“Of course, you love coaching, you are a coach,” I hear you say. But I wasn’t always. And you don’t need to be a coach to benefit from or, as we’re celebrating Valentine’s, fall in love with coaching.
My transition from a successful corporate career into coaching stemmed from my passion to give back. I wanted to pay forward the skills, experience and expertise I’d acquired to empower others to succeed.
I know what coaching is capable of. It changed my life and it could change yours. But, if you’ve never experienced coaching, it isn’t always easy to appreciate its power.
1. Clarity
In today’s ‘always on’ world, we’re so busy delivering, we often react rather than reflect on what’s important. Coaching creates the breathing space you need to think about you: your purpose, your priorities and the outcomes you want to achieve.
“The best investment you can make is an investment in yourself.
The more you learn the more you earn.”
Investor and philanthropist, Warren Buffett
2. Confidence
You’ll find a safe place to talk openly about issues, and overcome what’s holding you back, with a trusted partner who believes in you and encourages you to find your own answers to succeed.
“A coach is someone that sees beyond your limits
and guides you to greatness.”
Former professional American basketball player, Michael Jordan
3. Insight
Want different perspectives and insights that challenge you to think and act differently? A coach is a constructive thinking partner who encourages self-awareness, development and growth.
“We cannot change what we are not aware of and
once we are aware, we cannot help but change.”
Business leader, activist, author and philanthropist, Sheryl Sandberg
4. Focus
You’ll not only know what you want to achieve, but how to achieve it. Your coach is there to help you find your personalised plan of action, to hold you to account and keep you on track.
“Always remember your focus determines your reality.”
Filmmaker, philanthropist and entrepreneur, George Lucas
5. Relationships
You’ll discover how to have great conversations that get you to the outcomes you want. Better understanding the needs, motivations and behaviours of others makes relating and results easier.
“I can do things you cannot. You can do things I cannot.
Together we can do great things.”
The late Roman Catholic nun and missionary, Mother Teresa
6. Presence
“When I walked into that room, I felt confident and in control.” That’s how a recent client described a career-changing meeting following our time together. That’s executive presence – it’s empowering.
“My presence speaks volumes before I say a word.”
Rapper, singer, actor and activist, Mos Def
7. Authority
You’ll find the words and ways to use your voice to sound more authentic, authoritative and credible. When you mean business, you need to convey confidence and get heard.
"A woman with a voice is, by definition, a strong woman.
But the search to find that voice can be remarkably difficult."
American philanthropist, Melinda Gates
8. Capability
You’ll increase your capabilities, which will boost your confidence. That becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The more confident you are, the more you use new skills, the more capable you become.
“If we all did the things we are capable of, we would truly astound ourselves.”
The late inventor and businessman, Thomas Edison
9. Impact
Your problem solving, decision making, productivity and results will improve. You’ll enhance your personal brand, changing how others see and interact with you. That positively impacts you, your team and your organisation.
“Executive coaching works. Coaching leads to a moderate-to-large amount of
change in executives’ skills and/or performance.”
Kenneth P. De Meuse and Guangrong Dai, Korn Ferry Institute
In the 2010 report: The effectiveness of executive coaching
10. Opportunity
By improving your confidence, performance and impact, you’ll create more opportunities for yourself – be it an expanded role, promotion, or role/career shift.
“If you don’t create new opportunities within the confines of your ‘day job’
they may never come your way.”
Organisational behaviour professor and author, Herminia Ibarra
11. Resilience
Be it external, organisational or personal, change is constant. You need resilience and mental agility to adapt. Coaching helps you secure these skills, quicken transitions and ensure they go smoothly.
“Do not judge me by my success,
judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again.”
The late revolutionary, leader & philanthropist, Nelson Mandela
12. Balance
There’s always more work than time. Coaching helps you gain perspective, overcome overwhelm and prioritise for a better work/life balance.
“I’d sabotage entire weekends if I had a big meeting looming. I’d think I couldn’t be the best I could be if I didn’t ruin my weekend preparing. My coach helped me see I could be my best but achieve it in a way that’s comfortable.”
A senior leader I’ve recently coached
13. Happiness
The upshot of having a great coach is that you’ll feel happier. And there’s no need to take my word for it. In her recent FT article ‘New Year, New You. The boom in executive coaching’, Emma Jacobs reports on how ‘studies show coaching improves health, wellbeing, work satisfaction, performance and self-regulation’.
“The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.”
Retired professional footballer, Pelé
14. Coaching!
And last but by no means least, coaching fosters a coaching culture. Those who experience coaching value its uniqueness. They are often keen to pay forward the techniques they acquire and advocate the benefits of finding a great coach. As one of the world’s most successful entrepreneurs says...
“Everyone needs a coach. It doesn't matter whether you're a basketball player, a tennis player, a gymnast or a bridge player.”
Co-founder of Microsoft Corporation and philanthropist, Bill Gates
Susan Room is one of the rare few qualified to provide voice and executive coaching, her unique blend of experience now sees her help others feel, look and sound confident – improving performance and happiness at work. www.susanroom.com