One of my clients recently gave me permission to share the results of her sessions with me to demonstrate the power of coaching.
She’d got in touch after receiving a poor performance review, we talked about her strengths and how by raising her profile with key people, she might make a move within her organisation to a role to which she was better suited and shortly after our discussion we agreed to commence a coaching relationship initially for 6 months and then for a further 6 months.
We were both based on opposite sides of the Atlantic and so we chose to conduct our sessions via the telephone. When we began her sessions, we started off with determining what her long-term career goal was and some specific milestones along the way which took into consideration her life outside of work (taking care of a young child and a sick parent). Together we built a step-by-step plan to get to where she wanted to be (which has now come to fruition).
After some careful questioning, she was able to determine the path she wanted to take within her organisation and where she saw herself outside of the organisation in the long term, by listening to her energy while describing what she was doing and what she might do, we were able to pinpoint the areas she was most passionate about.
She expressed a desire for a career change and promotion. While working towards these career goals we also worked on finding some ‘me’ time and improving her resilience and confidence in dealing with some tricky relationships. The coaching sessions helped her to focus and put her energy into what would help her to move forward.
Since our sessions she has moved into the area she wanted to work in, received a promotion, will be starting classes for a second business focused MBA in the autumn of 2016, and will be attending a project management qualification boot camp.
Prior to our coaching she had put her desire to teach as an adjunct professor on hold. Now that she is going back to college, she intends to become that professor. I couldn't be happier or more excited about the direction her career and life is moving in!
Since completing the coaching sessions, we have kept in touch and I have loved hearing about her continued successes. In her own words, this is her story:
I met Sian and started coaching with her after a poor performance review and she helped me through the following transitions:
1. Devastation over receiving my first (and last!) poor performance review. Sian helped me pinpoint the issue, determine my strengths and weaknesses, and choose how I wanted to address them.
2. Moving back into a position I was familiar and comfortable with, an area I knew I was strong in. Once I moved into a role that was better suited for my skills, Sian then helped me with my development plan. She guided me subtly using my own thoughts and feelings to help me realise where I wanted to go and what I wanted to be.
3. Attaining a seemably unachievable goal! I’m sitting where I am right now because of Sian’s guidance and encouragement and her insistence on never losing sight of my goal.
I’ve been promoted to a leadership position making strategic decisions. My thoughts and opinions are valued and I’m contributing more now than I ever could have in previous roles.
I should also mention that I never left the company! I started in Information Technology (IT) and my goal was to move into the commercial business. Two years after my first session with Sian, I was promoted into a lead role in Global Commercial Operations – far exceeding my expectations! I couldn’t be happier.
Alongside work, I am also pursuing my project management certification and a second MBA with a focus in Organisational Leadership. Still employing Sian’s wisdom, I hope to leverage the MBA class to become an adjunct professor at a nearby University – another goal I was taught not to lost sight of as Sian heard the passion in my voice when I spoke of it.
Sian has a very simple and subtle way of getting you to realise your own potential and how you can leverage everyday occurrences to move closer to your goals. She teaches the attainable – nothing is impossible as long as you set your mind to it. You are in control of absolutely everything, the thought provoking questions Sian asks become your “a-ha” moments where you find ways to move the presumable obstacles in your path.
I firmly believe I would not be where I am today without my deep, thought provoking discussions with Sian.
The Coaching Academy was established in 1999, and is now the world's largest coaching school.
In that time we have trained over 14,000 people to become life coaches.
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