Even The Coach Needs A Coach
Many of you may think that since I am a coach, I have learned all that I need to know, never get stuck, and certainly don’t need a coach. “Can’t you just coach yourself?” you might be asking. Well, just like Doctors don’t “doctor” themselves, Coaches don’t “coach” themselves. Sure, just like a Doctor might be able to diagnose and treat some situations, I do coach myself through a lot of situations. However, I too get “stuck” sometimes need a Coach to create the space for me to find my solutions.
Just recently I had an experience that reminded me of the importance of working with a Coach for my personal development. The other day I agreed to help a Coach in training practice her coaching skills. Rather than create a fictitious issue to discuss, I decided to be vulnerable and discuss a real block I was living with. In 20-minutes, I had figured out the “mental block” that was impeding my ability to move forward and set a time period to complete the goal.
Isn’t’ that crazy? In 20 minutes, I moved past a point where I was stuck into a place of action and goal achievement. Now, do keep in mind, most successful coaching experiences take more than 20 minutes to make progress, but since I have been regularly working with my personal Coach for over 6 years, sometimes a short session can be quite powerful. This personal win happened because I was willing to be vulnerable with the coach about a personal challenge and I was willing to be completely honest with myself to uncover what was holding me back.
Leadership Lesson: We all have our patterns of behavior and there are times when we get “stuck”, unable to move forward in a productive manner. If you are willing to be vulnerable and honest with yourself, a coach can help you uncover the reason behind the issue and therefore allow you to find the solution that previously alluded you. I learned through this experience to take advantage of every opportunity to grow…to be vulnerable and to always be open to self-reflection. So, today, if you find that you are stuck and not getting something done, that you know you need to do… ask yourself, “How can I be vulnerable to maximize my development? And, if I get stuck, who can I reach out to for support to help me move past the block and into action?”