I’ve coached folks at all levels of the org chart for years. But when I first started advertising it as a service in 2022 I found there were two very popular views people held about coaching in general.
The first is that a coach is there to, say, help front line managers grow into directors. What does it take to expand your thinking and delegate and manage your time so you can tackle higher level issues? This is rarely provided at companies and is super helpful.
The second is that a coach exists to be a sounding board. A leader shows up, says “Hey I’m going to try this solution to Problem X, what do you think?” And then I ask some questions and help them flesh out their understanding of the problem space. Not something you can easily get within your company, so again…super helpful.
But there’s a third way a coach is valuable, and it’s the one I would love to be able to advertise better. I’ve seen a greater need for this in recent years, mainly since the onslaught of a global health crisis. I’ve had many coaching clients refer to our time together as being “like therapy”. Here’s what I think they mean.
I’m not a licensed counselor. There’s a lot of overlap between my field and theirs, but I’m not a healthcare professional. But the same needs that drive people to seek counseling are also being met when I talk to clients. Everyone has stressors, and leaders especially can get overwhelmed. Hitting your own deliverables is hard enough, but then you’re also accountable for team members getting their stuff done and you’re on the hook for their behavior and their development and oh by the way HAVE A PANDEMIC and and and…
It all adds up, and sometimes it helps to just have someone to talk to. Someone who gets it. Someone who doesn’t have office baggage or political affiliations within your org. Someone who understands your problem space but doesn’t have any Machiavellian schemes for their own advancement causing you to wonder if you’re safe talking to them. Even if you’re an experienced leader who has been trained and has a supportive boss, dealing with humans extracts a toll. Just because you know how to fire someone or tell them they aren’t getting the promotion they wanted or that they’re getting moved to a crappy project doesn’t mean it’s a free move. There’s a cost.
So I think when my clients say “being on a call with you is like therapy,” I think they mean it helps to have someone who’ll just listen.
As it turns out, I’m a pretty good listener.
image courtesy of Isaac Quesada via unsplash