Driving the vehicle of personal change in your professional capacity

Being able to be fully effective in the workplace appears to be an art form.

The resilience and reflexivity to perform optimally come from your ability to change to meet the demands of the situation.

So why is change so hard?

“When our brain detects changes in the environment it sends out strong signals that something’s not right. These signals come from the orbital cortex — which is closely connected to the brain’s fear circuitry in the amygdala.

These signals distract us from our focus on making a change and instead reinforce our commitment to keeping things the way they are.”

Extract taken from Coaching for Performance, Level 3 advanced coaching manual. Copyright © 2011 Performance Consultants (International) Ltd.

Job advancement and security rely more now than ever on you as the individual not only taking charge of your work performance, but also finding a voice to address external factors that impede your potential.

Looking at your work performance and challenges in a personal context and being prepared to contribute to the organisational picture through the strengths gained in coaching benefits all concerned.

It can contribute to a living breathing model of change that allows people to shape business.

This has never been more important than it is today, if we are to adapt to the changing world realistically and sustainably.

“Coaching takes a holistic view of the individual: work, corporate values, personal needs and career development are made to work in synergy, not against one another.”

Source: British Journal of Administrative Management

It is the responsibility of leaders to create a context for employees that fully supports them in their contributions. Coaching can help employees have eyes to see both in and outside of the box in a way that is an investment in both themselves and the company. The flexible leader will welcome this effort and interface.

“…as we move from 30 miles an hour to 70 to 120 to 180……as we go from driving straight down the road to making right turns and left turns to abandoning cars and getting motorcycles…the whole game changes, and a lot of people are trying to keep up, learn how not to fall.”

Source: John Kotter, Professor of Leadership, Harvard Business School

Knowing yourself is essential to being able to lead yourself, and coaching offers you a creative opportunity to realise whether or not you are positioned externally in the right way as well as internally engaged effectively with your own performance.

Encouragingly:

“Setting goals, making connections, becoming more aware, seeking breakthroughs and taking action — the ‘stuff’ of coaching — parallel what neuroscientists tell us about how the brain operates.”

Source: “Coaching with the Brain in Mind”: David Rock and Linda J. Page.

Investing time in the constructive process that is facilitated by coaching can reap huge dividends, with personal growth in the work place delivering significant results both for the individual and the business.

It is vital to find the right coach for you. Here are some positive experiences to look forward to in the work with a dynamic coach who can meet your needs:

Being listened to

Coaching is your space to be heard, not only by your coach but by yourself. The power of your own spontaneous words may surprise you, leading you into deeper self-discovery.

Being listened to in a supportive, objective, non-judgemental and focused environment sets the ground for an intuitive relationship that taps into your instincts and intuition about yourself, as well as drawing on the abilities of the coach to open up the truth of matters you need to address.

Communication

Honesty from you is essential. The courage of this will be met with reflection that removes pre-conceptions, bias and negativity as well as any barriers to progress. A space in which to explore the paradox of your own thoughts and feelings provides an alchemical opportunity for change.

The coach has no personal agenda and is there to help you empower yourself to find the answers that work for you.

Motivation and Inspiration

Taking the time to listen to yourself will provide a tremendous source of inspiration — you! Slowing down and paying attention to what inspires and motivates you is a sure fire way to tap into a new source of energy to face challenge and to create the changes you seek.

The personal investment from your coach in your development and well-being is itself very motivating and inspiring.

Source: ICF Global Coaching Client Study was commissioned by the ICF but conducted independently by PricewaterhouseCooper

Inviting the best in you out into the open: curiosity, flexibility and courage

Coaching is client-led, inviting you to take a view of yourself in your professional life that is full and far-reaching, opening up the possibility of exceeding expectations.

It also invites you to consider the status quo in a new way, transforming it into potential-packed ingredients for change when viewed from a new perspective.

Coaching invites you to get in touch with your self-belief, in you as a person and in your capacity to reach your goals.

You are then encouraged to focus, focus, focus. This concentration on what you really need can help to push past the brain’s ‘anti-change’ signals.

“Where you focus your attention, you make connections. Focus your attention on something new, and you make new connections.”

Source: “A Brain-based Approach to Coaching”: David Rock & Jeffrey Schwartz

Source: ICF Global Coaching Client Study was commissioned by the ICF but conducted independently by PricewaterhouseCooper

In conclusion, coaching can help you by providing much needed support and strategies for not only surviving, but thriving in today’s business environment.

I leave you with this question:

What does success look like to you?

…and this thought….

If you see it in the future — then it’s not here in your present — where the seeds of success must be firmly planted if they are to grow.

Take charge of your performance by investing in coaching as an opportunity to appreciate yourself afresh and to inspire yourself to become the very best version of yourself today.

If reading this has inspired you and you feel energised at the prospect of becoming the professional you have always wanted to be, why not get in touch and see if I am the right person to help you along your path.