What was the biggest reason you wanted coaching? What did you hope to learn?

It was a point in my career when things were going well but my soft skills were really holding me back from using the technical skills that served me well to move forward.  I work with a lot of engineering type demand and things were going really well but I was at this point where I'm working with fundraising, I'm working with all different people, leading big teams and so soft skills were the issue that are starting to hold me back so I appreciate the chance to get coaching towards that.  

What would you say is the most important thing you have learned from coaching?

I would say making game plans for what I am trying to achieve in that I don't think I was super clear that when I engage in a social interaction, what was the goal? I hadn't really thought about it really carefully so when working together it's really helpful to kinda think about what that goal is.​

Then it was super helpful when we talked about this engagement and how to game plan around me and so I want to be a warm, positive influence and I think sometimes I was, but there were a lot of times when I didn't really convey that warmth, so in the end so I think it was really helpful for us to identify and adopt goals and then look at how to achieve it the right way.

It is one thing to see it in other people and one thing to do it yourself. Your coaching and feedback and practicing in the moment is really, really helpful.  

Talk a little bit about how life is different after coaching.  What wins could you share?

There are a lot of wins. I mean a lot more than I even would have expected. Part of the program you have to track wins and when you do it, it is hard to do because there are a lot of wins. Right now I am getting more job interviews, and they are definitely going much better, and I am getting more and higher quality that I wouldn't have had without us working together.

What would you tell someone who is considering private coaching from me?

I would say you are extremely responsive to feedback and questions. It is one thing where you could read a book, you can watch a video, and they are good but each person is different and each person has different strengths and different weaknesses. I think the thing that is really unique and I really appreciate is how you think very carefully when I come with specific questions.

You really bring your experience to the table and personalize which in my opinion really adds value when compared to other common options that people might have. Also, there are different ways of going about this type of thing. Sometimes like leadership classes and so on, but they can kind of, they can be generic or focus on day to day social interactions.

The bigger things, in my opinion, are easier to solve, but it’s harder for the day-to-day of ‘this specific meeting’ or dealing with ‘that specific person’.

That really helps with those interactions and there are usually ten more interactions just like it and when you solve that one issue, you solve ten more you haven't even realized. I think that is something really unique you bring to the table that I really appreciate!‍‍

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