The weeds of progress
A friend asked me why people hire coaches. Legit question. The professional coaching industry hasn’t been around that long and can seem elusive and exclusive, like a secret club. It also can be difficult to explain. It’s a lot like therapy was 20 years ago. If you knew, you knew. So, I think it’s valid to say that business coaching as a profession hasn’t gone mainstream at this point.
As I considered my response, I contemplated sharing the different methodologies, the list of themes as examples, or maybe how I have benefited from coaching, personally. There’s a ton of nuance to it and it can sound intense so I thought a light analogy would help.
Outside my bedroom is a little covered balcony that I just love. When we remodeled our house, we put in this really cute built-in planter. We took a lot of care in deciding what to plant based on the water, light, and drainage [the system]. We chose these robust and unusual-looking succulents that we were told would thrive in the space. Of course, there is care required to keep them thriving and, admittedly, I don’t exactly have a green thumb, so this was going to require some effort on my part [continuous improvement].
For the last several weeks or so (maybe longer), upon opening the shades to the balcony, I noticed something different in the planter. I assumed there was just new growth sprouting. Then one day, I opened the shades and noticed what looked like a weed [the challenge]. I suppose the recent winds carried it up to the second floor [a change in the system].
So, I pulled it out immediately upon discovery, right? I did not! I kept saying, “I’ll take care of that tomorrow” [avoidance]. Meanwhile, that weed was enjoying a grand life while mildly (or so I thought) disrupting our otherwise thriving planter.
I knew at some point, I would have to address this situation [avoidance coping]. I hoped that the damage was mild and reversible [passive optimism]. It seems such a little thing, not high on my list of priorities (We have so many!), but it weighed on me more than I realized [creating underlying stress]. It wasn’t until it was as large as one of the main plants that I decided to take action [priorities had to shift].
It turns out that it had grown some pretty significant roots [pivotal moments in our lives]. It wasn’t going to be easy to extricate it and I knew there would be remnants left in the soil that would take months to deal with [processing problems]. I couldn’t just pull it out with my hands and be rid of it. I would need tools, maybe even new soil. And, there was more than one…it had multiplied! [one problem or behavior can impact other areas in our lives]
I will need to invest more time and energy into this situation and be more proactive [taking initiative]. I’m going to have to watch this closely, do some research, and listen to my gut a little more if I want to make progress [create awareness, uncover blind spots]. I know for certain that ignoring the problem didn’t solve it and, by waiting, it cost me more energy and time [there’s always a cost/benefit to consider].
Ok, so this example is a bit of a silly, simple, and low-risk problem, but consider the challenges we experience in our careers - a behavior that no longer serves us, a goal or task that you can’t seem to complete, a passion that we’ve sidelined, a new career path, or a job change [all hard things]. Regardless of what “it” is, acknowledge that it exists [awareness, acknowledgment]. Decide that it’s important, and, if so, make it a priority.
Investing time and energy to make progress can be hard to do alone. Enlisting the help of a coach who can meet you where you are, guide you through the inner work, and hold you accountable, can help you achieve whatever change you are looking to make. If you’re willing to do the work, you’re going to make progress. The progress might not even be obvious to others at first, but it will be in due time and it is bound to positively impact other parts of your life.
So, to answer the question a little differently…
A coach can help with many of the “its” in life.
A coach [executive, business, leadership] is a partner [not to be confused with a sponsor] to help you progress toward your goals and aspirations.
A coach meets you where you are, understanding that you are a unique and resourceful person [not to be confused with a mentor].
A coach holds the space for you to reflect, uncover, and understand what’s holding you back [without judgment and with confidentiality].
A coach can help you make progress
