Coaching is one of the aspects of my work that I absolutely love. An effective coach steps back and the coachee takes centre stage. My joy comes when I see him or her gain more clarity, achieve their goals or become more purposeful and intentional. It really is all about the person being coached. As a coach I gain because in some way I know I have made a difference and been part of shaping someone’s future. That is sufficient payback for me.
In March, I was approached by contact to talk to a young woman who had been looking for a governance role without success.
Below is the request forwarded to me.
“My reason for writing is that I have a very highly qualified colleague who is not only a Master of Laws but also one of Governance, but is having extreme difficulty in breaking into a governance role in the sector. With her permission, I enclose her CV. I’m just wondering whether you could offer any useful suggestions that would help Sabrina advance her career. She is currently working as PA to our Director of Fundraising and although she is enjoying this, it’s not what she has trained to do or wants to do”
During our session with his colleague, we talked about things that may be getting in the way, what she could do to open up her options and what she needed to focus on. She also accepted that she needed to look at her limiting beliefs which were holding her back. While she did not look forward to networking, she accepted that she needed to do some of that and forge more contacts. I was absolutely delighted to receive this response from her after a couple of months.
“Hi Tesse,
Hope that you are well. I have been meaning to email you for a while, just to let you know how I am getting on. Since, I spoke to you I have been on a few interviews and I am happy to say that I was finally successful in obtaining a governance role. I will be working as a Company Secretarial Assistant at (name of the firm). It is so, much closer to home. I start on (the date). I just wanted to say thank you very much for all the positive advice. It really helped me to look beyond all the disappointment and to continue pushing ahead.
With kind regards,
(Name of coachee)
So coaching does make a difference and you can achieve a breakthrough. If you have not tried it yet, take a plunge!