Coach of the Month – January 2016 – Coaching Q & A « Executive and Life Coaching Courses and Information

We are proud of what we started last year – announcing a Coach of the Month from our PSG coaching community. In 2016 we are definitely continuing this. Our intention is to maintain an environment in which wisdom is shared and ideas are spread. We want to provide an opportunity for professionals to connect and collaborate for the benefit of coaching.

Every month we invite one coach from our community to become our Featured Coach for that month. Here they offer insights about who they are and what they do. By sharing their real life experiences they provide a valuable opportunity for learning. We are delighted to announce that in January our Featured Coach of the Month is Aishling Buckley.

Here is our Coach of the Month – January 2016 Coaching Q & A

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

Aishling

Top three lessons, first one was the power of reflection, we spend a lot of time as coaches learning and researching current and future topics that affect our clients. With all this knowledge I believe it is important to take the time to reflect on what we are learning, how it fits with what we already know, how does it improve us as a coach and does it support us in walking our talk as coaches. While it is important to grow as coaches, I believe it is equally as important to ensure we give ourselves time to digest our new learning. Giving time to reflection enables me to have confidence in what I am learning, to identify other areas to study and to enjoy new knowledge. By that I mean savour the pleasure of learning and stretching myself further.

The second lesson was wellbeing, when you start out as a newly qualified coach it can be daunting, especially when you leave the structure of the course and as I graduated I was all fired up to start my coaching business – perhaps too fired up. I have enormous passion for coaching, I get so much from working as a coach but I do have to be mindful that there has to be a balance of work, play and rest. You can spend a lot of time coaching and focused on new learning but if you don’t take the time to recharge your batteries, eat well and spend time enjoying life, you won’t be as good a coach as you could be adding new knowledge to existing. This was a very powerful lesson I thought I had absorbed a number of years ago but I did have to remind myself of this lesson as I qualified as a coach and tweak it to match work as a coach. It helps keep this lesson front and centre knowing I have to show up as the best coach I can be and part of that is being healthy in body, mind and spirt.

Challenging my comfort zone is the third lesson that I have really learned to embrace and while some of the challenges I try may not be directly related to my growth as a coach, it has most certainly helped me to be more confident in my ability to develop new skills and new learning. One example was signing up for Tae Kwon Do, it constantly challenges me both physically and mentally, especially the notion of sparing even if it is non-contact. I am the very last person you would expect to be in a Tae Kwon Do class, I am more a brisk walk person. Every time I turn up for class I ask myself can I really do this and every time I find a way to meet the challenges set by our instructors, the sense of accomplishment is amazing and I have a success bank to draw on when I am faced with a challenge. It has helped me to provide support in sessions where clients are moving outside their comfort zone, walking your talk is vital when you are aiming to provide quality coaching.

PSG: To – date, as a coach, what has brought you the most fulfilment?

Aishling

I love the light bulb moment when clients identify the block that has been stopping them moving forward and then working with them to challenge the block to figure out the best way around it. I am so grateful for the privilege of being present when clients discover how resourceful they are when they have the space and safe environment in coaching to work things out and get moving forward. Not only that, but the renewed momentum and the positive energy that comes from working with clients is an inspiring environment to work in.

PSG: What do you foresee as the main reasons for clients to look for coaching in the early part of 2016?

Aishling

2016 is going to be a year of increasing growth and opportunities, an environment we have not seen in a number of years. In the later part of 2015 a number of CEO’s indicated the need for innovation to provide sustained and real growth. As change and the drive for innovation gathers greater pace, I think the challenges this brings for clients is going to show in a number of ways. One would be the need to proactively manage your energy and develop your resilience skills, part of this would be the need for healthy boundaries both internally and externally. With innovation comes uncertainty and a sense of being outside your comfort zone, so it is essential to develop your coping skills to manage the effects of the uncertainty and manage the natural resistance to change so that it will not negatively impact your performance. Development of leadership skills is another area which will continue to be a reason for clients looking for coaching, leading themselves and providing leadership to others.