Coaching for Success
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”, Lao Tzu
Just over seven years ago I took the first step on my coaching journey. The organisation I was working for was going through major change; which is often the trigger for hiring a coach. The one I chose was wonderful and helped me to guide my team successfully through that transition. We went on to develop a strong relationship built on trust, mutual respect, tough conversations and true enlightenment and it inspired me to help others by becoming a coach myself.
I recently completed another leg of my journey when I stood proudly with 12 fellow coaches (many of them now firm friends) to receive my professional Diploma in Executive Coaching from the Academy of Executive Coaching (AoEC). As I had my photograph taken, I was reminded of one of my favourite poems, The Station by Robert Hastings. In its Hastings delivers a profound message that life is about the journey and not the destination, which sums up my approach to coaching.
Why have a Coach?
Often people seek a coach to fix something when it goes wrong, but coaching comes into its own when used outside a time of crisis. Great coaching provides you with the critical time and space just for you; a luxury which we leaders and managers don’t often have. Whether you’re in the corporate or not-for-profit sector, change is a part of everyday life and we often work like we’re on a rollercoaster, with no opportunity to stop and pause. A coach can provide you with the support and insight into how to stop the rollercoaster, get off for a while, or successfully juggle things while in that eternal loop. As well as developing your skills and those of your team, it brings clarity to your current roles and a vision of what the future might hold.
Coaching is very personal, it’s your journey, it’s your space, it’s your time. At Cairney & Company we are passionate about unlocking an individual’s potential to maximise their own performance. At its heart is the belief that every person can both identify and resolve their own challenges and opportunities. Coaching does this through a one-to-one relationship to help you see, focus on and achieve what’s important. It empowers each person to learn rather than just be taught, as well as build self-awareness and responsibility.
During our conversations we look at personal and career goals. We explore changes you may wish to make and actions you might take, as well as the expected outcomes. Coaching can also help your teams to quickly reach their peak performance and improve their effectiveness. It can shape cultural change by creating a more responsive, committed, flexible and open way of working.
Business and industry recognise the benefits coaching can bring through empowering individuals to step up in the workplace (which also improves an individual’s overall performance) and by demonstrating an organisation’s positive commitment to helping motivate and empower its employees to excel.
A common misconception is that coaching is a bit “fuzzy and touchy-feely” but good coaching challenges perceptions and behaviours, holding you to account on delivering the actions you commit to. It’s not about fixing people or problems, it’s about making positive behavioural change. Coaching isn’t a substitute for good management, but it can make you a better leader, by improving your skills and those of your team.
Coaching doesn’t end when you’ve completed your 1,000th mile. It empowers you to continue a lifelong journey of exploration of yourself, your organisation and your future.
Why not take that first step by learning more about what our coaching can do for you and your team? Contact me directly at karen.cairney@cairneyandcompany.com
