WHY COACHING?
It’s my experience that entering into a coaching agreement usually signals an individual’s willingness to take full ownership for the creation of their life, both in terms of the innerscape (values, spiritual practice, emotional intelligence) and the outerscape (goals, daily creation, intentions). When an individual “gets serious” about developing more of their capacities, they’ll often recognize the need of a few allies to help them on their journey. A coach can be just such an ally. I compare my role of coach to that of Dorothy’s allies on her journey into Oz: representing Scarecrow (developing our brain – neocortex), Tinman (developing our limbic system – emotional brain and emotional intelligence), and Lion (developing our ability and courage to take action – the basic brain and the body). Could you use such an ally to help you in developing these capacities?
Finding the right coach seems a bit like choosing the right car. It is definitely not one-size-fits-all! For that reason, I encourage you to take a test drive before you make a decision. A complimentary session will introduce you to my approach to coaching, and give you first hand experience of what to expect. Please read on to get a better idea as to whether my coaching sessions will meet your needs.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
I offer two types of coaching: leadership coaching and life coaching. While there is certainly overlap between the two, each has a unique focus, so they are described independently below.
Leadership Coaching:
Our first step in Leadership Coaching is to do a clear assessment of one's leadership journey to date. That assessment takes the form of a sort of asset mapping, and lays the foundation for setting a framework of goals that we'll work on during our coaching sessions. The goals that form the framework from which we'll work will always be both qualitative and quantitative. We will look deeper than the what to be accomplished (measurable projects and goals), and do very real work on the how of those accomplishments, working on developing skills for collaboration, clear communication, and relationship building. Expect to do some real homework between sessions and practice specific skills that are vital to your goal achievement. Coaching sessions are not for the faint of heart! They are clearly designed for those who are ready to look at existing habits, mindsets and skills that have stood in the way of creating sustainable change, and for focusing real effort on moving from personal vision to action.
Life Coaching:
While my background in coaching grew out of my years working as a Human Resources and Training Director and is rooted in executive coaching, this is NOT the focus of life coaching practice. Here I work with individuals who are integrating their inner work (spiritual practice) with outer work (daily creation of their lives). The inner work precedes and provides the foundation for the outer work.
Calls begin and end with a short, centering meditation. I find this both inspirational and intensely practical: rather than beginning a conversation immersed in the distractions of our day, we converse from the place of essence, or high self, setting aside the demand of our daily lives. We will look at the inner work that will support the outer forms. We’ll also explore finding and growing new patterns to replace the habituated forms that are holding us back. Calls will include occasional assignments (inner and outer work) with related follow up. I find myself predominately taking the role of listener, only occasionally on the advice giving end of this conversation, acting primarily as the one who holds the mirror of possible or emerging forms, of high self, for the other. After a call, you’ll receive a follow-up e-mail, detailing key points of our discussion, agreements and suggestions.
We work on four levels of development: physical/sensory, psychological, mythic, and spiritual. This is not therapy, but a practical approach to orchestrating our whole body/mind system and to becoming conscious creators of our own destiny, one choice at a time.
I think what excites me most about the coaching process is the two-way dynamic that is established. Each call is a gift to me, each conversation deepening my own learning. We are forever changed by each other in what is truly a shared journey.
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