According to the International Coaching Federation (ICF), coaching is a three-billion-dollar industry. People from all walks of life seek help from personal development coaches, especially managers, executives, entrepreneurs, and business owners. If you are considering hiring a coach, you may wonder how to harness the partnership and maximize the returns on your investment. The following are three ways you can leverage a coaching relationship to create sustainable behavioral change.

Have a Strong Desire to Change

Getting into a coaching partnership means agreeing to labor to bring about lasting changes. For your coach to provide with you the best assistance, you need to create the condition for the transformation to happen. Normally, that wouldn’t be a problem, given most clients incur their coaching expenses. But experiences taught me that limiting beliefs, failures, and people’s self-concepts are the biggest impediment to success. If you’re not willing to move past your doubts and self-imposed limitations, no coach can assist you. Your burning thirst to transform must exceed the obstacles involved. Your coach is only a partner who takes you to the fountain of boundless joy, meaning, and happiness, but they can’t make you drink unless you allow it.

Be Self-disciplined

The interdependence between coaches and clients makes coaching a unique experience. The coach asks questions and holds you accountable for your actions and results. If you’re not walking the talk, you create an enormous challenge for the coach and yourself. You must have the self-control to remove distractions and carry out your plan. After all, you set the coaching agenda; the coach can only support you in achieving your goal.

Be Transparent

How is dealing with a machine different from a human? If my Toyota fails, I take it to the mechanics, who, with few checks, determine the cause of the breakdown and solve the problem. Providing the repairman has access to my car, he will get all the information he needs. With a client, a coach deals with covert behaviors. They may make inferences from your words and actions, but they can never be certain unless you tell them. Therefore, for a coach to help you, you must describe your thoughts and feelings with maximum candor.

Given the inter dependability of coaching relationships, it’s crucial for a client to master the basic techniques required for success. Before you hire your next coach, ask yourself those three questions:

  • How open and willing to change am I?
  • Am I ready to commit time and energy to revolutionize my life?
  • How much am I prepared to share?