Guiding others through life can be a daunting, but potentially rewarding task for any person who is up to the challenge. The person doing the guiding has a fine line to walk.  On one hand he must be strong enough to reprimand the follower when that person ignores advice or strays from the path.  On the other hand, he must sometimes allow the follower to stray, so that the follower can better understand why things should be done differently. The people doing the guiding generally fall into the categories of coaches and mentors.  While the two roles are similar in some ways, they are in fact very different.  Before you take someone under your wing and help them progress through life, it is important that you know the difference between coaching and mentoring, and which is best for your relationship with your potential follower.

Mentoring generally involves a closer and deeper relationship than is seen in coaching.  The leader and follower in this relationship are most commonly referred to as mentor and protege.  The mentor is often older than the protege, and is certainly more knowledgeable, wise, and more experienced in the ways of the world than the protege. The mentor’s task is to be the guide for the inexperienced protege, with the desired result of the protege growing closer to mentor’s level of knowledge and experience over time.

The mentor-protege relationship is as old as history itself. There are many variations of the mentor-protege relationship the modern world. For example, when a new employee first enters a company or business, he or she is generally adopted by someone who has been in the company or business for a long time. Because the new employee will likely at first feel uncomfortable or disoriented, or might not be prepared for the rigors of the new workplace, the mentor serves as a buffer and guide, making the transition easier for the protege, and accelerating the process of integration and becoming a productive employee.

Another example from the workplace is an existing employee who might show potential as someone who could one day be a supervisor, a department head, or excel in a completely different division of the company. A person experienced in the company could informally take on this employee and be his or her mentor. In this relationship, the mentor will teach the protege the necessary skills to advance in the workplace, so that one day the protege might take the mentor’s place, advance elsewhere in the company, or move on in a greater capacity to another company altogether.

The concept of coaching, on the other hand, is quite different from mentoring. In coaching, a method is employed in which a leader or coach facilitates the actions of one person or a group. The instruction and training given are done with a specific end goal in mind. The methods of directing people’s movements and actions might include giving motivational talks. The coach may also train people to make them perform better, such as through seminars or workshops, or through practice such as done in sports.

In mentoring, a mentor teaches a protege how to live better or how to function better. In coaching, perhaps better seen as a more specific method of mentoring, the coach guides an individual or a team to achieve an end goal. For sports coaches, this would be winning a game or event. For marriage coaches, the goal would be a stronger marital bond. For family coaches, it would be a stronger familial bond, between parents and children, or possible amongst the children themselves.

There are many different kinds of coaching and mentoring, and many different techniques associated with each as well. Whether a coach or a mentor is more appropriate for your particular situation is entirely up to you.

Would you like more information on mentoring? or would you like a Life Coach? contact us for a review

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Although life coaching is a great and lucrative business venture, this is not what the article is all about. This piece will be discussing on the effects of life coaching in businesses. Can it really bring upon changes and improvements to a company?

What is a Life Coach and What is Life Coaching?

A life coach is a new breed of professionals aimed at helping people in any aspects of their lives. They are there to aid people change and make improvements in their lives. It can be anything from careers, love, sex, relationship, weight control, business, etc. A life coach will also focus on determining a person’s goals as well as achieving them.

As the word “coach” implies, a life coach is their to “coach” and not to direct as opposed to some beliefs. He or she is not there to say, “you do this and you do that,” instead, the life coach will create for you foundations or lay down different paths for you.

It is up for you to decide which is the best path for you to take. Everything is all about you and it is also you who makes all the decisions and not the life coach.

A life coach, as some may believe, is actually not a therapist or a consultant. He or she is not there to treat psychologically ill or mentally unstable patients. A life coach is there for the healthy (physical and mental) person who wants to implement changes in his or her life. With the help of life coaching, a person will be able to achieve these changes.

Life coaching is the process practiced by life coaches. It has stemmed from other executive coaching with techniques rooted on leadership training and management consulting. Life coaching is also based on different disciplines which include psychology, sociology, career counseling, mentoring, and positive adult development.

In life coaching there are several techniques that life coaches use to help their clients. Most of the common techniques are behaviour modification, values assessment, behaviour modeling, goal setting, and mentoring. Techniques and methods also vary from client to client. It is based through the assessment of the life coach whether which method would be best utilized for a client.

Improving Business Through Life Coaching

A life coach can make improvements in a business by coaching the employees that work under it. This is usually the trend of companies nowadays. It has been observed that employees, especially those who have been working under the company for a long time, experience a downfall in performance. This can be caused by different reasons which include low motivation and stagnancy.

With the help of a life coach, these employees, including the bosses, can be revitalized to work more efficiently. And people working efficiently would mean better business.

A life coach will slightly use a different method when handling groups. Most often than not, activities will be based on groups and team work which will be geared towards the kind of business or industry the company is in.

But it is not only during the downfall when life coaches become needed by the company. They are also needed when a new departments are formed, inspiration before presentation of a proposal, or for team building.

It can’t be denied that life coaching does have a big impact in the corporate world. Life coaching and business truly is a perfect match.

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What are the top reasons people seek professional coaching services? According to a recent global study of coaching clients commissioned by the International Coach Federation (ICF), the top two motivations are self-esteem/self-confidence and work/life balance.

Participants of the 2009 ICF Global Coaching Client Study were given a series of 15 areas often addressed by different types of professional coaching and were asked how important each area was in their decision to seek out coaching services. In other words, what areas of their life were they trying to improve?

Seventy-nine percent of respondents rated self-esteem/self-confidence as "very" or "somewhat important," followed by 76 percent for work/life balance. Out of the 15 areas assessed, these two categories emerged as core motivations for seeking coaching with at least half of all respondents identifying them as "very important" in their decision to seek coaching.

The study found that while motivations vary somewhat based on the type of coaching sought, self-esteem and work/life balance surface to the top as generally quite important regardless of coaching type, as do the following general motivation factors: relationships, interpersonal skills, communication skills and work performance.

"The Client Study showed coaching has a positive impact in clients' goal areas, as well as other areas that weren't originally identified as primary objectives," said 2009 ICF President Karen Tweedie, PCC. "And ninety percent of participants whose goal was to address self-esteem/self-confidence reported a positive change in this area as a result of coaching." Benefits in self-esteem/self-confidence were also experienced by 52 percent of participants who did not have this area as a primary objective when entering into a coaching agreement.

"Our research shows that those who work with a professional coach not only attain success in the goal areas which initially led them to seek a coach, but, more than likely, find themselves enjoying positive changes in other areas of their life as well. This often means noticeable improvement in their relationships, wellness and other parts of their business or personal lives," Tweedie said.

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Sometimes it is better to allow an expert talk about tools that will help you transform your personal and professional life. Below is an article on time power by Brian Tracy.

The Seven Methods of Time Power

There are seven methods that you can use to help develop the habits of time management. The more you think about and practice these methods, the more rapidly you will program yourself to be efficient and highly productive.

First

Remember that your self-image determines your performance. You always perform on the outside in a matter consistent with the picture you have of yourself on the inside. Practice visualizing and imagining yourself as you want to be, not as you may have been in the past. You can actually change your self-image permanently by repeatedly visualizing yourself as someone who is highly efficient and effective.

Second   

Remember that it takes about twenty-one days of practice and repetition to form a new habit pattern. It has taken you your entire lifetime to become the person you are today, with the time management habits you have at this moment. It takes time and commitment to change, and for your subconscious mind to accept the new habits.

Third    

Promise yourself that you are going to become excellent at time management. Promise yourself that you are going to be punctual, and that you are going to concentrate on your most important tasks. Then, promise others that you are going to be more effective and efficient in the future.

Fourth

In developing the habits of time management, start in just one area where poor time management is holding you back. Don't try to change everything at once. Change just one habit or activity where you know that improvement could be very helpful to you.

Fifth

Launch your new time management habit strongly. Never allow an exception once you have decided that you are going to become excellent in a particular behavior. Never let yourself off the hook.

Sixth

Use the “trial and success” method rather than the “trial and error” method. The trial and success method requires that you learn how to succeed by failing, and then by learning from your mistakes. Analyze your reasons for poor time management. Ask yourself, “What are the obstacles to my operating more efficiently in this area?” Take some time to reflect on recent behaviors.

Seventh

You must absolutely believe that you can and will become excellent at time management. The Law of Belief says that “Your beliefs become your realities.” The more intensely you believe that you can and will become excellent at time management, the more rapidly this belief becomes your reality. If you hold to your belief long enough and hard enough, it will eventually materialize as new behaviors with regard to time.

For more articles and resources by Brian Tracy see  http://www.briantracy.com/

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