IS EXECUTIVE COACHING FOR YOU?
As a long-time executive coach, I have discovered that for many people, coaching is shrouded in mystery. What do you do exactly? And what kind of impact can you expect? For me, at its core, coaching is an active conversation. Here is how I describe coaching to people I haven't worked with before.
You may come to coaching with a clear vision of what you want to tackle, or you may only have a vague sense. For instance, you may be looking for support as you transition to a new, challenging role, or you may want to become a more inspiring leader for your organization. Perhaps you want to increase your influence at a senior level of your company, or perhaps you're just itching for a new challenge but don't know what that is. Whatever your circumstance, I will meet you where you are and we will define objectives for our work together. The thrilling part of coaching is that with each interaction, we don’t know exactly what will unfold. It is impossible to predict where we will end up, and that is the point. As your coach, I act as your partner in the exploration. Together we open up new insights and possibilities in an organic, dynamic way and with tools and a structure to guide us.
Our initial session is an opportunity to get to know you better. We start with a values assessment, which grounds you in what is most important and provides a set of guideposts for navigating your work and broader goals. We look holistically at your current life as a baseline and then begin to envision the future you would like to walk towards. The process helps unlock new possibilities and ways of thinking that you may have never envisaged. If desired, we can conduct a 360 degree feedback assessment in order to get a variety of perspectives on your leadership strengths and areas for development.
I recommend that we work together for at least six months, meeting every other week, in order to create momentum and have a runway to create sustainable change. In each session, we focus in on whatever question or challenge is most pressing for you, while always keeping our overall objectives in mind.
In between sessions, the work of integration happens. I may suggest that you take on assignments, such as thought experiments or challenges, reflection questions, readings, journaling, or other personal work to anchor the learnings from the coaching and create forward movement.
The gains from coaching are often profound internal shifts that open new pathways, so that leaders see different options, perceive themselves in a new way, and are propelled to take tangible steps to shape their future and that of their organization. I consider it a privilege to support my clients on this journey.