Coaching Customization
Coaching with me is not one-size-fits-all. Everyone learns differently. We all have different ways of interacting in and existing in our world. This past year, more than any other in my memory, has taught me that we all have unique perspectives. We may all be watching the same event unfold, but we do not all walk away with the same impression and opinion. So when it comes to choosing a coach to support you through life’s transitions, personalization is key. You are unique. You come to coaching with experiences, stories, education, personal attributes, and skills that are uniquely yours. While it's true that everyone can benefit from generalized training and workshops on certain topics (and I will offer those as well), the foundation of what I do is not cookie cutter.
My process begins with an assessment. You might be thinking “Wait! Why do I need to take a test to work with you?” This is actually the easiest kind of test. This is a test about you for your own knowledge, and for my knowledge for working with you. There is no pass or fail, because in reality, when you are answering questions about you and your personality, there are no wrong answers. My program has two different assessments depending upon what type of transition you are experiencing. Specifically for career transitions, we start with an assessment that analyzes the three areas of Thinking Style (which actually has right/wrong answers, but it will be OK), Personality Traits, and Interests to create a unique profile. We review the results together, and explore the suggested careers. For those not experiencing a career transition, I utilize a personality type assessment that will generate a full report on your strengths, anxieties, defenses, and more. This will help you identify the motivation behind your choices and habits and help you avoid behavior traps moving forward. I truly believe that knowledge is power...which makes self-knowledge an extra powerful tool. During the assessment process and review, you will share your story with me. We will explore where you’ve been that has led to where you are now. This is not therapy. We will not be delving into your past and psychoanalyzing your life. But having an awareness and knowledge of where you’ve been and why you made the choices you did is a valuable tool to moving forward into a place of growth.
Armed with self-knowledge from the assessment process and telling your story, we will next partner together to cast a vision for where you want to go. This is where you get to dream big! This is the time for you to imagine all that is possible for you in your personal and professional life. This is when you put it in writing. When I first went through this process personally, putting my goals, dreams, aspirations, and vision on paper was terrifying to me. I had all the doubts and fears. I judged my goals, wondering if I was reaching too high. Could I really do all of these things? My perfectionism surfaced as I hesitated to commit it to paper. If I write it down, then I actually have to do the work and make it happen. And that, right there, is the point! Writing it down...and saying it out loud to others...makes it real. Its powerful.
Then we create a plan! We will break down your big vision into manageable goals. We look at all things in as much detail as possible to find potential roadblocks and strategize around those that could derail your plans. We work together to create little changes to daily habits and routines. We work together to make big changes where they need to happen. We set you on the path to growth. As I discussed in my previous post https://www.candicesuarez.com/blog/why-do-you-need-a-coach-and-why-should-you-choose-me, my super power is my experience as a behavior specialist. So what does this mean for you? I am an expert at analyzing behaviors. We will look at the behaviors and habits that are currently occupying your day, and we can shape them to help you reach your goals. Every behavior serves you in some way. Every habit meets a need for you. What we will do is find new ways to get your needs met that will align with your new goals for yourself. We will find new habits that will help you create the life you want for yourself.
