My Perspective on Coaching

I have worked with a wide variety of professionals who span a broad spectrum of service areas: business executives, attorneys, medical practitioners, educators, authors, clergy and entrepreneurs.  While their roles are diverse and unique, their professional and personal needs are often similar.  Periodically I am asked, “What do you know about the business I work in?”  I typically respond by saying, “I am most valuable to you when I understand how you work rather that where you work.”

My observation has been that professionals in leadership roles do experience some unique circumstances.  They feel a need to present an image that is calm, in control, stoic, and ever self-assured.  

This in turns leads them to feel some emotional and personal isolation, and the need to distance themselves from others.  I have found their need for support, assurance, accountability, goal setting, and honest feedback, to be just as critical as they are for other professionals.

It is my firm belief that intentional behavior is the key to success in all areas of life.  I coach with this belief in mind.  Many of my clients have lost their sense of purpose and, because of the fast-paced society in which we live, have lost their focus in setting personal goals and plans.  When this happens, they often become reactive, responding to events rather than maintaining their focus.  I encourage my clients to become intentional by developing a personal plan of action that will enable their personal and professional lives to be aligned with their core values and beliefs.

Accountability to a plan is critical to its success.  Through my role as coach I assure that this accountability is maintained.  In addition, through my coaching I serve as the eyes and ears that provide an early warning system that helps detect misdirection and self-defeating behaviors.

In my coaching, I provide a supportive relationship that fosters, energizes and nurtures intentional behavior.  This results in enhanced performance, a greater sense of purpose and achievement, and an increased ability to sustain effort and attain goals.   This also results in greater self-awareness and personal satisfaction on the part of clients.

In our sessions, I help clients explore, assess and clarify goals, patterns of behavior (both productive and counter-productive), and identify pathways (and roadblocks) to success.  I help keep clients on track by challenging perspectives, alerting them when they drift off course, and pointing out when their behavior is counter-productive

Some of the benefits of the coaching relationship that clients have reported to me include:

• Develop and adhere to consistent patterns of productive behaviors leading to successful achievement of personal and professional goals.
• Expanded vision and creativity 
• Develop talent from within the organization
• Put goals and ideas into action
• Improved focus, organization, time management and follow through.
• Achieve a greater sense of competency and mastery.
• Fewer roadblocks and self-defeating patterns of behaviors.
• More skillful and effective communication. with internal and external customers
• Sustainable, consistent and successful activity through goal completion.   

 Contact Jim today for a complimentary 30-minute success coaching session.