Monday, August 15, 2011

Are you fit for the job?

Posted on Monday, August 15, 2011 by International Coach Federation

You will have experienced that moment - a silence when your question landed and then…. a light bulb sparks, a Damascene flash, when your client gets a life changing insight. They come in many forms - it may be one that lifts a fog and something suddenly makes sense; or it may be about a destructive pattern of behaviour and they realise what they have been doing to themselves. The personal power that insight gives them is the real magic of coaching and the one that can get me so excited I can’t sleep afterwards! (OK, yes, maybe I should get out more!)

So my question is how do you keep yourself ‘fit for the job’? Make sure that you are not ‘infected’ by your coaching – be it the excitement of discovery, dark things that have been shared with you, your clumsy handling of a situation or something uninvited triggered in you. How do you keep or get all this out of your head and your heart and get on with life, without losing your humanity and capability with future coachees?

Here are some of the things which help me:
  • Journaling – what happened and why, how did I think, feel and behave, what have I learned, how will I take that forward.
  • CBT – examine my thoughts, feelings and behaviour triggered and find more helpful and positive ones.
  • Mentally celebrate if it’s been a positive experience.
  • Do something afterwards with a different energy – exercise, lunch with a friend – something else I love!
  • Supervision – discussing what happened with a fellow professional is very reassuring and affirming.
What are your tips for keeping ‘fit for the job’? Share them with us at Facebook.com/ICFHQ.


Caroline Talbott

Caroline Talbott coaches and develops leaders, especially those who have had success in a profession (eg lawyers, chartered surveyors, engineers, HR specialists) and then moved into a leadership role.



Twitter: @CaroCatalyst

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2 comments:

  1. Thanks this is very helpful to me as a new coach. I need to use a journal more often and practice CBT daily.

    ReplyDelete

  2. I'm so pleased it's been helpful - I wish you every success in your journey as a coach and I'm sure your journal and CBT will prove great companions along the way! - Caroline

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