A Note about Coaches
When you look for a coach, make sure to review their training and certification. Look for coaches who are certified by the International Coaching Federation (ICF), the Co-active Training Institute (CTI), or other rigorous programs.
Many people call themselves a coach although they have no training, no certification, and no standard ethical guidelines they must follow. They may have snazzy websites and hot deals, but without training, certification and strong ethical guidelines you simply don’t know what quality of coaching you will receive.
My training was from the Holmes Coaching Group, and part of the International Coaching Federation which includes these ethical guidelines.
Leadership Coaching
I have found engaging an excellent coach to be one of the most efficient, effective ways to use my time and money as a leader. By investing well in an hour (or even half-hour) coaching conversation, leaders bring their most important big ideas to the conversation and leave with clarity and purpose. A coaching conversation cuts through what has been slowing you down or holding you back and creates solid next steps.
Sometimes leaders will say they are too busy for coaching. Yet often when they give coaching a try, they find out that coaching helps them work so much more efficiently they actually have a net gain on time. I encourage you to give it a try. Contact me to find out more.
Transition Coaching
Coaching can be valuable at all ages and stages of life. Coaching can be especially valuable at any point of a transition in your life.
I specialize in job and career transitions, retirement, and moving as well as clergy transitions.
Other coaches specialize in different types of transition coaching anywhere from wellness coaching to divorce coaching and just about anything else you can imagine.
Whatever transition you are going through, there are coaches ready to help.
Job Search
I have many clients who work with me in the midst of job searches. I can join you at any point in your process, but when we work from the beginning it will look something like this. We begin by listening to those first wonderings about moving to a new job. You decide whether this is something you would like to work on.
Next, we may review and clarify those things about your work that are life-giving and those things that are draining. What new things would you like in your next job, and what do you want to be able to set down. We might re-examine whether changing jobs is where you want to focus your energy, or whether you would like to work on changing your current job to be a better fit.
During the search process, I will be your sounding board for new positions and how your gifts and skills fit into their needs and culture. Throughout the interview process, we can meet to prepare, review, and evaluate.
When you’ve begun your new position, coaching can expedite your on-boarding and adjusting to your new job.
Career Change
Changing Careers is a major undertaking. The more people you’ve got on your team working for you the better. Engaging a coach as you prepare for a career change is a wise move.
When we work together, we will delve into what is working for you and not in your current career, and what you would like out of your new career. There will likely be a number of reality checks along the way. Coaching will help you maintain a comfortable balance between being faithful to your current job and investing in your future career.
If/as desired, there are a number of tools we can use together to help you gain a fuller picture of who you are, how you work, and what matters to you in a career. Some tools I use include the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument, the Friendly Style Profile and more. Other good tools that we may discuss are things like the enneagram, Myers-Briggs profile, etc.
If you are deeply invested in understanding more about your motivations and goals and the elements that, together, would give you an idea work situation, you may want to engage a coach specifically focused on tools like the MAP (Motivated Abilities Pattern) or the MCORE assessment to drill down and clarify what you need for fulfilling work.
Retirement
On of the largest transitions of our lives is transitioning from work to retirement. In our society, so much of our identity is built up around what we do for a job. Often, our colleagues are a significant portion of our social circle. For many of us, we hold positions of power and authority in our careers and we need to be thoughtful in how to re-channel that energy into something helpful in retirement.
Ideally, retirement coaching can begin several years before an anticipated retirement date. Sometimes, retirement coaching doesn’t start until months or years after the actual last day of work. Either way, you and I will work together to honor what was valuable about your work life, uncovering what is valuable about your retirement life, and help you find balance and ease in your life beyond work.
Moving
I’ve had several clients engage me for different sorts of work, but then I became their Moving Coach. For many of us, there are moments during a move that leave us at a loss. Sometimes it is not knowing how to prepare your house for viewings. Or maybe you get bogged down in the paperwork and finance aspect. Or you and your family don’t have a common sense of what you want in your next home. All these things and more are things we can work together on in coaching.
In fact, the simple truth is, whatever issue has you stuck in life is an issue we can work on in coaching. Coaching is about you and I, investing our time and energy in the coaching relationship, in order to catalyze movement toward your desired future—whatever that may be.
Bishop Nominee Coaching
I offer a special form of coaching/mentoring for women, lgbtq and bipoc nominees for bishop in The Episcopal Church (and other related positions in related denominations). Bishop Chilton Knudsen has been my mentor and guide in this work, and she and I both offer it gratis as a gift to the wider church.
When engaged early, I review your written materials and help you clarify your Key Personal Points which will help people understand you, your leadership and what you bring to the table. I offer coaching and mentorship to prepare you for video interviews and the nominee retreat.
A number of nominees contact me for support and preparation for the Walkabouts. To prepare for this, I engage a small team of people to review your material and to act as your audience during mock Walkabouts. We together then reflect back to you where and how your message was clear, and where you should continue to clarify your responses. Typically, nominees will fly to Durham, North Carolina and this work will take place in person over a day and a half. Alternate arrangement can be worked out as well.
Give Coaching a Try
I’d love to talk with you about how coaching could support the life you have, and the life you want to have. Let’s talk! Fill out the form below for a free 30 minute consultation.
