Coach of the Month – May Coaching Q and A

We are delighted to present another fantastic coach from our international community of professional coaches. Our community of coaches at Positive Success Group is a group of active and driven professionals and they are committed to growth and development for the benefit of their coaching clients. They understand the value of the coaching and they know how important it is to invest in continuous learning. They come from different backgrounds and have different experiences. We know that every person in the PSG coaching community is ready to offer support, has knowledge and learnt lessons worth sharing.

So who is our Featured Coach in May?

Here is our Coach of the Month – May Coaching Q and A We asked Karen to answer 3 questions about her work, approach to coaching, the best lessons she’s learnt so far and her predictions for the development of the coaching profession. Connect with Karen if you are inspired or motivated by her personal journey. Seriously, you should!

PSG: Since qualifying, what are the top 3 lessons you have learnt that support your growth as a coach:

Karen

The first lesson I learnt since qualifying is not to ‘go it alone’. I learnt very quickly that surrounding myself with people who support my goals, both personally and professionally, is hugely important. People are so eager to help and although it may be difficult to ask for help, this is precisely when you need it most! There will always be someone who is ahead of you on the journey and there will always be someone behind you, but sharing ideas and support with others is a great way to keep motivated. Chances are, someone else has encountered similar challenges as you at some point, and can offer you suggestions and tips on something that might have worked for them and which you can perhaps adapt to suit your own approach. To support my growth as a coach, I see other coaches as collaborators rather than competitors and our shared successes is the tide that lifts all boats.

The second lesson I learnt is to remain true to your heart in coaching. When setting up a business, there are so many courses you can do to develop the perfect business model, the perfect business plan, automation, sales, marketing and social media. And before long, you can find yourself overwhelmed and caught up in the bureaucracy of your own coaching business! The problem is that you can then lose your focus on doing what you love: COACHING! So I learnt to stay focused on the coaching, coach from the heart and the rest will fall into place.

The third lesson I learnt was to network. Putting yourself out there can be challenging, particularly if it is a brand new area for you. And finding clients, particularly at the beginning, can be a challenge. So, the best advice that I got, was to get out from behind the laptop and actually meet groups of people who are in your target market, to make connections, to offer to help, to ask for referrals, to ask for testimonials and generally to serve people. Because that is what coaching is about – it’s about the people, not about the laptop!

PSG: To -date, as a coach, what has brought you the most fulfillment?

Karen

To date, as a coach, two things have brought me the most fulfillment. The first is that I have had the wonderful opportunity to work with so many wonderful clients and I feel privileged that they have chosen me as their coach, to share and support them on their path.

The second thing that has brought me the most fulfillment has actually been pushing myself out of my comfort zone and into what Stephen Covey calls ‘The Courage Zone’! As a coach, I love working one-to-one with clients, but I have discovered recently that I actually love sharing my message with larger audiences too! It took me a long time, but I eventually gained the confidence to deliver a couple of workshops recently, and before long, I found myself presenting to Network Ireland – Dublin Branch at their April meeting as the showcase business! A year ago, I never would have done that!

PSG: What do you foresee as the main reasons for clients to look for coaching in 2015?

Karen

I specialise in career coaching and so for me, the main reasons that clients are looking for coaching in 2015 is the new-found sense of optimism that is in the air, now that the economy is finally improving after the recession. People who were lucky enough to keep their jobs during the downturn in the economy are now beginning to see how the skills they have developed are sought after by companies. People are now looking at their options because there is a sense of movement after the stagnation in recruitment and employment for so long.

Contact Karen
Website: Karen Willis Coaching