You may find that as a coach that you refer to the term resources. Today’s post is going to discuss resources in more detail.

Starting with, what is a resource?

Looking up a dictionary definition gives:

Resource noun 1. something to which one can turn for help or support or to achieve one’s purpose.

2. a means of relaxation or amusement

3. ingenuity, quick wit

4. (resources) available assets; we pooled our resources

5. (resources) a source of wealth to a country; natural resources such as minerals

For anyone interested in the historical origins of the word resource, “means of supplying a want or deficiency” can be traced back to 1610’s from a Latin word meaning “rise again.” However, it wasn’t until 1779 that it was first recorded to mean a country’s wealth.

As a coach I often find that when I talk with a client about resources their answers can fall into one of two different categories. You can see it hinted at within the dictionary definition.

One category is Internal resources, those aspects that the client has within themselves to support them to achieve their purpose. The other one being external resources, the external support that relates to the “outside world”.

If a client is stuck than the solution can easily be an internal or external resource depending upon the situation. However, there are some resources that as a coach I may explore in more depth early on.

There are many Internal resources, beliefs, attitudes, emotional states etc that we, as humans, build upon. One of the first internal resources I often check for is desire. It’s one of those resources that when missing is really noticeable.

If you haven’t noticed this for yourself already, I invite you to consider for yourself your own previous experiences and maybe even observe it’s impact in future coaching conversations.

External support can take many different forms family, friends, colleagues, time, space, money, are all examples of external resources.

Often questioning can revel opportunities that have been missed or underused – and just imagine what discovering those resources can mean to the progress that can be made.

As you’ve read this you may already have noticed that internal and external categories can sometimes, at least in the clients mind, affect each other. For example, a client may have a belief (an internal resource) about an external support.

I mention the distinction between the two categories not because I think that they should be separate. I offer this purely as yet another resource for you to “rise again” (to use it’s origins) when you need to use it to assist your clients to achieve their purpose.