I spend almost half my working time every year coaching individuals and groups (yes, groups need coaching too!), and I find that many participants come into the arrangements unclear on what to expect and unsure how to leverage the experience. Here are some ideas to help.
Coaching is a Positive Not a Punishment
Know that if your boss is sponsoring you in a coaching program, it’s a positive and not a punishment. Coaching is a financial and time investment on the part of your manager and firm in you, and here’s a newsflash: coaches almost exclusively work with high-potential individuals. The goal is to help individuals develop level-up skills or prepare for next-level roles.
Focus on the Opportunity for You
Your coaching experience is a chance to drill into what’s working great you need to do more of and where your gaps or blind spots might get in the way of your success.
For most, this rare opportunity to gain the support of someone focused on helping you succeed happens once or twice in a career. Work hard with your coach, share what’s working and what’s not, offer your ideas, ask questions (although you should expect to be asked a question in return), and commit fully to the process. Remember, this is a unique opportunity to work on you.
Do All of This to Get Maximum Value:
- Commit to working on you
- Strive to be objective about where you are at and what type of growth is needed
- Commit to developing new behaviors essential for greater success and success at a higher level. (This is daily, deliberate, hard work.)
- Expect the coaching sessions to be challenging. A good coach asks tough questions and doesn’t let you off the hook.
- Solicit feedback on you from your team, boss, mentor, and peers. (You need to see you as they do.)
- Do the work of experimenting, exploring, reflecting, journaling, and improving.
To do all of the above, you need to park your ego in a corner, trust your coach from the start, adopt Beginner’s Mind Thinking, soak up ideas and then put them to work in the workplace.
The Bottom Line for Now:
Your coach has one focal point—your growth. For a fleeting moment in time, you have the best ally of your career working with and for you. Make the time count.
