I have a confession to make: I used to be a complainer. I hate to admit it, and I’m not proud of it, but it’s true. I have been known to storm and stomp around my house bellowing to anyone within earshot or muttering under my breath that I have ‘way too much to do’. I used to pull out of the office parking lot regularly lamenting that the day’s accomplishments paled in comparison to the deadlines and commitments facing me when I returned.
I got so caught up sometimes in the sheer volume of what was on my mental ‘to do’ list that I just had to tell somebody, anybody, everybody that it was getting out of hand.
Nobody listened. Not really. Sometimes they did me the courtesy of looking like they were listening. They waited patiently for me to finish my rant, nodding and making concerned and frequent eye contact. Occasionally, they’d offer some words of wisdom or support.
But mostly they would launch into their own frantic story of insanity complete with the mind numbing volume of email and voice mail messages they got every day, the hideous number of meetings they attended, the hours they worked and the scheduling contortions required to fling dinner at the kids and get them to soccer or piano or hockey after an already jam-packed day.
I guess it really is true that no matter what is going on in your life, you’re never the only one who’s been there. Others are on the same bumpy road and the path has been well trodden before you.
As it turns out, there is another way to ‘do’ your work life, but it may take the help of someone who is on the outside looking in. Enter the Coach, an individual whose primary focus is working with you to help you get traction on your work goals and priorities without the associated drama. What’s not to love about that?
First, some background. Although I have been coaching senior leaders for ages, I completed a Master’s level Executive Coach certification this year. As a part of the process, I was required to work with a coach of my own. It has been, by far, the most pivotal experience of my work life. I got more accomplished in one hour a week with a coach than I had in the hundreds of hours of sleepless nights that had become my problem solving strategy of choice. Here’s what I discovered:
If you’re serious about solving a problem, you need to devote some time to it. By making a commitment to working with my coach each week I was guaranteed one hour of completely uninterrupted time focused only on untangling a particular strategic knot.
Accountability improves results. I knew this already and talked about it all the time in my work with managers but I’d never really applied the concept to my own performance. My coach helped me stay on track and work toward achieving what I set out to accomplish.
I already had all the answers, I just didn’t know it yet. My coach was absolutely masterful at asking questions that would take me straight to the heart of the particular issue that I was wrestling with. Then, as if by magic, I knew what I needed to do. It was as if the answer had been there all along, it was just buried under the drama. Go figure!
So, that’s my story and the saga continues. The working world is still, for me, a constant juggle of many priorities, but I’ve learned the value of creating some space for juggling better, not just juggling more. Thanks Coach!
Cathy Shaughnessy is a Certified Executive Coach, Professional Speaker, Winner of 3 Canadian Society for Training and Development gold awards and author of Cultivating Initiative In Your Staff. In her coaching practice Perspective In Action Cathy works with rising stars to help them get traction on their development goals. For more information visit http://www.perspectiveinaction.com
Author: Cathy Shaughnessy
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
FEATURED PROVIDER - CENTER FOR EXECUTIVE COACHING
The Center for Executive Coaching is an approved International Coach Federation (ICF) coach training program provider. They offer a total package for executive coaches seeking success in the market. This package includes a process, structure, and content to become an outstanding coach and get results along with a proven marketing system for authentic, educational-based business development. Distance learning and payment plans available.
Prospective Executive Coaches are searching for::
- time to hire executive coaching
