Most successful people are self-directing and self-managing. 
They take initiative and they have discipline. They know their 
strengths and weaknesses. They have action plans to follow in 
order to avoid procrastination and keep on track with goals.

Then why would successful people seek out the services of a 
coach? Why do so many executives - who are already in top 
positions - demand an executive coach as part of their benefits 
package? Because they know from experience that even their 
highly refined ability to see what is needed is limited by 
their own assumptions and beliefs.

It is like the blind leading the blind when you only have 
yourself to turn to. The problem is that we all use our inner 
assumptions and beliefs to make decisions. We are driven by 
motivations and values that are outside our own awareness. 


Let's define further here what we need to discuss:

Beliefs

Beliefs are the assumptions we make about ourselves, about 
others in the world and about how we expect things to be. 
Beliefs are about how we think things really are, what is 
really true and what to expect as likely consequences that 
will follow from our behavior.

Values

Values are about how we have learnt to think things ought to 
be or people ought to behave, especially in terms of qualities 
such as honesty, integrity and openness.

Basic Assumptions

Basic assumptions are our long-learnt, automatic responses and 
established opinions. We are almost always unaware of the nature 
of our own basic assumptions, but they are enacted through our 
behavior - what we say and do. Basic assumptions are usually 
rooted in our infancy, early family life and social context. 
More widely, assumptions shaping our behavior relate to 
cultural context.

Attitudes

Attitudes are the established ways of responding to people and 
situations that we have learned, based on the beliefs, values 
and assumptions we hold. Attitude become manifest through our 
behavior.

There are two kinds of beliefs that operate behind the scenes, 
so to speak:

1. Empowering beliefs: these are related to excellence and how 
   it can be achieved.

2. Limiting beliefs: these are the beliefs you have that limit 
   your behaviors; even though your behavior is not what you 
   want, you don't believe you can change it, for one reason 
   or another.

(Source:  
http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/
crosscuttings/character_beliefs-values.html )


Have you ever tried to draw or paint a self-portrait? Even if 
you are artistic and talented, this is a very difficult task. 
To take a look at your assumptions and beliefs by yourself, and 
to explore them - examine them for their usefulness and value, 
is even harder to do - if not impossible. 

Both our social and work habits have been built on assumptions. 
Even our relationships and marriages operate on beliefs formed 
from our early histories. And while circumstances may have 
changed since the start of these practices, their continued use 
tends to reconfirm the old beliefs - they often still feel right 
to us. We keep on doing what we have always done, and expect 
different results!

A coach can help you see what you can't see yourself. A good 
coach will ask the right kinds of questions - the kinds you 
can't answer right away, the ones that make you think. If you 
only have yourself as a coach, you may be missing an opportunity 
to explore beyond your assumptions and beliefs, both the 
limiting and empowering ones.