What is the real work of coaching? What makes it special, interesting and worthy of engagement? Twenty years in, what makes it magical for me?

  • It’s a relationship built upon mutual trust and respect. The keeping and honoring of commitments are essential components.

  • It’s safe and judgment-free space for clients.

  • There is no score-card. People are free to say what they want, to be unpolished, to let their hair down, to think out loud. It’s not a performance.

  • It’s a conversation unlike any other that a client may have. I am in their corner and I stand for their success. I support their growth and evolution and their well-being.

  • It's a journey of learning and self-discovery.

If the work is good it is so because it lives at the boundary of personal growth and professional development. It is at that boundary where insight and a shift in perspective happens.

My clients are resourceful, ambitious and highly motivated. They are self-driven, they are tough on themselves. My work is to provide something for clients that they cannot provide for themselves. That something may take many forms. Perhaps it is a deep level of listening combined with the type of inquiry that leads to "aha" moments. It may be teaching highly critical clients compassion, for themselves and for others. it may be my undivided and undistracted attention that matters. It is always something and it happens in the moment.

I hold the space and stretch the perimeter of the conversation. So doing allows for movement. We can go slowly, something rare in most people’s work lives. When needed we go fast. No two conversations are ever alike.

Conversations may be highly strategic, targeting specific business or organizational goals, including:

  • Clarity on Business or Organizational Goals and Objectives.

  • Defining individual Roles and Responsibilities.

  • Articulating clear Priorities and developing the Plans to accomplish them.

  • Developing robust Processes and Procedures.

  • Sales plans, strategy and tactics.

  • Running effective one to one and team meetings, giving and receiving feedback, conducting employee reviews, hiring intelligently, helping under-performers move on from the organization - and doing this with honesty and compassion.

Conversations may also be slower paced and focused on personal growth. these more intimate conversations deepen one's self awareness and lead to Powerful understandings and meaningful shifts in actions.

I model and teach specific ways of working, being and speaking. I emphasize the importance of language as a powerful tool in building "followership" and in coaching others.