great for my ultimate weight loss goal, but knowing and doing something about it are two different things. When I took an honest assessment I found I had way too many exceptions for why I should go ahead and have that latte or late-night snack. I don't need more information about sugar, I need an actual plan to remove it or reduce it from my life..

     My current SMART goal is that I can have sugar in my morning coffee, but then I need to lay off...

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Next Coach Training Cohort Forming Now

The focus of this blog is usually to bring a reminder or value add regarding coaching culture in real life. We try to share from different perspectives how coaching can be used in different arenas.

Today's post will be different. (If you have already taken coach training, could I ask that you forward this to someone who would benefit?)

This post is time-sensitive since our next coaching cohort registration closes soon! I feel compelled to share a little about what coach training actually is - who would be interested, what is included, what you can expect, how much it costs, and most importantly the timing involved.

Who would be interested?

     You! If you want to learn more about growing in your faith journey and helping others to grow in theirs, coach training could be your best next step. If you have relationships in your life where you would like to have more significant conversations, coach training will give you tools to upgrade your connections.

What...

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What's In Your Next Chapter?

Every good story has a plot.

Every great movie has a crisis that needs to be resolved.

But there are bad stories and bad movies too. The top two complaints are either that it is boring or does not end well.

What kind of a story will this next year be for you?

Will be boring? More of the same 'ol, same 'ol? Will it have a sad ending, or one that does not resolve a crisis, or accomplish a great goal?

There is a blank page waiting for you to write on it.

Coaching helps people write the story they want to read at the end of the year.

If you would like help with your story consider coaching from one of our Associate Coaches or get our Traction book for some self-guided coaching. 

Or if you want to help people write their stories well, Coach Training will give you the tools to help people move toward their preferred future! The next cohort starts soon! (Click the "I'm Interested" button for more info!)

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But Seriously, Have You Ever Considered Coach Training...

Coach training isn't just for aspiring coaches, (but we have launched plenty into private practice.)

Do you have:

  • conversations with friends that you wish would actually help them feel more confident?
  • direct reports you wish were growing more?
  • children you want to help mature to make healthy Godly decisions?
  • aging parents who need respect, but also need to weigh transitional decisions?
  • adult children you care about but don't want to interfere?

The Coaching Culture comes alongside your relational connections and gives you tools to be more effectual in helping people discern what God has for them.

What would it be worth to you to be able to help people help themselves?

What if there were overarching principles that could help people engage with owning their own situations and next steps?

Learning the skills of active listening and how to ask empowering questions can take your everyday conversations to a next level. Coaching culture helps you help others help themselves get unstuck...

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Ten Reasons Coaching Works Better Than Telling

People have stuff!

How you handle it makes all the difference!

Do you feel like you need to have answers for people?
Or maybe you actually do have answers but they don't seem to be listening.

Here are 10 reasons coaching works better than telling!

10) You don’t have to know everything for everyone.

Leaders who tell have to know what’s best for every situation and for each person to be effective. That’s a lot of stuff to know! (And what if you aren’t right?)

 

9) People love it when you focus on them.

Active listening is the highest form of loving someone. When the focus is on the other person there is a lot less pressure on the coach to solve issues. It is way easier to be curious, trust the Holy Spirit, and listen than to have to diagnose and prescribe.

 

8) Relationship trumps regimen every time.

God designed us to be in relationship with Him and others. When we reduce leadership to telling people what to do, we can easily “cookie...

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Are You One of These 5/6 Types of People?

Are there professional life coaches? Of course!

But the majority of people who take coach training are:

  • Businessmen - looking for leadership develpment
  • Ministers - wanting to make disciples, not foster dependents
  • Parents - of both young children and adult children
  • Friends - who people come to with their stuff
  • Followers of Jesus - who are hoping to make a kingdom impact

I guess what I am saying is you don't have to want to be a professional coach to consider coach training!

Do you have an ed allowance? This could be the right investment!

Would you like truly help others help themselves? This course will give you the conversational tools to do so!

At every last class I love hearing how the course has affected people. Some of my favorites are the double dippers. I've had more than one businessman take the course to level up their leadership and experienced a change in their relationship with their adult children. We've seen ministers take the course to better serve their congregation...

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Which Four Letter Word Is Your Go-To?

There are two four-letter words we are going to focus on today.

The first is: lazy. (Probably not the first four-letter word you thought of.)

There are basically two kinds of lazy.

One is intentional -  it includes rest, like a Sabbatical or a Sabbath, a nap, or even an extra good night's sleep. It could be taking a walk, listening to some good music (I recently discovered smooth jazz and only wish I would have known about it sooner), having a slow conversation with a good friend, or enjoying a special meal.

The other is unintentional. Unintentional laziness is when you didn't set out to slow down or neglect an area of your life, you just drifted into being stuck by accident. Unintentionally. At my home church, we recently heard a message that identified a type of laziness I had never thought of before. Our pastor talked about how being busy can be a form of laziness. (You can check the message out here if you like.) Usually, when we think of laziness, we think of someone being...

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