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 Observations
From a “Reinvented” Coach
As we wrap up this quarter’s focus on
coaching and counseling, we thought it would be
worthwhile to share the recent experiences of a
long-term coach, Jennifer Powell, as she expanded her
understanding and practices related to the
field.
Some of you may be a bit fuzzy on what this whole
coaching thing is. So here I come suggesting that
I’m a reinvented coach, and now you’re
probably really confused. Let me put your mind at
ease by saying that a year ago I probably would have
had a similar reaction. So what’s happened in
the past 12 months to give me such clarity?
Well, I guess that’s part of my reinvention.
I’ve been doing leadership coaching for more
than 10 years as an internal coach in for-profit
organizations. I felt that I had a pretty good handle
on what coaching meant and could describe it in
easily understandable language, “Helping
leaders be more effective.”
Recently (within the past three years), I watched
the coaching profession gain more notoriety and also
watched more and more people hang out the
“coach” shingle. It seemed like these
coaches were coming from a variety of occupations,
but primarily from consulting practices. I began to
wonder what, if any, unique qualifications they had.
More important, in examining my own expertise, I
realized I’d had some targeted training about
coaching, but it had been several years since
I’d done any formal study in the
field.
After some research I selected the coaching
certificate program at The Hudson Institute of Santa
Barbara, CA. Although there are other programs and
each reader must choose based on his/her own personal
criteria, I selected Hudson based on its program
methodology and content, as well as the reputation of
Frederick Hudson. During the eight months of the
Hudson program, four key themes emerged for me that
shaped my reinvention.
The first of these was the concept of
“leading from behind”—in other
words, matching my pace and language with the
clients. (Remember, in my case, my clients are
primarily internal leaders.) One of the skills
I’d been practicing for years as an OD/HR
professional was the art of questioning and
challenging. As my understanding of coaching grew,
these interventions took on new meaning. My insight
at this time was around the pacing and language
issue. Leading from behind became almost a mantra for
me, encouraging me to allow the client to set the
agenda and direction for the coaching session, rather
than for me to insert what I believed the agenda
ought to be. This makes it possible for me to
maximize my questioning and challenging interventions
in favor of the client.
The second theme centered on the issue of personal
transformation. In my early coaching experiences, I
don’t think I realized the importance of that.
I had distinctly compartmentalized an
individual’s ability to maximize leadership
effectiveness from personal transformation. I tended
to think of it in terms of improving interpersonal
skills rather than an actual
transformation.
Imagine my surprise when I found W. Edwards Deming
quoted in one of my coaching books as saying,
“Nothing happens without personal
transformation.” Here was one of the early
influencers of my work in the quality field offering
such profound and timely words for me almost 20 years
later! Needless to say, those words gave me a very
different perspective on the holistic nature of
coaching. For me, this work now involved the whole
person and not just leadership behavior.
A third development surfaced as I became more
clear on what coaching is and what it isn’t.
It’s a term I almost had avoided for a while
because everything seemed to be labeled coaching. OK!
I’ll admit that saying everything might
be a bit of an exaggeration, but I bet you’d
agree that the term coaching is used to cover a lot
of territory and has almost as many meanings as there
are coaches. It felt like the latest fad, and I
wasn’t sure I wanted to ride on the
bandwagon.
My study through the Hudson program helped me find
answers to the differences among coaching,
consulting, mentoring, counseling, and even
cheerleading. Although there are some overlaps, there
also are some definite distinctions. Now I have
renewed faith in my ability to know the
difference and act accordingly.
My final revelation has been a re-energized
passion for lifelong learning. I’ve always
enjoyed learning something new and
challenging—both personally and professionally.
Although I hadn’t been involved in formal study
for a number of years, I continued to grow through
rotating assignments, job changes, volunteer work,
hobbies, etc. During the coaching certificate
program, my passion was re-energized by the parallels
I found between the structured readings and my
clients’ issues. I repeatedly was able to
reference a book, create a workshop, or in some other
way immediately apply my new learning to a
client’s situation. It seemed as though
I’d discover a new concept or theory or have a
personal insight just at the exact moment when it
was
useful to my clients, the organization, or me. That
really reinforced the many hours I was spending
reading, studying, and/or dialoguing with colleagues
or my own coach.
I hope I’ve provided you with a better
understanding of my own personal reinvention as a
coach. Perhaps you’ll choose to allow your own
reinvention in some area after hearing my story.
Enjoy the journey and be open to whatever comes up.
In the words of my own coach, “If we are clear
about what we send out into the universe, we get back
what we really want or need.”
JENNIFER POWELL has extensive experience in
integrating human resource management with total
quality and employee involvement, as well as
organizational development and change management.
Powell was president of AQP in both 1990-91 and
2000-02 and has been involved as a leader and officer
since 1986. She currently serves as chief of staff to
a segment service head at Aetna, Inc. She can be
reached via e-mail at powelljj@aetna.com
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