Looking Back - Dealing with the sponsor

This is the next installment looking back over my journey to here. It follows on from the  looking-back-coach-transfer post.

My new coach suggested we did things properly. This meant having a sponsor. A sponser being Boss. The idea behind this was to make sure that both he and I bought into the same reasons for the coaching and could work towards the same goals.

I ummed, I arrred and I ummed again. Then I decided to bite the bullet. What had I really got to loose?

So at my next monthly appraisal I raised the topic. Boss didn’t really pretend to understand, but knows that as my manager he is expected to support my persona; development and I guess to some extent that he saw that whatever time I spent doing this was effort that he didn’t need to put in.


So coach, Boss and I sat down and talked about me. I was amazed how clued up Boss was. He’d made some observations about me that where quite startling. The phrase he used was Snowdrop sees herself as a square peg in a round hole.


He’d completely hit the nail on the head. I knew that’s how I saw me, but I couldn’t believe he could see it too. God! I must be transparent

Why do we need to change?

This is the third in a series of posts about change.


Sometimes we want to change. Perhaps there is something that you don’t like about yourself and are seeking an opportunity to do something about it. You might actually like who and what you are but are seeking continuous improvement and in doing so see a need to change.

Sometimes we resist change; perhaps change is being forced on you at work. In recent times employers are dictating that change is essential for their businesses to operate. As an employee it can be difficult to keep up.

It could be that someone you are connected to is seeking change, forcing a change directly on you. Major life events such as marriage or loss of a loved one envokes change.

It’s how we deal with that change that matters.

To keep ahead it’s critical that we continue to develop as a person and change. Change, however can bring many emotions, it can be exciting or terrifying, fun or confusing.

I hope that some of my upcoming blog posts will help you to cope with whatever aspect of change you are facing, understand your inner feelings and help you to deal positively with these.

Learning Point

It can be easy to judge people, to have a pre-conceived idea of who they are, what they're about and how they'll act - and this is something I'm going to have to move away from as a life coach an d learn to treat everyone on face value.

My Backing Young Britain Mentee contacted me today. I'd written her off. One session, confirmation to the job centre that's she'd attended, allowances in tact. And that was the overriding feeling. She'd missed a meeting - just one, and failed to respond to my messages and I'd written her off.


I guess not everyone checks their email daily.

Just one week later she contacts me. She's been given a three month placement under a government backed incentive and will be doing some admin work in a local hospital. Its a fantastic opportunity to get some relevant work experience and a chance to prove herself and come out with some good references. It wasn't easy to talk, she was on her mobile so we're going to have a proper chat next week. I'm really looking forward to it. but my learning point this week is go give people more of a chance.

Coaching High

..........Now!

Had a coaching session with one of my volunteer coachees today. I was able to go into the session, not worrying about whether or not I'd done enough prep. And the session was so much better because I allowed it to flow naturally.

I can't go into details because my coachee has a right to privacy, but I do know that they have taken some pretty big steps in facing the obstacles that are in the way of progress and will be able to continue to use what they have learnt in the future too.

This person's enthusiasm for what they are doing is amazing and it makes my job very easy. See, I can't simply accept that I might actually be a natural at this!

From my point of view, I know I push a little too hard at times, I need to take a step back and allow my coachees a little more time to identify their own solutions.

I guess the real buzz of it came when my coachee rang me back to say they'd actually done what they'd been putting off. I'd say that's a really big well done to both of us.

Business Link

A rare treat today! I took a half day off working this morning. I generally prefer afternoons. I like that feeling of getting work over and done with early and not have it looming over me like an a swinging axe.

So I managed to get an extra Body Pump work out in and then went to meet Pete at Business Link. I found him a bit feeble, although he was enthusiastic, over enthusiastic. Its a shame really I've heard great things about Business Link but could be easily put off by the first meeting I had. The reception girl at my local council office just vaguely waved me in the direction of his office, the meeting lasted about 20 mins, but the advice sound:

"As soon as I have clients get some business insurance, business car insurance, record mileage and keep receipts". We also talked about their courses which was my main reason for going - so I will reserve judgement until then.

He offered 4 course dates. Two of them are during the days and I will find them difficult to attend. The other two are Monday and Wednesday evenings but are immediately following my 4-day weekends at Barefoot Coaching getting my training. I will be shattered. But its that or wait until December.

Decisions, decisions!

Today I also posted my balance cheque to Barefoot -so I am paid in full. Again I posted it with a little nervousness but no real doubts. Cara has sent me the joining pack through which covers all the course work and mentions a journal. I do keep one already, but I sense this one needs to be written with more feeling - as probably does my blog. Starting .................

Change - The Concept

This blog post is about Change. Change is a concept that many of us struggle to deal with, or we find it difficult to adapt to new situations, sometimes we need a little help along the way.




Struggling to deal with change can be counter-productive and hold us back in both our personal or working lives. Change can be large, resulting from a change in personal circumstances e.g. loss of a family member, change in job, marriage, or small e.g. a new filing system at work. Fear of change can prevent us from trying something new. No matter how large or small the change, its rarely trivial and can result in emotions such as fear or blame.


In many cases change is out of our control and if we can manage our feelings around change, then we more quickly adapt and become productive again.

Change

Life has settled down a bit for me now and I'm going through a series of actions in setting up my business. My emotions are much calmer and I feel I have less to report about me.



One of my intentions of this blog was to set up a resource that people could use and hopefully find some inspiration, so I will start to cover a series of topics that I hope you will find useful.

The first of those will be "Change". I've already touched on Change, when I first included the Kubler Ross Change Curve.  This post gets more hits from google then any other post on my blog so change must be interesting to people.

By Definition:

"CHANGE verb ( BECOME DIFFERENT ) : to make or become different, or to exchange one thing for another thing, especially of a similar type"

But what does change mean to us?