What is Coaching?
“Coaching is partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential.”
International Coaching Federation
“Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their own performance. It is helping them to learn rather than teaching them.”
Tim Gallwey
“Coaching is a goal-oriented solution focused process. A coach works with a coachee to identify and construct possible solutions, dilenate goals, facilitate the development and enactment of action plans to acheive those goals.”
Stober & Grant
Coaching vs. Other Fields
A question that always comes up is, “Isn’t coaching like therapy?” Here’s some food for thought!
Map - Ask ------------------ Tell, Problem ------------------ Solution
Mentor, Therapist, Coach, Consultant
I take a more holistic approach to work and career because that is where we spend most of our time and energy as adults, and from my experience, I know that we can make a deep impact on those around us. While maneuvering through my own career in fragrance, I decided to go back to school to study evidence-based coaching at NYU. I use scientifically backed tools to work with individuals to transform the invisible to the essential to deepen our personal and professional experiences.
I focus on three components of coaching for well-rounded career development:
Personal Branding: position yourself well from the start by articulating your message clearly around your strengths
Career Strategy: navigate job search, applications, interviews and networking with more clarity and confidence
Mindful Productivity: build habits that bring purpose, progress and peace to your leadership skills both in and out of the office
At times, it can be tough to define our purpose at work and believe in our own strengths. My approach is all about connecting the dots in your story to articulate a cohesive and impactful message that stands out. Your life is a marathon not a sprint and you may find that your body of work extends across one long career or perhaps over multiple careers, passion projects and side hustles.
My belief is that when we are clear on our potential, we can confidently transform our intentions into action, form meaningful and lasting connections with others and move courageously towards the future, together. This fosters better work cultures which only leads to better businesses, and even better bottom lines.
As you consider if coaching is right for you, let me provide you with some tools and questions to help you decide. The On Her Mark Coaching Program consists of 12 C’s and at the start, you can focus on the first 3 C’s. These are the most important for you to think about as to whether you are ready for coaching, selecting the right coach for you and what to expect in the process.
1 Contemplation
Hard work doesn’t scare you. You’re motivated, goal-oriented and putting in the blood, sweat and tears. And somehow, it still doesn’t feel like enough. You want to level up and you’re not sure how. Maybe you want your message to come across more clearly and make an impact. Or maybe you want to be more efficient and productive to reach your goals. Or maybe you're just wondering, is this all there is? Is this it? If you’re feeling stuck, bored or lost going through the motions, it’s time to switch gears. Nothing inspires self-knowledge quite like finding the answer to “how” and learning new strategies has the power to shift your behaviors from autopilot to recognizing and modifying the patterns within yourself.
If you are open to learning new strategies, trying new approaches and willing to make changes, then you are ready for coaching!
2 Chemistry
You’ve decided you are ready to level up and are willing to do the work to make it happen. Now what kind of coach is right for you? That’s the best part - it’s totally up to you. Coaching is built on chemistry and you can talk to several coaches to see who you click with. It’s an instinct and a feeling. Are you comfortable speaking to them? Do you like their vibes and their temperament? Do you know what they believe in and do you share those beliefs? Are you looking for someone trained in coaching, someone who’s got experience in what you want to be coached on, or perhaps both?
3 Co-Creation
You’ve decided on a coach and you are ready to begin the coaching process. A good coach will partner with you to tailor a program just for you. Speak up! You have the freedom to choose what you want to be coached on, what are your goals and where do you want to focus? You know your life better than anyone so come in with questions and ideas and a coach will be thrilled to partner with you to build a game plan and get you to the finish!
Sometimes having someone in your corner to help you come up with a better strategy is just the spark you need to build momentum in your business or career. What would it look like if you could harness potential in the right direction? I’d love to start a conversation!
Start where you are. Just as you are. Ready, set, go!