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What coaching can do for you

What coaching can do for you

I sometimes struggle to articulate the outcomes people will get from working with me. Perhaps because I see each client as so entirely unique. For me, coaching is a process of equipping you with the self-awareness, the tools, and the renewed sense of self-trust that will help you to feel better resourced, and able to tackle whatever challenges you might face. So, rather than attempting to prescribe an outcome, I thought I would share a case study of just one of the clients who has been through my Leading on Purpose group programme

September 23, 2024

I sometimes struggle to articulate the outcomes people will get from working with me. Perhaps because I see each client as so entirely unique. For me, coaching is a process of equipping you with the self-awareness, the tools, and the renewed sense of self-trust that will help you to feel better resourced, and fully able to tackle whatever challenges you might face

So, rather than attempting to prescribe an outcome, I thought I would share a case study of just one of the clients who has been through my Leading on Purpose group programme

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This client started the programme feeling overwhelmed by all the minutiae of the projects she was working on. She was struggling to understand why her team came to her with every single problem, but never any solutions. She felt frustrated by their slow progress and their lack of motivation.

She had high standards for herself, and wasn't sure why others didn't seem to share her sense of dedication. Especially when she knew the organisation's mission was so important, so potentially transformative. It was dispiriting. Exhausting.

The lives of the young people the organisation worked with were undoubtedly changed for the better. Every so often, one of their participants would come to them and talk about how their world had been transformed. It gave such a huge boost to everyone involved.

But this seemed to happen more by luck than judgement. There was no real method to the madness.

What emerged was a lack of clear strategic direction. As a result, both she and the team felt unable to make decisions about what needed to be done. Every year, every project, every task felt like reinventing the wheel. The team had no choice but to ask for her guidance, because all the information - such as it was - was held in her head.

Over the course of Leading on Purpose, this leader came to the realisation that her team didn't really understand her vision for the organisation, because she didn't fully understand it herself. This had cascaded down into a culture hamstrung by defensiveness, rigid hierarchy, and a lack of trust.

By regaining a clear understanding of what really mattered to her, and reconnecting to why she was leading the organisation in the first place, she was able to develop a much clearer vision, which she then articulated to her team.

It was as if someone had waved a magic wand.

The skills, talents and enthusiasm that had been lying dormant were suddenly unleashed. People began to take the initiative and offer suggestions about how to move the organisation forwards.

One person resigned, because they came to realise that the vision for what the organisation wanted to achieve did not align with theirs. And that was okay. That felt right.

By releasing her firm grip on exacting standards and perfectionism, delegation became easier. People started to take the initiative and move things forward without even being asked, as the culture gradually began to shift towards one of trust, instead of blame.

Thanks to her new-found trust in her team, they felt more ownership of the vision and therefore took more responsibility for their role in bringing it into being.

Freed up to focus on the higher level strategic work of setting the vision, and advocating for the cause she believed in, this leader actually started to enjoy her role again. She regained her space to dream.

She was able to close her laptop at the end of the day in the knowledge that what needed to be done, would be done, even if it wasn't perfect. She was able to switch off from work and be more present for her young children.

As a result, she came to work feeling more rested and resourced. The creative juices started flowing again. She felt able to become the compassionate, supportive leader she had always wanted to be. One who developed others and helped them to become leaders themselves.

A virtuous circle of joyful collaboration, where her team felt more energised and excited about the work, and so did she. Everybody felt the benefit - the organisation, the beneficiaries, even her friends and family.

Neither of us could have predicted where Leading on Purpose would take her. What I know is that it transformed her approach to leadership, and the woman I saw at the end of the three months was lighter, brighter, and had a twinkle in her eye.

That's just one example of what Leading on Purpose could do for you.

Read more at annettecorbett.com/leading-on-purpose

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This is one of a series of (regular-ish) articles and newsletters about coaching, compassion and culture. If you would prefer to get these notes direct to your inbox, head to annettecorbett.com/links to read more about my work and sign up to my mailing list

Helping weary women in the performing arts reignite the fire in their belly, so they can lead their own way with confidence, compassion & calm