Coaching Fundamentals

I'm attending a coaching conference this week near Tampa, Florida and I'm amazed by some of the new things I have learned.  I'm not amazed that I'm amazed.  I expected that.  Events like this always challenge me and help me see things in fresh ways.  My experience of learning coaching skills and then using coaching skills has been life changing for me. It's helped clarify for my my calling to be pastor of a church, to be a leader among followers, and to be an equipper of disciples. 

This is how I define coaching.  Coaching is helping others move ahead to live and act true to their unique calling from God.  To me it ties in so well with Living Christ's Love.  As a coach I'm called to help people discover #1: "Be true to myself."  Coaching give me the tools to help people discover the truth that God has planted deep in their soul and imprinted within their DNA.  It leads people to discover who they truly are, what God is truly calling them to be, and how they can be true to both in relationship with others.

Action in the coaching converstation is always going forward. The way Jonathan Reitz put's it, coaching is "X arrow X" (or X -------> X ) meaning coaching is helping the coachee identify where they are today, where they are called to go, and the route to take to bring those closer together.  Coaching gives people permission to discover the route themselves.  In fact, let me put it another way.  The coachee does the work because God has planted that truth within them.

God has given us all unique talents and gifts.  Every one of us is unique in all the world.  A coach walks along side the coachee to help them discover those unique gifts and hear the call about where they are going next.

I thank God for the training I have received and I'm excited about how I can use these skills to help people from my church, my fellow pastors, and other ministries from this area discover who they truly are and the steps to take to get to where they feel called to go.