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The Value of Coaching

Every week I have the privledge of coaching leaders keen to develop themselves. There is always a sense of anticipation when a coaching session begins …..”what will be useful for us to focus on today?” is usually how I start, and then the coaching conversation unfolds.

We spend some time reflecting on various challenges and opportunities, what values they hold dear and what beliefs, feeling and thinking systems they are holding onto. We think together, we laugh, and we sometimes cry, as we hypothesise about whether these patterns of “being” are helping or hindering them in reaching their goals and aspirations. We flesh out alternative courses of action and different ways they can practice “being” so they can nurture and foster change in their organisations. It’s a partnership of good faith between us and one I know we both value.

Warmly,

Coaching for Growth – a partnership of ‘good faith’

I embrace the belief that leadership moments exist for us everyday, no matter what our role or postion in our professional lives. Leadership is not reserved for the elite, everybody can lead, anytime and anywhere. Leadership is an actviity of influence and its not the sole responsibility of just a few people at the top of organisations. My purpose as a coach is to discover and foster leadership in unexpected places, to encourage distributed leadership and to coax it to flourish across organisations.  Drawing on the words and wisdom of Dr Simon Western (2012), “To be the best leader (and the best human being I can be), I must live and work from a place of good faith”. For me this means to live and work with authenticity, values, courage and integrity.

My coaching partnerships are works of good faith and I coach clients to work in good faith as they take up their leadership roles, by focusing on self-knowledge, and helping them courageously embrace difficulties, as well as celebrate success, so that they lead with authenticity and grounded confidence.

Coaching for professional development is not merely about ticking the box to gain news skills or to attain your next promotion (though for some this is often the outcome). Rather, IMHO it is a growth process, best served via the metaphor of a marathon rather than a sprint. I know from my owm experience that the partnership I  have cultivated with my own coach has suported me to grow, mature and build my capability. He has suported me to find new ways of being.

In this blog post I discuss Bruce Mau’s ‘An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth’, and how I find many of the ideas useful. Particularly when I think about my own leadership practice and development and the role I have coaching and supporting others in theirs.

Click here to read more.

‘Executive coaching with Lindy has offered me a privileged opportunity to explore critical leadership & management themes & issues in relation to my professional roles as well as to better recognise and plan work efforts wisely.
Regularly reviewing progress & events, and recognising their changing importance over time has encouraged me to be more reflective in my practice and focussed in my work.
Recognising the impact of change and my role within the change process was enhanced by this process of discovery and I have developed greater professional confidence as a result. Thanks Lindy for your support!’

Mark Nicklen, Director Mark Nicklen and Associates