COACHING CHRONICLES

“I’m looking back, and I can’t see the past,
Anymore, so hazy,
I’m on a track, and I’m traveling so fast,
Oh for sure I’m crazy.”
I Am An Animal, Pete Townshend

Years ago I wrote a series of blog posts under the title “From Fat to Fit”, where I chronicled my journey into health and fitness. Besides being unbelievably cathartic, I was hoping my story could provide information and inspiration to others who also struggle with their weight.  This forthcoming series of articles is kinda like that - by telling the story of my journey into coaching as a profession, I hope other folks will find information and inspiration on whatever career path they’re on. Whether or not you are a coach, thinking about becoming one, or are a current or potential client, I hope you’ll find a thread in my experience you can pull on to find some insight into yours. So here goes…

I Get Knocked Down...

I’ve spent the past 28 years in corporate America, years that have been both rewarding and wrenching, fun and heartbreaking, inspiring and drone-ish. And I’m still playing the game, as a digital program director for a large sports footwear and apparel company. As I’ve taken stock on my career, I feel a tremendous sense of gratitude for the opportunities to learn and grow, the amazing people I’ve had the honor of working beside, and the incredible experiences and learning I’ve gained. Working for amazing companies has taken me around the world and gave me a set of skills and perspectives that are very much a part of who I am, both professionally and personally.

Last summer, I was sitting at my desk at work feeling a bit disoriented and, quite frankly, plain pissed off after the latest re-org. I was worried about what my role would be, who my new boss would be, what part of my old responsibilities I would be able to keep and which ones would go away. Most of all, I was worried about my staff and how I was going to help them manage through the stress and keep us on course to deliver on our project commitments. I was staring at my computer - maybe even through my computer - playing out scenario after scenario in my head, letting the fear, uncertainty and doubt get the best of me. We’ve all been here before, and you’d think that after 28 years I would simply know the routine and go with it.

Easy to say when now that I’m a few months removed from that day. In the moment, however, all my default thoughts, feelings and beliefs came back like old friends, making me question who I am, whether I was good enough to do the job, and even if I still had something to contribute to the company. Wow, with friends like these, who needs enemies? I took a deep breath and sat back in my chair feeling depleted and defeated.

But I Get Up Again...

Then I got this harebrained thought - through the years what I enjoyed the most about my work was the people - employees, colleagues, managers, mentors, people who I worked for and with, that made my corporate work experience rich. What I found especially rewarding was coaching and mentoring others, helping them find ways to succeed and live up to their potential. After 28 years leading large scale enterprise programs and transformations, is there a way I can do more of what I love? 

Right then, I had a major “no-duh” moment.

I’m married to an executive and leadership coach. What does that mean? It means she does exactly what I remembered I love most about my work - helping others find ways to succeed and live up to their potential. Monique works with individual professionals and teams to help them discover their purpose, then align their intentions and actions to a plan that helps them achieve what’s more important to them. What if I could do more of that?

That night I went home and started researching coaching programs. Luckily for me, Monique knows of many of them, so I didn’t have to start from scratch. The three I landed on were Newfield Network, New Ventures West, and The Coaches Training Institute (CTI). All of them have outstanding reputations, and their approaches are well-known and proven. Newfield Network is based on Ontological Coaching, placing an emphasis on deep and balanced learning in the domains of language, moods/emotions, and body. New Ventures West is based on Integral Coaching, in that it includes everything about the client and the client’s world, what the client is aware of as well as their potential.

CTI is based on the Co-Active coaching model, which balances balances self-awareness, a keen agility with relationships, and courageous action to create an environment where individuals can be deeply fulfilled, connected to others and successful in what matters most. This model most resonated with who I am and what I value in my personal and professional relationships. The program was also highly recommended by my friend Bob, who just finished the CTI Co-Active Leadership program, and who was planning on starting the coaching program in the fall. After talking with Bob and Monique, as well as a CTI program advisor, I signed up for the CTI Co-Active Coaching Program. It was a hard decision, since all of the programs had something I was attracted to.

In the meantime, Monique was thinking about going through additional coach training. She is already a certified executive coach through the College of Executive Coaching, and wanted to hone her skills. As I talked up the program, she became interested and agreed to attend the Fundamentals course with me and Bob in October. After the first day of training, she was hooked and decided to go all-in, signing up for the entire program with me, including the certification program.

You Are Never Gonna Keep Me Down

In case you hadn’t noticed, the section titles of this post are the first lines of the song “Tubthumping” from the band Chumbawamba. I often think of this song when some situation comes along and bamboozles me and I need to find a way to recover. The re-org itself was just a business decision, nothing more or less, but it still knocked me down. I was reminded of how easy it is to attach our sense of self to what we do, and not who we truly are. But getting knocked down also gave me an opportunity get back up, to re-assess what was most important to me in my career at this point in my life, and remind me that I still have the power to choose - what my purpose is as a professional and a leader/manager, how I use my gifts to help other people and how I spend my time.

That in itself is powerful, then throw in that I get to travel down this path with my wife, I get to use my new coaching skills with my co-workers and employees where I currently work, and I have a trajectory towards my Chapter Two - which led to the genesis of Mainstage Leadership Coaching. That’s what it means to not let anyone - including myself - hold me down.

In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing my experience going through coaching training with CTI and my journey to becoming a professional leadership coach. I’ll shine some light on key points in the journey where transformation happened for me and hopefully you’ll find some nugget of truth that sparks an idea for transformation in you. It’s one small way I can live up to my life’s purpose - "I am the lighthouse that shines a beacon for others, inviting them home to connection, collaboration and community."