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On Coaching

When we get trained on coaching, conversations veer towards emotions. The assumption being that there is a significant emotion driving the person. The assumption is valid, but the reality is that a lot of corporate coaching is still at a cognitive level and a coach, one has to see it from this practical lens.

Therefore, the job of the coach may not (always) be to get to the emotional level, but to watch out for patterns, ask questions that provoke deep thought, encourage the coachee to see and acknowledge blind spots, and move them toward action, expand their own identity by getting to step out of comfort zones and in all this, ensure that they are still focused on their strengths and remain authentic...

As I wrapped the year with a few of my coachees, here is what they typically said:

Sounding board
Enable me to see blind spots
Keep me honest
Push me to go beyond comfort zone
Identify patterns
Support Systems

[Initial thoughts...need to expand]
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