| I’ve recently been evaluating the motivation of my clients, and there seem to be five main reasons people come in search of my services. 1. To Grow Leadership Capacity I have found that good leadership development education is almost non-existent. For example, in my MBA at London Business School we learned–through case study after case study! — to think strategically. This business strategy training was well-developed and helped me get to where I am today. Precious little, however, on how to carry stature in leadership, transmit confidence, motivate people or invoke a felt sense of a compelling vision. Academic or training settings are not conducive to growing people to show up with the calm assertive energy that makes others follow your lead. Talk and chalk, and books may give people some helpful concepts but that does not necessarily increase leadership capacity. What really works here is hands-on coaching. Dealing with real life situations. Accessing potential that may have become locked deep inside. Showing clients a new way to show up, fully themselves, and supporting them to follow that all the way through. Then you learn, not just about leadership, but your unique way of doing it that works best for you. 2. To Have a Creative Sounding Board Even the most skillful or visionary among us need a trusted confidant. As a sounding board for my clients, I listen in a way that gives people the chance to hear themselves afresh. Sometimes I can tell as I listen that a person has just seen a different perspective on their world, or the challenge of the moment. When I give feedback on how to approach certain issues, it is to further the conversation, not dish out an ultimate solution. Just to speak what’s on your mind with someone who is not implicated directly in the situation–who can hold confidentiality–allows for an open and honest revisiting of assumptions, expectations of flawed logic that might be clouding clarity. For example, a leader with a star-performer on her team, who is looking for a promotion before their time. As a leader, you are afraid if you say no they’ll leave and if you say yes they’ll fail. There is no text book answer for such a situation and, without any attempt to offer one, a great coach can deepen the inquiry to the point where the skillfulness needed to move forward becomes apparent. 3. Someone has Received Negative Feedback Often there is a specific incident that has led the person to coaching. Somehow they’ve been criticized for being too pushy, cold or indecisive. They have been told they need to improve in a certain way that is mission-critical. Not always so easy for the coach. In those circumstances, I’m suspicious that there is more to it than meets the eye. For example, trying to get a supposedly pushy person to feel less passion is more likely to make things worse. You have to get to the root of what is really going on–which is almost always about more of this person showing up. Bringing forward their natural care or awareness, for example, which makes their intensity way more fun to be around. 4. People Committed to Personal Growth Some people come because they already get the value of coaching. Perhaps they’ve had coaching before, or some other kind of support that really helped them in their personal and professional development. They know that turning attention away from everybody and everything else, and putting the focus on themselves, is going to reap benefits. Especially with a “skilled pilot” can really help them grow–someone who has done their own inner work–and is at least as committed to keep growing. These people are looking for someone that can take them to a bigger, more fulfilled place in life. 5. Someone They Know Sees the Benefit of Coaching Lastly, people come because someone told them to. A friend perhaps, one of their investors or board-members may have suggested coaching. Sometimes the client doesn’t even know what benefits to expect. Even if a client totally trusts the person who sent them, I have no authority to coach until I find out what they want for themselves. We are not in the people molding business. People do not change to order. We emerge. Ever more fully ourselves. I am always careful that anyone recommending a prospective client to me knows that–however they get here and whoever is cutting the check–my only allegiance is to the client’s development. Interested in coaching? I’d love to hear from you. Email me at david@numina.team and let’s connect. |
David Lesser
Founder & CEO