Coach of the Month – July 2017 – Coaching Q & A « Executive and Life Coaching Courses and Information

We value our community of coaches very highly. Every coach enriches the community with a diversity of skills, knowledge, experience and uniqueness. Quality coaching, a passion to support others with their goals and help them to develop is what unites all these coaches in the PSG community. As we are now in July, it’s time to bring forward another coach from this great community. This is your opportunity to benefit from shared wisdom and connect with our Coach of the Month.

We are very happy to introduce you to the Coach of the Month in July – John McNamara. Take a look at John’s thoughts on lessons learnt, fulfillment gained and his predictions on the skills that clients will want to focus on for development and growth for the remainder of 2017.

Here is our Coach of the Month – July 2017 – Coaching Q & A

PSG: In your experience, what are the top 3 lessons you have learnt that support your growth as a coach?

John

The most important lesson that I learned early on was that you must fill up your own cup before you can help others. This meant I had to focus on managing my own health and energy levels as we all as tackle some underlying beliefs that were inhibiting my growth as a person and also as a coach. It was very apparent to my clients when I didn’t have the required energy in sessions.
Don’t let your ego get in the way of your continuous learning. I thought I knew quite a bit about coaching until I was coached by an MCC Coach. That was a big lesson for me as there was a whole other level to coaching that I was way off. I then started to reach out to others and ask more questions, seek help, read more and admit to myself that I had a long way to go to become a top class coach. It was humbling but hugely beneficial to me.
Finally I learned that in the pursuit of growth, having fun in my work was vital. It had become very serious and all consuming in a relentless quest for knowledge and answers. Now I focus on making my learning fun and introduce fun into my sessions where possible. It also helps to build rapport with clients and they become more relaxed and open. I learned that my sense of humour was a strength I could use in my work and not just with friends and family. This was a big discovery for me.

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

John

Going full circle and being a professional coach for the current group of students was very fulfilling to me. Having been in their shoes it was great to be able to coach so many through this challenging time. I do some work with Limerick Youth Service also which is hugely fulfilling. To be able to get young kids from severely dis-advantaged areas to see possibilities for their future and develop their belief in themselves is a pleasure to be involved in. The reaction you get from clients also when you hit them with a powerful question at the perfect time, is something that never gets old.

PSG: What do you foresee as the key skills our clients will want to focus on for development and growth for the remainder of 2017

John

Developing cognitive, or mental flexibility for me is vital in our current environment. By definition this refers to the mental ability to adjust thinking, or attention, in response to changing goals and/or environmental stimuli. The world is changing fast, so in business and life we need to be able to have the ability to change direction quickly. This is particularly relevant when it comes to our goals as the sands can shift quite fast on us. If the way you are approaching things is not working then you need to be able to change direction quickly. This is also an area you can have some fun with, as you need to shake up your habitual behaviour on a daily basis and stop running through life on auto-pilot. This helps to develop a more flexible mindset.

Some simple things you can start doing include, parking your car in a different spot every day, or take a different road home from work. Put on your clothes in a different order than usual. Sit in a different spot in your cafe and order a different drink. Trying out new things is also a fantastic way to develop mental flexibility. This year alone I have tried my hand at the trumpet, learned to juggle and started to experiment with different ways to move my body. In short, I am trying to learn as many new things as possible in my thirties that I couldn’t do in my twenties.