Why I believe in coaching

I thought it’s time to share why I believe in the value of coaching and investing in a coach. Yes, I have a vested interest since it’s part of the portfolio of work I do, but it’s more than that. It’s about the value I’ve gotten from hiring different types of coaches over the past 10 years or so.

I didn’t always believe in what coaching could do outside of a health, sports, and fitness area. I remember a team member had gotten certified in Coactive Coaching and was trying to introduce it into our work. At the time, probably about 20 years ago, it just sounded touchy-feely for an HR team to focus there. Looking back, I wish I had been more open to the concepts and the impact it could make.

My coaching investments started with a leadership coach who put a significant emphasis on the wellness side of being a leader. Part of my coaching there was about mindset and part about how I was eating and moving my body.

I hired a coach to help me through the transition from corporate leader to business owner because I knew it was going to require a change in how I thought about myself and how I measured success.

Earlier this year, I began the investment in myself through a small group coaching program that includes other business owners. Most of our weekly time is spent on the mindset work…how we’re getting in our own way but time is reserved for celebrating wins from the past week and actions for the next week. For me, I find great value in sharing what I’m working on, hearing what the other participants are challenged with, and learning from all of the discussions. It’s my safe space to be truly honest about how I’m feeling about what I’m trying to create in my professional life.

My clients have wanted to focus on how they spend more time on the strategic side of their jobs, deciding how they want to create a bigger impact in their current role, considering whether it was time to move on from an organization, transitioning to a larger role in a new organization. and a variety of other topics related to how they want to feel, who they want to be, and what they want to do in this phase of their life and career journey. Everyone has a different need but they often seek coaching because they realize that they’re feeling stuck in the approaches they’ve been taking or they want an outside perspective or they want the accountability of making the changes they know are important to them.

For me, coaching helps me be more honest with myself about what’s going on, how I’m contributing to my successes and failures, and reminds me to celebrate the wins when my inclination may be to gloss over them and focus on what needs fixing.

I’d love to hear from you if you’ve found value in your coaching experiences or if you’re interested in understanding more about how it could work for you.