Why You Cant Coach Yourself

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Why You Cant Coach YourselfBy Dr. Earl R. Smith IIDrSmith@Dr-Smith.comwww.Dr-Smith.com

A good percentage of my new clients have spenttime, effort and money trying to reform! themselveswith seminars, tapes, "oo#s and the li#e. $hey havetested the proposition that coaching is something thatthey can do for themselves. %ost of them have cometo the reali&ation that wor#ing with a coach is a lotmore effective than self-improvement "oo#s, trainingprograms and seminars.

%ost of them have come to reali&e that money thatspent on motivational seminars, training programs, self-help "oo#s,

and "'siness "oo#s is not money well spent at all. (oaching is #ind ofli#e (hinese food - )'st after yo' eat yo' feel f'll "'t in an ho'r or soyo' are h'ngry again - the e*perience is not c'm'lative or lifechanging. By attempting to self-coach, they forgo the o")ectivity andperspective that is re+'ired in order to see more clearly, as clearly assomeone can see yo' from the o'tside. $hey also write themselvese*emptions from "eing acco'nta"le. Both of these are severely self-limiting.

Self-help "oo#s have many limitations. $hey are inherently one-si&e-fits-all. (rafty a'thors write in a style that leads the reader to "elieve

that they are tal#ing directly to them - "'t, partic'larly with the "esta'thors, there are tho'sands of readers participating in the sameill'sion. %ost readers get a short-term high o't of reading these "oo#s"'t little or no long-term change.

f all the "oo#s that yo' have read on self-help, how-to "'siness,career planning, leadership development, management, personalgrowth and wealth, how many have yo' finished reading from cover tocover ave yo' ta#en notes on anything that yo' have read in those"oo#s or have yo' ever done any of the e*ercises If so, have yo'applied the e*ercises and advice to yo'r own life in a meaningf'l way

Remem"er, in managing change it is change - implementation - notcomprehension that matters.

Self-help "oo#s a"o't advice s'ffer from the same pro"lems that a"oo# a"o't how to play foot"all! does. /oot"all is not so m'ch a"o't'nderstanding the game intellect'ally as "eing a"le to play iteffectively. $he 'nderstanding of the game might ma#e yo' a fan - "'tnot a player. If yo' are going to get good at the game, yo' need a

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coach and a chance to play. 0o' need someone hovering aro'nd yo'and charting yo'r act'al progress - someone who will call yo' whenyo' ma#e e*c'ses or procrastinate - a coach who will teach yo' thefiner points of the game.

Since these self-help "oo#s, seminars and tapes do not have "'ilt-inacco'nta"ility, follow-'p, reminders, and neither goal setting nor thepower of two h'man wills, they often do little more than ta#e a do&enho'rs to read and then only a"o't a day to forever forget.

Boo#s have "een aro'nd for a long time and they are an integral partof self-'nderstanding and cond'cting the gro'ndwor# for positivechange within yo'r life. owever, it is good to #eep in mind that themost s'ccessf'l e*ec'tives have always 'sed trainers, advisors, andcoaches. 1'st as yo' can pro"a"ly teach yo'rself another lang'age,yo' will soon forget it if yo' do not practice with someone else who is

familiar with that lang'age and can help prono'nce the diffic'lt words.

2ith a coach, yo' are 'tili&ing yo'r own personal power ofcommitment to create change within "oth yo'r personal and corporatelives. 0o'r coach will have the same commitment.

Even tho'gh yo' may have read do&ens of self-help "oo#s or attendedn'mero's "'siness coaching and training seminars, none of these willoffer yo' the #ind of personal attention and commitment yo' wo'ldget thro'gh finding and wor#ing with a coach. A coach will ta#e apersonal and e*tended interest in yo'r sit'ation and will provide yo'

with the necessary tools that will increase yo'r own personal growthand leadership development. Besides "eing committed to yo'rs'ccess, yo'r coach will also hold yo' acco'nta"le for yo'r actions inachieving yo'r goals.

%any of my clients have told me that they made more progress in thefirst month that we wor#ed together than in all their years of readingself-help "oo#s, listening to tapes and attending seminars. If yo' wantto tal# a"o't how coaching can "enefit yo'r life and career, send mean e-mail and we will arrange a time to tal#.

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Dr. Smith is a proven senior e*ec'tive, s'ccessf'l entreprene'r,p'"lished a'thor and p'"lic spea#er. e serves on "oards of directorsand advisory "oards or as a strategic advisor to (Es. Dr. Smithspeciali&es in t'rnaro'nd management, strategic planning, leadershipdevelopment and e*ec'tive coaching. e also wor#s as an e*ec'tiveand8or life coach in the areas of personal growth and spirit'ality. e isthe a'thor of Ama&ing 5ace4 $'r"o-charged B'siness Development- a"oo# that shows how Advisory Boards can dramatically increasereven'e. Dr. Smith is also the a'thor of Dream 2al#4 5ara"les for the7iving- a "oo# of Raven $ales and e*ploration.