Professional coaching brings many wonderful benefits: fresh perspectives on personal challenges, enhanced decision-making skills, greater interpersonal effectiveness, increased self-awareness and renewed confidence. And, the list does not end there. Those who undertake coaching also can expect appreciable improvement in productivity, satisfaction with life and work, and the attainment of relevant goals.

If you have never been coached before, you might be wondering what it is like. It is a very experiential process, you have to experience it to really understand how you can benefit from it.

I taught myself to swim quite successfully at the approximate age of 7. I started out with two armbands, splashing around the pool. I got brave and I decided to take one off and I found I floated just as well. After another short time, I took the other one off and to my amazement  that I was able to float relatively easily and that after that it was about putting one hand in front of the other and kicking my legs as hard as I could. Fast forward a good 20 years or so later, although I would have considered myself a competent swimmer, I just could not get the breathing technique right. I was stopping every 2 lengths of the pool to recover and catch my breath which really frustrated me. I decided it was time to get 1to1 swimming lessons. With a little bit of recalibration and adjustment, I was happily on my way to swimming without stopping. Now I can swim for half an hour without stopping. I had the basics right, I just needed that support to see where I could improve.

This is what I liken the coaching process to, seeking support to get your technique right.