“A life coach listens, reflects and encourages you to set and reach your goals, by helping you to focus on specific actions and steps...life coaching is about improving the quality of your life and creating what you want in it now and for the future…to close the gap between how your life is and how you would like it to be”
Kersley SE. Prescription for change: for doctors who want a life. 2nd ed. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing; 2006
Framework for a coaching session
Chambers R, Mohanna K, Thornett A, Field S. Guiding doctors in managing their careers: a toolkit for tutors, trainers, mentors and appraisers. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing; 2006
- What has happened since last meeting?
- What topics will you work on during this session? – prioritise if too many
- What do you want to achieve by the end of the session?
- For each issue
- Discuss what the issue is exactly and why it is important
- What has already been tried?
- Problem solve
- What is the ideal state?
- What is stopping this from happening now?
- Discuss the likely impact of each barrier
- How can each be solved?
- For each solution
- Discuss skills required
- Agree strategy and target
- Make realistic timetable for action
Find a life coach
Kersley SE. Prescription for change: for doctors who want a life. 2nd ed. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing; 2006.
Qualities of a good life coach
Chambers R, Mohanna K, Thornett A, Field S. Guiding doctors in managing their careers: a toolkit for tutors, trainers, mentors and appraisers. Oxford: Radcliffe Publishing; 2006
| Successful motivator |
Gives constructive feedback |
| Encourages problem solving |
Depersonalises problems |
| Supportive |
Sets clear objectives |
| Able to challenge you |
Establish good rapport |
| Able to stretch you |
Analytical not critical |
Try to coach your own life
If you want your life to change (or think you do) then life coaching could be invaluable. However you can start on your own.If you think you want changes in your career undertake the exercise A need for change
Create a life-changing diary
- Buy a diary with plenty of space to write each day
- Note down anything you have found particularly difficult each day. Write what you have learned from each experience, why you think it happened and how you can prevent the same thing happening again
- Use a different colour to write the positive things that have happened each day and/or something you have particularly enjoyed. What was it that made these experiences positive? How can you encourage positive events to become more frequent?
- Periodically look back through the diary. Are there any patterns? What do you seem to enjoy doing the most/least? How can your life/career be changed to incorporate more of the good events and less of the bad?
- Use the diary to discuss your life and career with a life coach, mentor or trusted friends, colleague, supervisor and/or appraiser.
After you have used your diary for some time review your answers to A need for change, do they still stand true? If not, complete this resource again.
Draw out your lifeline review.