Coaching

Just got off the phone with my coach. Coach? Who needs a coach when you're planting a church? A coach is someone who is there to help lead you through issues you may be having or struggling with by helping you clear away the crud so you can focus on the issues. They challenge, push back and basically ask you questions you may not have thought of yet. A good coach will force you to think through all the elements of a decision WITHOUT making the decision for you. Let me just say that everybody should have a coach. Here's why...

No easy answers. If you're like me you find yourself always wanting to know what to do. Just tell me what to do. You go to a conference and are bored to death by the philosophy behind something or your excited and want to go right home and start doing it - either way you want the speaker to get on with it and tell you how to do it. A coach won't give you the answer, but they'll force you to think through something and come up with a set of potential answers that you'll still need to weigh out. More work, but more benefit because you own your decisions

Clarity. A good coach will tell you what they hear you describing and then drill down to get to the root issues or questions you've got. You might think the problem is with people when the core issue is really your fear of dealing with certain people. You can't really solve any problems or make good decisions without a clear understanding of the question you're trying to answer

Accountability. A lot of people say they need or want accountability, but let's be honest, sometimes we'd just rather skip over our shortcomings and inabilities and focus on someone else. A good coach makes sure you don't pass the buck and that you own your issues. They'll also make sure you do something about them or they'll stop coaching you - not because you're a bad person, but because if you want to be coached, you need to be willing to change.

Growth. You can stay where you are and maintain and you might be just fine, but push outside your comfort zone if you want to see what God can do. That will really grow your faith and it will grow you. Good coaches push you to try new things, think differently, read broadly, and seek broad input from multiple sources. Fresh ideas are like fresh fruits and vegetables...they're good for you and help you grow.

So if you don't have a coach, whether you're a stay at home mom or a corporate big wig, find somebody (even if you have to pay them) who will coach you. Find someone to help you sift through the clutter and push you toward your goal. They may even need to help you define your goal, but that's all the more reason you should get a coach.