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The
Process of Transformation for Coach and Client As coaches we come to our work with the knowledge that coaching is a process of transformation that occurs over time. Coaching is NOT a quick fix or a problem-solving model where the coach’s expertise generates answers to the client’s problems. Coaching IS a gradual awakening that holds enormous possibilities for the future. This awakening occurs simultaneously for the coach and the client. Our clients show up with the very questions, issues and desires that help us to grow, personally and professionally. For that, I feel both grateful and honored. While I sometimes wish I was ‘done’ with my own process of transformation, in my more grounded moments I recognize that when we are done, we are dead. So I choose to continue to change and grow, sometimes with joy and enthusiasm; other times by kicking and screaming. And it’s all good! My personal definition of transformation is “awakening to what has been asleep within; stepping into one’s greatness with the realization that there is no turning back to what was---what has been known before is forever changed.” While this process results in greater consciousness and aliveness, it also requires one to let go. The experience of letting go can make us yearn for the way things were before; for what was comfortable and familiar, albeit deadening at times. As coaches, it is important to be mindful of the many facets of transformation, embracing each one for ourselves and assisting our clients to do the same. A tall order! Throughout my career as a professional coach, I have been fortunate to work with other coaches in various ways: mentor coaching, leading teleclasses, and facilitating Coaching Mastery™ groups. I have been fascinated with different themes that emerge for coaches in their work with clients. Examples of these themes are: staying in charge neutral; listening without judgment; holding the client’s agenda and not imposing one’s own on the client; grappling with ethical dilemmas. Each one of us is unique, and one coach may feel challenged by a particular client’s circumstances while another may be crystal clear in a similar situation. To me, the learning comes from stepping back and observing when our coaching flows and when it doesn’t. The more challenging coaching moments are fantastic opportunities for us to peel back yet another layer in the never-ending process of transformation. What a gift! For each one of us to truly become a masterful coach, we must remain open to the infinite opportunities we are given each time we answer the telephone or sit across from a client. Coaching mastery is a conscious choice to step into full self-expression as authentic and creative beings. Inherent in this choice is what David Whyte* refers to as the ‘cliff edge’, “a frontier where passion, belonging, and need call for our presence, our powers, and our absolute commitment…absent the edge, we drown in numbness.” A masterful coach stays awake to maintaining the cliff edge and does not allow his/her coaching to become stale. The glory of maintaining the cliff edge is that we honor our own process of transformation, and model that for our clients. Recommended
reading: Crossing the Unknown Sea: Work as a Pilgrimmage
of Identity by David Whyte
COACHING MASTERY UPDATE
Coaching
Mastery Telegathering to mark the First Anniversary
of Coaching Mastery News A masterful coach lives inside of you. You’ve experienced being ‘in the zone’ during a coaching conversation when time stands still, and you and your client connect on a deeper level. You’ve also had coaching conversations that require more effort. Perhaps you get distracted by something your client says, or an event in your own life interferes with your ability to be fully present with your client. You hang up the phone, and the masterful coach inside of you asks, “how could I handle that differently next time?” The Coaching Mastery™ telegathering explores important questions and challenges that arise for coaches in their coaching relationships. Join me and a wonderful group of coaches to share your coaching situations and hear from others. You will leave with a clear affirmation of what you already know as well as creative ideas and strategies that will inspire you to try something new with your clients. Here
are some examples of areas for exploration through Coaching
Mastery: To register for the telegathering and for more information about Coaching Mastery, contact Lisa Kramer at lisa@livingwithintention.com or (610) 527-4511. “Lisa
has this uncanny ability to state the essence of an issue
in a single sentence, and that single sentence sparks the
impetus for transformation - imagine what a full session with
her can do! She brings her vast skill and experience as a
coach, teacher, and mentor to the coaching mastery model of
supporting coaches in a way that goes beyond a traditional
coach-client partnership. If you’re ready to take your
coaching skills and practice to a higher level of expertise
and professionalism, coaching mastery a sure way to make that
happen!” “As
a coach, how often do you wish that you could have someone
"listening in" and sharing their wisdom, observations,
and clarity on one of your coaching calls? When I worked with
Lisa Kramer, that's exactly what I got--and more! Lisa supported
me as I learned to fully trust my intuition, ask powerful,
edgy questions, and utilize my coaching toolbox. Lisa is truly
the "Coach's Coach" and you'll love working with
her!” Upcoming Events:
December
9. 2003: Coaching
Mastery Telegathering
January 23, 2004: Accessing Our Inner Wisdom
February
26, 2004: Introduction to Professional Coaching
Copyright © 2002. Permission is granted to reproduce, copy, or distribute the Coaching Mastery™ News as long as nothing is added, changed, or deleted, and this copyright notice is attached. The author is Lisa Kramer, Living with Intention Coaching, Training and Coaching Mastery™ www.livingwithintention.com
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