Aug 20th
My coach and friend M.J. Clark has told me on a few different occasions that professionals should start coaching much earlier in their careers.
That makes sense. Why not start improving yourself and your skills early, right?
The truth is that most professionals start coaching in their mid to late career. Maybe the leap is spurred by an advancement in position or the start of a small business. Some people even start coaching because they’ve recently lost a job, or worse yet, their are challenges at home. (It was both of those last reasons that motivated me to start working with M.J. two years ago).
(disclosure: I am M.J.’s client and have been for a while. This is not an advertorial for ILS. This is just my experience to date in hopes that it might spark ideas in you.)
Being Present
One of my favorite things to read is the writings of Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Han. In late 2007, during one of the periods when shit was hitting the proverbial fan in my life, I started having trouble managing my temper. Burn out, combined with an inability to effectively manage the stress of a failing marriage, a new baby and being laid off was taking it’s toll on my mind and body.
During one of the many meetings in the interview process with Young Isaac, my friend and owner of the firm, Artie Isaac shared two pieces of knowledge changed everything. The first was a copy of Anger: Wisdom for Cooling the Flames, Han’s 2001 book applying Buddhist philosophy to anger management practices. There’s a quote from the book has stayed with me ever since the moment I read it.
“Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.â€
Powerful stuff. Have you ever felt completely out of touch? I was there more than once. I’m betting we’ve all been there at some point in our lives. Han’s writing was my wake up call.
The second thing Artie gave me was M.J.’s card, and a brief description of what she did at ILS.
Switzerland
I’ve been coaching on and off for the past two years, learning how to manage complicated relationships and complex situations.
I think that, as I grow older and take on more responsibility, it gets easy to get wrapped up in satisfying the needs and expectations of the people around me. Getting too wrapped up in making everyone happy can leave you as the only unhappy person in the room. M.J. has become my Switzerland. She’s a neutral sounding board, tasked with providing guidance so that I make the best decisions for me. She takes that charge seriously. It’s her job to do so.
For me, going through the coaching process while I am still fairly young in my career has given me the tools to find and embrace the present moment. It’s not a perfect science and never will be. I will always struggle to not live in the past or future. But life keeps moving on…
Do you work with a coach? How has it changed you as a person or a professional? Care to share your experience?
Join The Discussion!