In one of my early executive coaching assignments, I had the opportunity to work with and support my coachee on a health related goal which was one of the three goals identified by him. The coaching engagement was for a period of 3 months. When the coachee reflected on his health area and focused, his goal read out like this.
“Celebrations on reaching a BP level of 135 / 90”.
When we started the coaching conversation his Blood Pressure was fluctuating at 145-155 / 95-105. I myself had a BP scare just 12 months before this assignment. I share this because in our relationship with our coachee, we have to steer clear of our own agenda. It could spell disaster for the coachee & his transformational coaching journey. I feared that I might end up pushing my agenda with him to control his BP. As Coaches, our agenda is only “Coachee”. Fully aware that I must as Coach, stay clear and remain focused on coachee, we began our journey.
When we began the coaching sessions, working on the strategies in this goal area, coachee was quite confident & courageous. It was quite evident that coachee was quite keen to reach goal and sustain it. He had “awareness” about his situation. He was also amply clear on the outcome / goal and that is the key to success.
I would not like to go into details of how this journey of 12 weeks was for us. Suffice it to say, he recorded a BP level of 138 /90 in 11th week of our coaching i.e. close to 3 months.
During the journey, coachee kept thinking of & executing actions each week. These actions & their impact in his life and health generated new insights & learning’s for him. He created new activities, threw out some. He experimented, he succeeded. He knew importance of support. Helped by his own insights, he created partnerships and dependencies towards his cause of health. It was amazing that within first 4-5 weeks, he was sticking to his commitments and schedule agreed and continued till end of engagement. He created new habits. Habits stick.
Some would still wonder as to how an executive coach can help in health goals. THINK.
Well Coaching is about thinking on “how we think”. Coaches help you observe yourself “ thinking”. The change happens there. Coaching is creating a positive change, new thinking, new Wiring facilitated by coach & powered by coachee.
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