po10shall

Mr "A"

Has been promoted to the position of director. He is personally ambitious and looking to feel confident in his new role. To ease the transition of his new role his company sponsored his coaching.

"Whilst I acknowledged the need for some form of objective/external support in my personal development, I had started the process with a 'healthy' degree of scepticism. What I found was a very open, safe and non-judgmental environment to discuss challenges and areas within myself and the way I felt and operated that I recognised needed focus, in order for me to start realising the potential that I know I have. The sessions also provided numerous 'light-bulb' moments which I hadn't expected as I'd considered myself to be very self-aware; these were explored and challenged.

I have undoubtedly made inroads into the areas I'd hoped from the outset, identified new ones and also dismissed some that I'd thought needed changing but in truth learning to 'accept, feel comfortable and like' certain idiosyncratic characteristics; this has been pivotal in my learning to be less self-critical.

Another key element has been the realisation that whilst potentially frustrating, it has not and was not meant to be a program of counselling and training, i.e. it hasn't told me 'how to do things better'. It is an ongoing process that has and is still helping me be better at being the person I want to be"

"Lyn continues to support, provide insight and challenge the way I operate in line with the goals that I'd set for myself"

Goal 80% achieved - ongoing...

Mr "C"

He had held senior financial director positions. He was "corporately bullied" (his words) which had seen his confidence drain away. He had stayed long enough to receive his redundancy though was in a very fragile emotional state. His confidence was low and came to coaching to find a new career path.

"I had reached the point where I knew I needed help to overcome my intense fear(s) and to break out of a very negative state of mind. Met Lyn and felt an immediate rapport. Felt totally at ease in her company and agreed to an initial discussion (the first "yes") Entered into the initial discussion with inevitable doubts as to whether coaching would work for me and was also feeling incredibly vulnerable. The initial discussion was difficult but Lyn was clear, able to reassure and create a sense of calm. In the end my need for professional help and her reassurance overcame the doubts and fears. We agreed what seemed like an incredible goal and got to the second "yes". For 2 or 3 sessions it felt like we were "wrestling" and there were times when I found some of the semantics (e.g. "Strategies") difficult to internalise/relate to. Mini-assignments initially seemed impossible as I struggled to understand what it was all about and to express/share my thoughts and feelings.

With the benefit of hindsight, I was having to learn a number of things:

• To trust Lyn as my coach
• To recognise and take on the "chatterbox"
• To accept being challenged about my assertions and how these were being expressed verbally
• That coaching was about effort on my part (key)
• That my coach could provide me with toolbox of techniques/ideas/insights/reading suggestions to help me along the way

Slowly began to look forward to coaching sessions and always finished calmer, more positive and more reflective than I when I started.

Some really tough/extremely painful assignments during the middle section which left me totally feeling drained and exhausted but I have them still and refer to the more frequently than I expected.

The following sessions felt lighter and were marked by numerous insights/moments. Started to feel more confidence, began to experiment and try out different things with other people. Felt more at peace with a much greater acceptance of my situation and the realisation that the choices were mine.

The last few weeks felt terrific as things literally started to fall into place and I set off on a very different path…

How did it help…?

First and foremost, coaching provided a firm but external/totally objective guiding hand at a truly critical moment in my life - something that those closest to you simply cannot do. It prevented me from reaching that "dark place" I had visited once before and provided me with a structure within which to work my way back into control of my life and a new career direction

It provided a timely reminder of how easy it is to lose perspective and how little time we spend on our personal development.

It has made me much more aware of how we sabotage ourselves and shown me how to avoid some of these traps

It has shown me that I have to learn to live with and understand (rather than conquer) my fears

I am better able to recognise when it's time to stop, take a break, step back, go for a walk i.e. take corrective action!

I am no longer angry about the past and can talk about this easily

I think about time in a totally different way – I am definitely planning better, using this to help me hold to a shorter working week and am learning to value "my time" / "our (family) time". I have much more free time but I have never been busier!

I still feel "work pressure/stress" but have understood that much of this comes from within me rather from the expectations of others. I still have a way to go here, but reality-checking the priorities and time-boxing seem to help get me back on track. This one is still really hard but at least coaching has helped me understand what's going on…!

My coach was extremely flexible and well prepared for our sessions and was able to follow events and come up useful materials and ideas.

Towards the end, there was the added bonus of rediscovering how to find peace and calm."

Goal 100% achieved