I see a world where everyone is thriving at work.
To do so, we all need to get support, and to give support. It’s available.
It seems we regularly forget that.
A sports coach identifies and strengthens muscles and mindsets so that athlete(s) can expand into new ways and new levels of performance that will get them to their goal.
A leadership coach identifies and strengthens muscles and mindsets so that leader(s) can expand into new ways and new levels of performance that will get them to their goal.
The muscles may be more figurative, but the goals are just as viscerally and emotionally real.
The outcomes may not be medals, but they are just as brilliant.
We have been pushed toward being able “to do it on our own” by multiple forces in our lives:
- We went through school with teachers telling us to do our own work.
- We have parents and grandparents emphasizing a wish that we do better than the generation before, thereby sending us into unknown territory.
- We can access endless information on the internet, and even do so anonymously.
- We have a social media emphasis on “look at me.”
- We watch superhero movies.
- We audition against other candidates for a single position or promotion.
- We are working to earn “enough money to retire and not be a burden.”
- And to add all of that, we are currently living through a pandemic which is keeping us physically isolated in our homes.
But I don’t believe that self-sufficiency is a fulfilling goal, nor an achievable one. I believe it is keeping us from thriving at work.
Don’t we all have moments when we just can’t get things at work “to work”?
When we want to grow as a leader but have setbacks?
When we get the feeling that we are missing something but we can’t figure out where to reach for it?
A teacher can teach you skills.
A trainer can monitor you through repeating skills to master them.
A supervisor can critique work, offer motivation, and suggest areas for improvement.
A mentor can share personal perspective and encouragement.
An advisor can be a thinking partner, suggesting options, alternatives, and strategies.
A coach can guide your goal-setting and support your journey to get there.
