Benefits of Coaching
I am a huge advocate for coaching and many would say, “yes, sure you are because you are a professional credentialled coach.”
But do you know how I came to choose this profession?
My story began back in 2006 when our CEO introduced us to a coach to support and develop the management team. I still remember sitting in my first session and saying quite firmly, “I don’t know what this coaching stuff is about, and I don’t do this!” Yes, I was that mandated client. 🙂
It still makes me smile and to this day, the coach (who has since become a good friend and colleague) and I laugh about that first meeting.
She smiled graciously and asked me to give her three sessions over the next few months. “If you still feel the same way after that,” she said, “you’re welcome to stop.”
During one of our coaching sessions, she placed several chairs around the room. She invited me to stand up and sit in each one, explaining that each chair represented a different role I held at work; Finance, HR, Operations, and so on. As I moved from chair to chair, she asked exploratory and expansive solution-focused questions about each role.
It was such a simple exercise, yet moving physically between the chairs helped me to compartmentalise, to see each role more clearly, and to understand how they connected. It gave me perspective, focus, and direction.
Well, it is safe to say that coaching completely won me over. Looking back, I can say without hesitation that those sessions, and the coaching I continued to receive afterwards, had a profound impact on my professional and personal development. It helped me grow into new leadership roles, supported me as a working mother to find a rhythm between career and family life, and provided a space to explore new directions with confidence and clarity.
I am passionate about professional and personal coaching because I have personally experienced the many benefits of quality professional coaching.hing #development #careermoves