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This article is authored by Maryam Umar, who shares her personal experience with coaching.
Throughout my career in the technology sector, I have had the privilege of working under exceptional managers. I often admired their remarkable ability to maintain composure and calmness in challenging situations and when dealing with difficult team dynamics.
As I transitioned into a managerial role, I was eager to enhance my leadership skills and cultivate effective, impactful teams. I soon discovered that many individuals rely on coaching to refine their leadership skills.
Identifying effective leaders' qualities can be complex, as these traits differ from person to person. Successful leaders listen attentively, embody transparency, foster a feedback-driven culture, and adopt a supportive role that empowers their team to thrive.
While developing these attributes is achievable, it can be challenging when managing a busy team. You must find time and energy amid endless one-on-one meetings, conferences, emails, strategy discussions, etc.
This is where coaching becomes invaluable. This article provides a brief overview of coaching. It discusses how three distinct types—professional, life, and personal coaching—have enabled me to pursue my goals, increase my energy levels, and ultimately evolve into a more effective leader.
Understanding Coaching
Coaching involves training, supporting, or preparing others to confront various challenges. In our case, the challenge is discovering and honing the strengths that help us become better leaders.
If you are considering coaching, there are several key factors to consider:
- Coaching may evoke discomfort as it often addresses emotions you might
- The coach will not share their personal experiences. Their role is to listen and help identify your strengths.
- You will be asked to set goals and reminded of them regularly (which is a good thing).
- The coaching relationship may conclude abruptly if either the coach or the coachee feels that progress is stagnant.
- The coachee should dedicate time for additional work outside of sessions, such as reading or completing specific exercises.
- The coachee should seek out coaches who have experience working with individuals in similar roles or industries, as this enhances the relevance of the coaching experience. This applies to any type of coaching.
The Three Types of Coaching
Now that we understand coaching let’s delve into its three different types. My experience in the coaching domain has been diverse, involving collaboration with three different coaches:
1. Professional Coaching
A professional coach collaborates with you to identify and achieve your career goals. They help maintain your focus on your objectives and provide regular check-ins to discuss any obstacles hindering your professional growth. Engaging with someone who listens attentively can be immensely beneficial.
I first met my professional coach during an external leadership training course. I felt a rapport between us, so I requested individual coaching sessions. The training was funded by my budget. To prepare for my sessions, I gathered feedback I received during performance reviews and some personal career goals.
2. Life Coaching
Similarly, a life coach helps you understand and overcome your personal challenges. As I began meeting with my professional coach, I realized I was struggling to balance various aspects of my life and needed support in identifying the reasons behind this imbalance.
My life coach was invaluable. We explored my boundaries and examined my reactions when those boundaries were exceeded. We also discussed strategies to mitigate pressures that compel me toward perfectionism professionally and personally. We discovered how my body responds during stressful, positive, or exciting situations.
This heightened self-awareness enhanced my personal life and made me a more effective leader, as I am now more cognizant of my reactions during challenging conversations and decisions. I have become more conscious of myself and the team I support and interact with.
3. Personal Coaching
Lastly, a personal coach helps you achieve your fitness objectives. When I began working with a personal coach two years ago, my primary goal was to enhance my physical endurance, which I believed would positively affect my mental resilience and enable me to manage stress more effectively.
Personal coaching doesn’t necessarily focus on changing your appearance; its greatest reward is the impact on brain chemistry through the release of dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins. Dopamine boosts motivation, serotonin fosters satisfaction and reward, and endorphins promote happiness.
Collectively, these hormones cultivate a positive mindset. When we feel good about ourselves, we are better positioned to engage positively with those around us, including our team.
Combining the Three Types of Coaching
You might wonder who has the time for all these types of coaching. However, combining the three can help you gain more energy, stay on track, and progress toward your goals. If you lead a team, I recommend receiving at least two out of the three types of coaching. Here are some effective combinations:
Personal and Professional Coaching
Exercising and professional coaching can be a fantastic combination. Work-related stress often leaves us emotionally drained, complexing professional coaching because we may lack the energy needed for reading, exercises, and self-reflection between sessions.
Having a personal coach to hold us accountable for physical exercise can alleviate this emotional exhaustion, enriching our professional coaching experience.
Furthermore, when we are preoccupied with work demands, we often neglect nutrition; this is where a personal coach can emphasize the importance of maintaining our health.
Life and Professional Coaching
You may not consider this combination, but it has been extremely beneficial for me. A life coach facilitates self-discovery and helps you understand your reactions to various situations, including those at work. In contrast, a professional coach focuses on implementing practical strategies that enable you to achieve your career objectives, such as enhancing your leadership skills.
For example, my life coach and I discovered that I feel anxious before conversations about poor performance. This insight prompted me to collaborate with my professional coach to enhance my ability to support my team effectively.
Together, we devised a strategy that involved conducting challenging conversations in a more informal and comfortable setting rather than a traditional conference room, which proved advantageous for me and my team members.
Self-awareness is the first step in developing the useful tools we need to achieve our professional goals, which can include managing anxiety and stress and influencing team morale.
Conclusion
Leadership is not suited for everyone and requires significant effort to develop resilience. Coaching is an excellent avenue for becoming a successful leader. It offers an external network for idea sharing and provides support during challenging times. It is essential to allocate time for this endeavor and commit to it fully.
Remain adaptable regarding your goals; they should evolve as you gain deeper insights into your leadership style. Remember that effective leadership means continuous learning, so always be humble.
