We all want to succeed in our chosen careers. But sometimes, we hit a wall and can’t seem to overcome the hurdle in front of us. In The Empathy Centre’s Performancing Coaching sessions, we help our clients work towards becoming their best selves in the workplace. By focusing on the areas mentioned below, we aid clients in fulfilling their potential.
Goals are targets that an individual aspires to attain. Everyone has goals; however, they are often unrealistic, or we have no plan for how to achieve them. As a result, people can become demotivated and fail to achieve their goals. Goal development involves facilitating the creation of attainable goals. Additionally, goal development teaches a client how to formulate new goals in the future, while assessing the potential limitations and benefits of pressuring each goal.
Often clients have conflicting goals. Through discussion and various questioning methods, such as the Socratic Method, we help each client to gain clarity about their professional lives. Having clarity boosts focus, motivation and goal attainment.
Motivation is the drive to do something. In regard to our work, it is one, if not the most important skill to develop and nurture. Most people struggle with motivation. We find that often people are externally motivated; motivated by people and situations outside of themselves. For example, a person may be motivated to volunteer for a project because of how their colleagues or boss will perceive them. Though external motivation is a vital component of pushing us to do things we need to, it cannot be the only reason to achieve something. Intrinsic motivation – motivation that comes from within – is a key area of focus during performance coaching. So instead of volunteering for a project simply because of what your boss will think of you, you volunteer because you want to, the benefits it will bring to you etc. Working on developing an innate sense of motivation can allow a client to become significantly more productive and engaged in all areas of their lives.
We interact with others around us through communication. Improving one’s communication skills can open doors to new and exciting opportunities, such as a promotion. For example, for someone working in sales becoming a better communicator can help boost your numbers. For a team leader, effective communication allows for better interpersonal dynamics and fewer mistakes.
Moreover, focusing on this area helps to limit misunderstandings and can limit arguments. Another benefit of improving communication is developing a better relationship with oneself. What does this mean? We spend much of our time thinking. If our internal thoughts are self-deprecating and negative, the way we feel about ourselves – our self-esteem – suffers. Working on the way we think about ourselves can make us more confidant and self-assured, thereby having a positive effect on several other areas of our lives.
A belief an extremely strongly held conviction. Values refer to our moral code; if something is right or wrong. Sometimes we may not be living in line with our values and beliefs. This can cause someone significant distress and prevent them from achieving their goals. becoming aware of, and understanding why we hold certain values and beliefs is vital. The next step is learning how to live in line with them. This can involve changes in clients behaviour, lifestyle and more. Though this can be difficult, it alleviates the conflict a client may be facing thus paving the road towards attaining their goals.
Having a passion and interest in your job makes you more inclined to work hard. Working on finding things in your job that drive you and make you happy is vital. Learning how to focus on these areas reduces other job-related frustrations.
In most jobs, you are required to make presentations, lead a group or pitch your ideas. A fear of public speaking is something that is very common. Working towards becoming a better public speaker can improve one’s confidence and self-esteem. It leads to people having a higher opinion of you. Additionally, if you are able to speak up for yourself, you can be a greater contributor.
Your opinion is important. Many people feel the need to hold their tongues in the workplace because they don’t want to be seen as difficult. However, being able to voice your opinions and stand up for yourself can actually make you a more valuable member of your organisation.
Most people have been stressed about work at some point in their careers. Though some stress is natural and can be beneficial in pushing or motivating you, stress can also be very detrimental. Developing skills to help reduce stress does not just help your professional life but also your overall mental health.
If you are in a position of authority at work, you may struggle with how to be a good leader. we work with clients, to help them better understand their employees and how to get the most out of each of them. Each person functions differently, and your leadership style will have to be curated in order to bring out the best in each person you are in charge of.
Organisation skills are highly underrated. Developing these skills improves productivity and helps to prevent burnout. Each individual will work differently, and thus the therapist and client collaborate together to come up with ways to help the client organise their time, employees, tasks and much more in order to achieve the most possible.
Though in Performance Coaching, we mainly focus on the client’s career, we also work on helping the client develop a healthy work-life balance. This is important so that neither their personal nor professional life nor physical health suffers.
