This blog post is by guest blog author and coaching colleague Kathryn Pope PCC, FRSA
What does it take for you to review a relationship – whether a business, professional or personal one?
What does it take for you to ‘re-contract’ with another person, organisation or party?
What are the signals for you, that you are not focused on the right thing right now or delivering your best, or working in alignment?
What tells you that you are not maximising your own or your businesses value?
How do you know?
What can you do about it?
At the start of every coaching conversation, I ‘contract’ with my client
“What do we need to think about today? What do we need to focus on?”
“What would you like to be different by the end of our time today? How will you know you have it?”
Simple, yet powerful questions, to ensure that the coaching conversation we have is useful to them. Serves them. Enables new thinking. Unlocks their deeper wisdom and potential. Achieves their goals and objectives.
And often, as we work, thinking evolves, develops, transforms. Quicker than anticipated, or in a different direction.
What then?
Do I slavishly stick to the agreed ‘contract’? Do I go in the new direction with them?
Is this new insight or direction the most important thing for them to work on? Or is it a red herring, a distraction, avoidance or deflection?
How do I know? Who decides? What action should I take?
A coaching conversation is a place of deep enquiry, and real partnership.
As a coach, my expertise is to be with someone in conversation:
To listen – with ears, eyes, heart, gut, soul and every cell of my body – listen deeply to the client. To reflect back to them what they may not see, notice or know that they know.
To partner with them.
It is a delicate balance, an improvisational dance, where I am fluidly with the client, in their world of which I know (and need to know) little, and also separate enough to have a perspective from which to explore and stretch their thinking and understanding.
My role is to use my skills, experience, intuition and insights, to create a space for them to think, to explore, to really understand, to challenge and to create.
How?
By holding a space, that is both safe and challenging, empoweringly silent and curious whilst they think.
By asking them questions and allowing us both to be deeply curious about the answers that come up for them.
So, when we move into different territory, I share that with them, and we explore if we want to refocus. If they do, and they are congruent, we re-contract and continue with that work. We will both know if the work they are doing is the right work for them.
Simple – and not easy.
So, what re-contracting do you need to be doing right now in your life and your business?
What is no longer serving you? What can you no longer tolerate?
What needs to change for you? For your business? For your customers or clients?
What are the new possibilities and goals that you are not working on?
How do you know?
What signals – from yourself or from others - have you been noticing?
What has stopped you listening to them or acting on them to date?
What has enabled you to ignore them, or bury them?
It may be that you do not know how? Or do not feel you have a choice? Or are overwhelmed with options? Or feel you cannot make the time?
It may be many things – big or little.
If you are intrigued and ready to explore this, in a safe, curious space, then contact me.
Together we can explore if I am the right Thinking Partner for you right now.
Kathryn Pope ICF professional Certified Coach (PCC) , FRSA
A hugely experienced and well known International Executive coach and accredited Coach Supervisor with a strong commercial background in marketing and communications in global businesses. Kathryn works both with individuals at the Board of Directors, C-suite, Executive and Senior Management levels, and their teams across a wide variety of sectors, to co-create, develop, lead and deliver their corporate strategies. A provocative thought partner, KP is endlessly curious, reflective and listens deeply. She encourages and enables leaders to access their deeper wisdom and skills for the benefit of themselves, the business and their people. Intuitive, agile and yet sensible and pragmatic, she challenges leaders to stretch beyond their limiting beliefs and inspire themselves and others to go beyond their expectations and step into an emergent commercial space. She also supervises coaches to ensure they continue to develop personally and professionally and deliver their best in service of their clients.