It is now 13
months that I have been practicing Executive Coaching as an independent
professional. All my earlier experience as a coach were internal to
organization which provided me an opportunity to practice , learn and hone my
skills. The perspectives, I have gained , of coaching internally as a Learning
& Development professional and later as an independent has truly been
enriching & in many ways have helped my evolution as a coach.The journey
has been humbling. Each Client/Coachee has experienced gains from this coaching
relationship. While they attribute their success to me as coach , it has
been truly their own courage to reflect & change, get out of comfort zones
and go out to try new things which have a radical impact on their desired goals
& outcomes. They have experienced & acknowledged transformational ,
sustainable change.
Relationship with key stakeholders, Executive Presence , Communication , Conflict resolutions, Career Transitions, Managing Board members, Investing time, Building networks & many more areas in Coaching have helped me as a coach too to evolve and hone my skills. In coaching , there have been many a moments when as a coach I have been challenged. These challenges push you to reflect on your own effectiveness .Forcing me to think hard and have a dialogue with myself has helped me continuously expand my portfolio.
Today as I share these thoughts , I realize that I have now coached for more than 400 hours. This is almost like 8 hours each week past 12 months.
There have been many things which have helped me reach where I am as a coach. If there is one thing that has had biggest impact on me as a coach , it has been my training / helping other people to be a coach. We have all known that " best way to learn is to teach". For me, this learning was there & yet I had made no conscious effort in last so many years to apply it for my own development. This is what happens with most professionals. We forget our lessons. We do not institutionalize our own success behaviors.
For me it was providence or chance that one of my ex colleague requested me handle a training session that he was conducting as a Master Coach. Providence , as I myself at that stage had just qualified as a certified coach with probably less than 100 hours of coaching experience. It was immediately followed by an assignment to train employees in large MNC to be manager-coaches at workplace. Well, conducting those sessions - demonstrating coaching & then critiquing / giving feedback to trainee coaches started it all for me. I started having inner dialogue with each coaching conversation not only of mine but also the trainee coach.
My own dialogue with myself improved over these experiences , because with each training I was learning more and more. I therefore say that " teaching/ training" has been the best thing for me , helping me learn more.
Research suggests that 10000 hours of practice would make anyone expert / best at what he does. Well all athletes & musicians have been known to start not only young but also put in practice hours of almost 6-8 hours per day / close to 50 hours each week. This way they practice 10000 hours in 4-5 years. No wonder they reach the pinnacle of performance and success in late teens to early 20s.
Where am I , at 400 hours !!! WOW
Simple mathematics and a basic assumption that if we practice something where we wish to be better , for 10 hours each week , could take us 1000 weeks i.e. close to 20 years. Can we afford to wait so long as coaches or as professionals ? Certainly not.
We can even argue that corporate professionals need not reach such level of expertise & perfection. Fair enough. Let us slash it to to 2000 hours.With 10 hours each week it would still be 4 years. The biggest challenge, in pursuit to excellence , that confronts the professionals is not time. The challenge is where do they practice & hone their skills. Do they have the luxury in the corporate world today ? Corporates do want almost perfection & yet fail to provide for such an opportunity, an opportunity to their employees to practice those desired skills & success behaviors.
Here is now a suggestion that professionals may consider. If the organizations are not supporting your plans to improve yourself & achieve excellence in any skill or competency you may look at following:
1. Identify every 3-6 months one skill or competency that you are good & wish to radically move towards excellence.
2. Identify at least one person ( team member/ peer/ colleague) whom you believe will benefit from your support in the identified skills/competency.
3. Discuss with that person & seek his consent for training / teaching in identified skill/competency.
4. Create an action plan & start execution.
5. Keep reviewing the plan & take corrective actions
This journey will create new insights & learning's in you , as It did with me, to be prepared each day , each time you interact with your " trainee". To teach him to be good , your preparation would make you learn more .
Over a period you would find yourself "Great " at those skills & competencies which were just " Good " at.
Relationship with key stakeholders, Executive Presence , Communication , Conflict resolutions, Career Transitions, Managing Board members, Investing time, Building networks & many more areas in Coaching have helped me as a coach too to evolve and hone my skills. In coaching , there have been many a moments when as a coach I have been challenged. These challenges push you to reflect on your own effectiveness .Forcing me to think hard and have a dialogue with myself has helped me continuously expand my portfolio.
Today as I share these thoughts , I realize that I have now coached for more than 400 hours. This is almost like 8 hours each week past 12 months.
There have been many things which have helped me reach where I am as a coach. If there is one thing that has had biggest impact on me as a coach , it has been my training / helping other people to be a coach. We have all known that " best way to learn is to teach". For me, this learning was there & yet I had made no conscious effort in last so many years to apply it for my own development. This is what happens with most professionals. We forget our lessons. We do not institutionalize our own success behaviors.
For me it was providence or chance that one of my ex colleague requested me handle a training session that he was conducting as a Master Coach. Providence , as I myself at that stage had just qualified as a certified coach with probably less than 100 hours of coaching experience. It was immediately followed by an assignment to train employees in large MNC to be manager-coaches at workplace. Well, conducting those sessions - demonstrating coaching & then critiquing / giving feedback to trainee coaches started it all for me. I started having inner dialogue with each coaching conversation not only of mine but also the trainee coach.
My own dialogue with myself improved over these experiences , because with each training I was learning more and more. I therefore say that " teaching/ training" has been the best thing for me , helping me learn more.
Research suggests that 10000 hours of practice would make anyone expert / best at what he does. Well all athletes & musicians have been known to start not only young but also put in practice hours of almost 6-8 hours per day / close to 50 hours each week. This way they practice 10000 hours in 4-5 years. No wonder they reach the pinnacle of performance and success in late teens to early 20s.
Where am I , at 400 hours !!! WOW
Simple mathematics and a basic assumption that if we practice something where we wish to be better , for 10 hours each week , could take us 1000 weeks i.e. close to 20 years. Can we afford to wait so long as coaches or as professionals ? Certainly not.
We can even argue that corporate professionals need not reach such level of expertise & perfection. Fair enough. Let us slash it to to 2000 hours.With 10 hours each week it would still be 4 years. The biggest challenge, in pursuit to excellence , that confronts the professionals is not time. The challenge is where do they practice & hone their skills. Do they have the luxury in the corporate world today ? Corporates do want almost perfection & yet fail to provide for such an opportunity, an opportunity to their employees to practice those desired skills & success behaviors.
Here is now a suggestion that professionals may consider. If the organizations are not supporting your plans to improve yourself & achieve excellence in any skill or competency you may look at following:
1. Identify every 3-6 months one skill or competency that you are good & wish to radically move towards excellence.
2. Identify at least one person ( team member/ peer/ colleague) whom you believe will benefit from your support in the identified skills/competency.
3. Discuss with that person & seek his consent for training / teaching in identified skill/competency.
4. Create an action plan & start execution.
5. Keep reviewing the plan & take corrective actions
This journey will create new insights & learning's in you , as It did with me, to be prepared each day , each time you interact with your " trainee". To teach him to be good , your preparation would make you learn more .
Over a period you would find yourself "Great " at those skills & competencies which were just " Good " at.
If you have
done this , share.
If you consider
the approach is simplistic, try it, validate.
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