How Reflective Insight got me into coaching

One day, I realised I had been listening to people for most of my life. This was usually as a result of an analysis workshop or a planning and strategy session. I’d been listening in my capacity as a project manager or as a senior executive…. Sometimes as a son, father, partner or friend.

People bounce ideas off me all the time, they want someone to listen and be supportive, or they seek me out to hold them accountable for delivering something. As I reflected I realised, for most of my life, I have been listening to individuals as they tried to work through their problem/issue with me as a guide or sounding board. On some occasions I recall listening as people explaining what had stopped them from getting what they wanted and they just needed someone to listen to them while they worked through it.

This is possibly due to the depth and variety of experiences I have had in government and business. It could also be due to my background in project implementation and business change control and my reputation as a results oriented, solution focused person with a uniquely personal approach to customer service and support. I like to partner people in success and to teach them how to define and get their goals. With proper planning and preparation people get the results they want quicker. I work with people to teach them how to break their goals down into achievable steps. To do this I ask general and specific questions, and listen! We get to the core of the requirement, and then we discuss options and alternatives so they get the desired outcome. My clients are delighted with what they can achieve.

Managers, leaders and entrepreneurs don’t just have everything fall into place. They sit down with advisors, consultants and key support staff to develop strategies, they plan for every possibility and… they write everything down. Where many people see others as having all the luck these people achieve success by leaving nothing to chance - they are generative not hopeful.

When you plan your way to success opportunities appear that were never seen before. Solutions arise. What seemed impossible to achieve previously becomes a reality. Once you achieve the impossible everything else is easy. When people work with someone willing to listen rather than talk and with someone who guides rather than preach they work out how to deal with obstacles and matters that once held them back.

That’s what I’ve been doing over many years. When I thought about it and how enjoyable it was to teach others how to become focused and how to become confident, generative individuals, I realised coaching others’ was what I liked and did well.