You may have heard of career coaching, but what about self-coaching?
Career coaching is a process where the client works with a coach to discuss their career aspirations, direction, and plans. At Quest Discovery Academy, that’s precisely what we do. We provide career coaching workshops for both professionals and entry-level job-seekers to guide their career decisions.
However, how does self-coaching work? Self-coaching is coaching without the need for an external coach. You, yourself, are the coach. Ed Batista, an advocate of self-coaching, describes self-coaching as a process of self-exploration and development that helps us understand, adjust and grow in our personal and professional lives. At its heart, self-coaching is a form of self-care.
It may sound strange to the uninitiated, but self-coaching is now recognised as a way to achieve self-improvement and career development. While you don’t need a career coaching certificate to self-coach, some of the principles you would learn at a career coach certification programme in Singapore would definitely come in handy when it comes to coaching yourself.
Why should you try self-coaching? Here are some ways self-coaching can be beneficial to your career growth.
Self-coach when coaching is not accessible
Despite the availability of career and professional coaching services in Singapore and worldwide, the fact remains that it is not available 24/7. In between coaching sessions, or after a one-off session, the rest is up to the individual to take action.
Self-coaching is an effective and recommended way to stay accountable to yourself daily. When you sit down by yourself to reflect and self-coach, it can include activities like journaling, setting goals, and evaluating your own progress. If you have set goals in the area of your work, self-coaching helps you keep track and chart your growth.
Integrate the professional and personal
Much as we like to speak of compartmentalising our professional and personal lives, it’s undeniable how certain aspects bleed into each other. For example, personal qualities like being quick-tempered, or being too passive, can affect both personal and workplace relationships.
During the process of self-coaching, you can be honest with yourself. You can work on these areas that are important to both your personal and professional development, without fear of judgement or breaching your own privacy. Taking this holistic approach helps you not just in your career, but also in your overall growth as a person.
Actionable framework for achieving your goal
Self-coaching, when done properly, is a structured and intentional way of building self-awareness and making plans to achieve one’s goals. As such, it is a useful way to plan and measure one’s progress towards a particular career goal.
When it seems like you have no idea how to reach your dream job or climb the corporate ladder, self-coaching principles make the process seem less intimidating. Of course, doing it for the first time may still feel strange. Practising and getting used to the coaching process by attending a career development workshop first may be beneficial in giving you a taste of what it should be like.
Conclusion
If you haven’t tried self-coaching to stay on top of your personal and career goals, this is your sign to start. On top of being affordable (free) and convenient, you will have the honour of working with the coach that knows you best – yourself.
Still prefer to work with a professional coach? Not all career coaches are created equal, so read up on our tips on how to choose the right one. Quest Discover Academy welcomes you to its career coaching workshops, where you can get introduced to the world of career coaching and get started on your path to your career goals. Get in touch with us today!