Having trained in and practiced psychotherapy for 35 years, I have decided to apply my skills in a new arena. I have been undergoing training through the College of Executive Coaching, based in California, toward becoming a certified Business/Executive Coach.
Business of Executive Coaching differ from psychotherapy, in that it addresses career issues in the present and future, and doesn’t treat emotional symptoms such as depression, anxiety, or trauma. Business Coaching also is different from Life Coaching, in that it is primarily about flourishing in the work place.
Work is such a big part of our lives, and we want to be happy in what we do. Coaching is about helping you make your mark career wise, while still leaving space to enjoy satisfying personal relationships and to breathe.
In 2001, the Manchester Consulting Group conducted a study designed to examine the effects executive coaching had on an organization’s profit and loss. Regarding overall satisfaction with the coaching process, 86% of executives and 74% of stakeholders reported being “very satisfied” or “extremely satisfied.”
Coaching may be about sorting out your goals, and basing your work life on your most precious personal values. An initial interview question might be: If you could take one step today toward your envisioned future, what would be most meaningful?
The coach might ask you to talk about a time in your life when you were very energized, hopeful, and excited. What was going on, who was involved, and what was it that made you feel so enriched by that experience? “Would you enjoy it if we could bring something like that type of energy and satisfaction again through our coaching work together?”
A coach gives intensive support for developing and achieving career targets. The process may also examine work relationships, team or corporate organizational problems. Coaching may help you challenge “self-derailing” work behaviours.
Typically, the process starts with some assessment procedures, which could involve personality testing, and explorations of values, strengths and weaknesses. A coach may liaison with your company’s Human Resources, your boss, and/or coworkers to help you advance.
Your coach can be an accountability partner, helping your stick to an manage your targets. He may assist with strategies for coping with competitiveness, favoritism, and other “office politics” problems; or address fears around confidence, confronting negative evaluations.
A coach can be a trustworthy confidante, sounding board advisor and thought partner. She may at times be a counsellor who lets you vent your feelings, and provides emotional support; a cheerleader and reinforcer, who expresses confidence in your current abilities, and encourages your ability to learn and grow; she can be a mentor, who provides long-term support and guidance.
A coach can also be an educator and a resource provider, can help you develop Your Own Board of Directors, and may steer you to useful books and resources, such as Who’s Got Your Back, by Keith Ferrazzi.
Other issues coaching might look at: What do I need to unlearn? What new information and knowledge do I need? How can I become more competent? How can I invest my values in leadership roles? What are my best learning environments? Who are my best teachers and mentors? (Hudson and McLean, Lifelaunch, 1995).
If any of these questions are of interest to you, or to someone you know, please contact Denis Boyd & Associates at 604-931-7211 to book a coaching session.
Simon Hearn has been counselling since 1981 in a variety of settings including private practice, hospitals, forensic units and vocational rehabilitation. He graduated with a Ph.D. in Psychology from Simon Fraser University in 1994 and is a member of the BC College of Psychologists and the BC Psychological Association. Simon works mainly with adults, using a collaborative approach to counselling; this approach encourages clients to develop their own resources to grow in understanding themselves and making wise choices. Simon draws on a variety of theoretical and practical perspectives in his psychotherapy work and has completed the second level of training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a powerful method for helping people get over trauma and build self confidence and self-esteem.
