Survey Results: January 2024

 

 

OVER HALF OF CLIENTS COME TO COACHING

BECAUSE THEY FEEL OVERWHELMED AND UNDER PRESSURE

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• 57% of clients feel overwhelmed and under pressure

• 40% feel confused and unconfident

 

Over half of clients come to coaching because they feel overwhelmed and under pressure (57%), with 40% feeling confused and unconfident, according to research, undertaken by First Foot Forward, published today, 12 January 2024 [1].

 

“Clients come to coaching with feelings of overwhelm and pressure, confusion, lack of confidence and support,” commented Kate Wallace ACC, Associate Certified Coach with the International Coaching Federation and Founder of First Foot Forward.

 

“Coaching helps clients to navigate change, challenge and complexity.

 

“At the start of our programmes my clients often feel overwhelmed, weighed down and unclear about how to move forward.

 

“They leave our sessions feeling freer and lighter, having found clarity, confidence, calmness and developed an achievable action plan. Some even have a broad smile, realising that together we have unlocked something important and deep-seated.”

 

Coaches report that their clients typically seek coaching to explore four key areas: leadership, career development, work life balance and imposter syndrome.

 

• 55% of clients explore leadership – how they can lead better, taking their teams and employees with them

• 45% focus on career development – how they can improve their career, what they need to do to get to the next step, change their career

• 35% look at work-life balance – how they can balance their lives better, juggle their work and home life

• 30% focus on imposter syndrome – how they can improve their confidence, self-worth and self-belief

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“This mirrors my own experience with clients particularly focusing on how they can become the leader and the person they want to be, delivering their vision and strategy, while maintaining work-life balance,” added Kate.

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“Coaching helps clients to lead with authenticity and to empower their teams to develop and meet their goals. My clients tell me that coaching enables them to think through important issues – to think differently and creatively – which helps them lead better in today’s fast-paced working environment.”

 

[1] The research, undertaken online via SurveyMonkey in December 2023 and published on 12 January 2024, addressed c.100 practicing coaches (both experienced and early in their career). Respondents were asked what topics their clients typically brought to coaching and how their clients typically felt at the outset of their coaching programme / sessions.

 

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Survey Results: June 2023

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COACHING HELPS CLIENTS UNLOCK THEIR THINKING

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Over half of coaching clients say [1] coaching helps them to unlock their thinking (55%), according to research published today by First Foot Forward and the Narrative Coach

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Here is a short video discussing the findings

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Clients say that coaching also helps them to:

 

• understand their mindset and behaviours to facilitate change (50%)

• gain new insights (45%)

• achieve clarity in a way that surprised them or they had not expected (37.5%)

 

Coaching clients wish to explore an array of issues including how to:

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• increase their confidence (42.5%)

• navigate challenging issues (42.5%)

• develop their career / transition to a new role (37.5%)

• learn new ways to respond (32.5%)

 

Commenting on the findings, Kate Wallace of First Foot Forward said:

 

“These findings mirror my own experience as a coach.

 

“I have noticed that my clients often come to coaching feeling overwhelmed and weighed down by today’s challenging times. They may be stuck, working intensely but not getting to where they want to be.

 

“They leave our sessions thinking differently and with renewed confidence. They have a better understanding of themselves and what they need to do to succeed.”

 

Mauro Mortali of the Narrative Coach said:

 

“My clients typically come to coaching because they feel restless, stuck or lost, wanting to transition to something new, sometimes without knowing what that ‘something new’ is.

 

“Facilitating clarity of thinking as a pre-cursor to change is a key part of the Narrative Coaching process and our research findings reflect this emphasis on the value of coaching around helping clients with their thinking, mindset and perspectives.

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“My clients leave our sessions much clearer on which of their narratives, the stories they tell themselves, will propel them forwards and which they need to discard because they are holding them back.”

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[1] The research, undertaken online via SurveyMonkey in April 2023 and published on 7 June 2023, addressed c80 coaching clients and people whose role includes commissioning coaching for colleagues.  Respondents were asked their views on the value of coaching.

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Survey Results: January 2023

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THREE QUARTERS OF CLIENTS COME TO COACHING BECAUSE THEY FEEL OVERWHELMED

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• 73% of clients feel overwhelmed and under pressure

• 53% feel confused and unconfident

• 38% feel unsupported and lack resources

 

The vast majority of clients, coming to coaching, feel overwhelmed and under pressure (73%), according to research, undertaken by First Foot Forward, published today.[1]

 

Feelings of being overwhelmed are accompanied by confusion and lack of confidence (53%) and lack of support and resources (38%).

 

These unsettling feelings act as a catalyst for clients to explore their purpose, their role, values, and career progression.

 

As such, coaches, responding to this survey, report that around half of their clients typically want to explore career development, leadership, and imposter syndrome, while approximately a third focus on their work-life balance, during their coaching sessions:

 

• 53% of clients focus on their career development – how they can improve their career, what they need to do to get to the next step, change career

• 48% explore their leadership – how they can lead better, taking their teams and employees with them

• 48% probe imposter syndrome – how they can improve their confidence, self-worth, and self-belief – to their coaching sessions

• 35% look at their work-life balance – how they can balance their lives better, juggle their work and home

 

These findings mirror my own experience as a coach:

 

• My clients, who often feel isolated and lonely, come to coaching to find a safe space to think through professional priorities and workplace issues.

 

• My clients seek clarity on how to navigate today’s unsettling times and are searching for a sense of calmness.

 

• Our coaching partnership empowers them, helps them to look forward and become the person and leader they want to be.

 

Many of us, overwhelmed by huge pressures – wherever we are in our life and career, are seeking a safe, non-judgemental thinking space to work out our purpose, our priorities, our goals and what’s important to us. This is why professional coaching is becoming increasingly valuable to us all.

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[1] The research, undertaken online via SurveyMonkey in December 2022 and published on 5 January 2023, addressed c.100 practicing coaches (both experienced and early in their career). Respondents were asked what topics their clients typically brought to coaching and how their clients typically felt at the outset of their coaching programme / sessions.

 

Contact Me:

I'm always looking for new and exciting opportunities. Let's connect.

kate.wallace@chadbury.org

+44 (0)7811 365165

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