Virtual Coaching

Virtual Coaching

My wife Robin recently became a Certified Life Coach. Now she can help people all around the world in the same way she has helped people locally by coming alongside of them and helping them accomplish life changing initiatives. Already she is seeing great results with those whom she has coached.

With Artificial Intelligence, Artificial Reality, and robotics my wife's impact will soon be impacted to a greater degree. Our world is changing at a head spinning rate. It is revolutionizing how doctors perform surgery. Our local hospital recently purchased a robotic surgical machine. Why? Because the hospital would not be able to attract new physicians. New physicians are all trained to use robotic surgical machines, so why would they want to go to a hospital that fails to provide them with the best tools?

Robotic surgical equipment not only benefits newly trained surgeons, but also the seasoned senior surgeons whose hands have become shaky over time. These physicians can manipulate the controls on the equipment, all shakiness in the manipulation of the scalpel is removed. The benefit for the patient is the comfort from an experienced mind combined with a steady hand.

A seasoned physician can be in California, sitting at a computer, while a robot with the physician's face on it can be making rounds with a intern in tow in Chicago. This "virtual coach" can bring a lifetime of experience and knowledge to a remote location, for the benefit of a patient hundreds of miles away.

The empowerment that robots do for surgeons, technology is also doing for seasoned, experienced leaders in every field. Leadership coaching is no longer limited to one location where people have to fly in from various locations. Now exceptional leaders can be available remotely by use of Skype or FaceTime, Zoom or GoToMeeting and the reach is worldwide.

The more information you have, the better decisions you make. An experienced coach can help avoid unnecessary pitfalls and detours that others have suffered.

Technology has given access to more information on a cell phone than was available in the finest library one hundred years ago. What do you do with all the information? This is where having an experienced coach makes all the difference.

If you want to excel in playing chess, you can read all the books, but how much better would it be to have world champion Gary Kasparov coaching you? Tennis instructional books are everywhere, but imagine having Andre Agassi providing you with an optimum path to success. Business books are everywhere, but imagine having an hour long coaching session with Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, as you write your business plan.

With a coach everyone does better. Obviously gaining access to Kasparov, or Agassi or Welch would cost you a pretty penny, but the point is that our world has shrunk virtually, so that high quality coaching is more accessible than ever in history.

The biggest obstacle seems to be that people wait until it is too late to ask for help. The business, the marriage, the organization is on its last gasp before there is a willingness to be coached. How much better to seek a coach before things are crashing and burning?

You are only as good as your tools and those tools are enhanced with good coaching.