Since beginning the work necessary for launching ReFresh Your Step (an endeavor that apparently began long before I consciously realized it), I have received quite a bit of advice:
"Coach what you know."
"Separate out the professional coaching from life coaching."
"Charge everybody, even your friends."
and a personal favorite:
"Remember that you can coach from anywhere, including a pool on vacation in Tahiti."
Although this is certainly a mixed bag of advice (and I've made a point of absorbing very little of it into my actual practice), one pearl of wisdom stood out from the pack:
"Coaches should have coaches."
It actually seems somewhat intuitive, like saying, "Dentists should have dentists"; no matter how skilled a DDS you may be, it's particularly difficult to remove a pesky wisdom tooth or fill in your own cavity (for the record, I'd be impressed to hear of a dentist having done that to him or herself).
However, when I thought more about the notion of taking on my own coach, it hit me what the advisor meant: how can you really be a good coach without knowing what it's like to be coached? Furthermore, who better to advise you (both professionally and personally) than someone who is trained to help you the way you help others?
After deciding that I would, indeed, take on a coach, I embarked on a mission to find the one most suitable for my needs: a person who understood what I needed in a coach, who could listen well but also jump in at any point, someone who could call me out when necessary as well as a coach who would absolutely push me in the right direction (especially when I didn’t realize it). Most importantly, however, I wanted someone with whom I clicked.
I believe that finding the optimal coach (or boss, employee or therapist) is not unlike the dating process (when done right, of course). I spoke with a number of potential coaches, all of whom would have done an amazing job, but only one person seemed to understand me and my needs better than even myself. During our first-ever conversation, he made a suggestion for my business that had been staring me in the face but one I had not opened my eyes wide enough to see; it was at that point that I thought to myself, "I think I found the One."
Unfortunately, interviewing a number of potential coaches meant having to say no to people (I can barely afford one coach, let alone pay for all five). Regardless, I selected the coach and actually had my first session with him just this morning.
To be quite honest, I've been coaching people for a few months now but actually felt nervous for the first part of our discovery session. Was it because I knew what questions are coming and felt that I had to answer them the "right" way? I hope not and was definitely as truthful as I could be. Or was I nervous because I had honestly answered some deeply personal paperwork questions prior to our discovery session, therefore felt that this person I'd never met knew more about me than most close friends? I am sure that was part of my nerves; though, I felt the more authentic I was in answering those questions, the more I would get out of the coaching experience altogether. I did know, however, that at least some of my nerves were kicked up a notch after wondering if I really had picked the right coach (kind of like those brides and/or grooms who report feeling nervous in the days leading up to the wedding).
I must say that shortly into my discovery session, my nerves died down and I felt truly comfortable, knowing full-well that not only had I made the right decision in selecting this particular coach, but that experiencing coaching from the client side would be hugely beneficial to my own practice as a coach.
I expected to feel exhausted after the discovery session ended and was surprised at how but spirited and calm I was. Even though I committed to starting and finishing a major project by the end of the year, I felt (and still feel) that my coach helped me find a route to really launching ReFresh Your Step and keeping myself grounded in life along the way.
My overall objective with coaching young professionals and students is to help them define or redefine their lives (both professional and personally), as well as create a course of action for reaching their goals. In working with my own coach, I feel that I will be better-suited for doing so with my clients.
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What do you want most of your coaching experience? Honestly, it’s not the same for everyone (nor should it be). What one person wants out of coaching should be unique to that individual, though it takes some self-awareness on each person’s behalf to figure out his or her goals for the coach/client relationship.
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