How’s that Leadership Coaching Working Out for You?
I hold 2 portfolios of work and they both make me happy.
One is consulting, where I’m hired to recommend to executives what I believe is best for them in setting growth strategies and preparing for organizational transformation. The other is coaching, where I help executive leaders reveal their truths as they work toward improving their leadership instincts and being better humans. On both sides of my work, I live for the AHA moments of my clients that happen when the secret sauce to the growth of their organizations, or themselves as leaders, appears to them. That is truly where my satisfaction lives!
Over the past several months, I’ve completed a number of coaching intake calls, disappointed in noting how many people have had previous coaching experiences that fell short of their expectations. That’s code for, “I didn’t get my needs met.”
One thing that I know for sure is that there is a shared responsibility between the coach and client in achieving desired outcomes. For me that begins during the intake videoconference where we both assess fit which means style of coaching, process and most importantly, what my client wants to accomplish. I look for potential clients to be able to articulate their needs as I cannot make that up for them. If they don’t know what they want to accomplish, they don’t know who they are looking for. And in that way, any coach will do and that can lead to needs not being met.
I am both excited and intrigued when a potential coaching client meets with me and clearly tells me their story – where they are in their career, how they arrived there, where or how they want to be and what’s missing for them. That’s where we, together, define their need.
I am very clear about what I do well and what I don’t and I will not say “yes” to someone who I am uncertain I can help. Sometimes I’ve left intake calls by providing folx with questions to consider as they continue their search for a coach. And sometimes, they come back with answers. It’s an exercise that makes for a better investment of time and money.
“An elevated sense of consciousness creates space for clients to choose how they will show up.”
At it’s core, coaching is about helping. Signing up to help when the fit isn’t there will end poorly. Instead of ease in communicating, there will be tension and struggle. Instead of creating a coaching experience that resonates, clients will disconnect and loathe their next interaction. Coaching sessions should be engaging with each one building more confidence in the pursuit of the change clients are seeking. There should be evidence of growth, sometimes hard to get through, but growth nonetheless that is celebrated. There should be signs of success as new ways of being and leading are revealed, where old patterns are shed and a firmer foundation of leading is present.
Being a coach isn’t always easy. I become a trusted partner invited into spaces where transparency and vulnerability are required, where the light isn’t always bright. These are places where the stories of my clients’ personal lives intersect with the stories of their work lives, creating a narrative that often requires some attention. It’s the place where the lens through which my clients see themselves is spoken out loud. Together we adjust that lens by believing and leaning into their best leadership instincts, smoothing out the rough edges of behavior unbecoming as a leader, and letting go of those that will never serve them well.
While not always easy, coaching is fulfilling. It shows up when joy replaces pain. When possibility replaces obstacles. When confidence replaces fear. When an elevated sense of consciousness creates space for clients to choose how they will show up. That’s fulfilling.
If you’re a coach, choose your clients wisely. Know that our first task is helping potential clients clearly articulate their need. That’s the only way you’ll know if you’re the one to help.
What’s been your coaching experience as a coach or client? Share in the comments or DM me. I’d love to hear from you.