I did a brief post on this concept earlier in the week (connect with me on LinkedIn for my shorter musings!), but as if often the case, it sparked more thoughts – what does my coaching archway look like and why might you care?!
I know this isn't the prettiest image you'll ever see, but hopefully you'll get the gist as you read on below (and AI image generation wasn't even coming close to what I wanted, pfft!)
I’ve used the term 'coaching partnership' about my 1-1 coaching offer for a long time now, and it’s a very conscious choice of words because it is very much about the both of us. What we both bring to the partnership determines the outcomes of us working together.
Even though I’ve had many clients experiencing similar issues, each partnership has looked and felt different because of the individual with whom I am working each time, and the different dynamic that presents between us. A lovely networking friend said to me just this week - 'you build your side of the archway', meaning I am responsible for what I bring to the coaching partnership, not what or who is on the other side of the archway. But it’s more than that, it’s also that the client is responsible for their side of the archway too. She has a definite point!
What both of us bring to the coaching archway for an effective partnership
On my side of the archway, this is what you can expect from me:
- Really listening to what you are saying (and not saying!)
- Empathy, kindness, honesty and compassion
- Encouragement, support and accountability
- Support of your thinking, and exploring what may be possible
- Questions to make you think (sometimes with a gentle challenge)
- No judgement, only calm curiosity instead
On your side of the archway, this is what you need to bring to the partnership:
- An open, curious mind and willingness to be honest (with yourself as much as me!)
- Your time and commitment – to the sessions themselves, but for your thinking and actions in between
- Courage. To see ‘what is’ now, perhaps in all its uncomfortableness and then to believe other desired options are available to you
- Not to be afraid of saying the wrong thing, or pleasing me, or getting upset / angry / emotional. In our coaching space, your emotions are allowed and can help us identify what really matters
- Don’t worry, it’s never about the issue(s) that’s on your mind. That, we can deal with!
My aim with my partnerships is that we ideally meet in that middle space, as equals. It may not always feel comfortable at times, as we are likely to challenge the status quo. But it’s not about me trying to drag you through the archway to ‘my way of thinking’! It's your thinking that really matters!
I'm there to help you:
· untangle it,
· maybe come to terms with it,
· make sense of it
· maybe identify new ways of thinking
· and make informed choices from working through it.
If you think you’d like to explore a coaching partnership – please see my current options here, and you’re more than welcome to book in for a no-obligation chat here.
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