The Good Coach :: The Time It Takes by Quinn McDonald

:: The Good Coach ::
The Time It Takes
by Quinn McDonald

How Long Does it Take for Coaching to Change Your Life?

The first time a client asked me, “So, how long will it take till my life is changed by coaching?” I laughed. I imagined myself in an old-movie green eyeshade, plotting charts and graphs, then saying, “Hmm. 17.5 weeks.” And the client nodding, waiting for life to change  POW! 17.5 weeks in the future.

The Goal of Coaching is To "Graduate"
Still, it’s a realistic question—how long does change take to work? It’s a question every client has a right to ask and every coach needs to keep in mind. The purpose of my coaching practice is to “graduate” clients. Because each client comes with different needs and goals, times vary. I’ve had some clients for years, and some who notice change in a month. On average, change takes a while to take root, and it takes about three months for a client to choose a path, accept change, make it a priority and overcome change-back messages from family and friends.

 

Change is Inevitable. Growth, Optional
Coaching is about change. Most people don’t like change. They want something different without change. They want someone to give them lots of choices and then choose something easy and POOF! life is better. I’d like that, too, but it doesn’t work that way. Otherwise I would be slim, sleek, firm, work in a big studio and have endless art supplies and time to use them.

 

In real life, coaching (from my point of view) is about walking a hard road with a client until the clients are able to handle the incline themselves. Along the way, the client learns how to use some tools that make the journey easier. To stick to the metaphor, a coach is like a good pair of hiking boots or a supply of cool water. Ideally, the ability to enjoy the view today, instead of thinking the view will be spectacular next week, is a success.

 

Heading Toward a Goal
Once the goal is set, we explore different steps to get there. Small, achievable steps. Each week there is homework. Accountability. Support. Movement toward a goal. And a chance to see a small goal expand to a huge desire fueled by steady work.

 

Then, one week, I’ll say, “Do you think we are almost done here?” Almost everyone says “NO!” But once we look back at the path traveled, and see that we have walked up a long, twisting path and that the view is pretty good from here, the client knows it’s time to review the tools and how each one is used.

 

After that, we drop to twice a month, then maybe once a month. Most clients, once they know the tools work, are eager to use them on their own. And that’s how it should be.

Quinn McDonald is a certified creativity coach, writer and book artist. Her book, Raw Art Journaling: Making Meaning, Making Art will be published in July, 2011 by North Light Books. Information on the book and Quinn’s coaching can be found on http://RawArtJournaling.com.