Coaching Helps People Commit and Succeed
We are at a point in January when new year resolutions begin to slide. What starts with a firm desire to do or not do something— resolution — often becomes too demanding or limiting. Research supports the idea that new year resolutions tend to falter. One long-term experiment published in December 2020 found that after one week only 77% had maintained their resolutions; only 55% of people consider themselves successful in sustaining their resolutions after one year[i]. Other studies show even less success.
Commitments, by contrast, are more likely to be honored and achieved. A commitment means dedicating yourself to such things as a cause, activity, or a person. Commitments compel us to follow through with a decision, whereas a resolution is more of a statement of intent.
Commitments set us on a path that prepares us to change and develop. For me and many others, coaching offers a proven process to help successfully guide us on the journey to fulfill our commitments.
In 2003, I was paired with an executive coach as part of my career development. The process and tools my coach used, coupled with his deep experience and my personal desire to become a better leader, accelerated my career growth.
My coach administered assessments and interviewed some of my key stakeholders as part of his process. Findings from my assessments and the interviews increased my self-awareness and enabled me to better understand how others saw me. The coach partnered with me on a process targeted to keep or amplify my strengths while working on the top areas needing development. Never had I had such compelling data to drive my growth and development.
Working with my coach, I committed to specific goals and set timelines for achieving them. These were targeted goals based on specific feedback from multiple stakeholders and tied to my own assessment results. I also described what success would look like when goals were achieved. After reviewing these commitments with my boss, who had the opportunity to help in final editing, I circled back with the involved stakeholders, thanked them for their feedback, and shared my goals with them.
When goals are written down and shared with people important to us, they are more likely to be achieved. They provide clarity and accountability to our commitment to do what we said we would do.
I gained so much from going through coaching that I committed to becoming an executive coach myself in 2013; I wanted to help people as I had been helped. Initially working within my employer’s organization, I became a certified executive coach. After gaining more coach training and certifications, I started Oppnå® Executive & Achievement Coaching. To date, I’ve used a coaching process similar to the one I experienced in over one hundred client engagements.
Personal commitment combined with professional coaching makes a real difference in attaining your goals. If your resolutions aren’t cutting it, how can executive coaching help you commit to and achieve success?
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Lance Hazzard, PCC, CPCC, is a certified Executive Coach and Executive Team Coach helping people and organizations achieve success. Lance and Eric T. Hicks, Ph.D., co-authored Accelerating Leadership, published in June 2019. Lance is Executive Coach and President at Oppnå® Executive & Achievement Coaching. More information on the book, Lance and Oppnå® Coaching can be found at the links below:
www.acceleratingleadershipbook.com
[i] Oscarsson et al: A large-scale experiment on New Year’s resolutions: Approach-oriented goals are more successful than avoidance-oriented goals