By: Laurie Cure

When you hear the word coaching, what comes to mind?

The term coaching invokes different meanings for various individuals. For some, coaching is part of a disciplinary performance management process when employees and leaders are not effective in their roles. For others, it conjures an image of a sports coach or a life coach.

My first experience with coaching was freeing, enlightening and truly life saving. I was at a pivotal moment in my career (and life actually) and was in a bit of a freefall with no bottom in sight. My coach allowed me to pause, reflect and catch my breath long enough to see what I needed to do differently. I was offered perspectives and strategies that I had not considered before. I had someone I could talk to who was neutral to my issues and allowed me to find my own voice in discovering a way forward.

At Innovative Connections, we view coaching as an opportunity to partner with a professional leadership coach who can hold space, provide insights, and reflect to you in a way that can be life altering. We see it as an interactive process of insight and self- discovery which unlocks a person’s potential, equipping them to develop and grow.

Coaching is an alliance in which the coach and the coachee work together as equals to support the coachee’s goals, whatever those might be.

Your coach is there to support you in designing your professional and personal goals as well as hold you accountable to the commitments you make in order to get there. They sometimes hold up the mirror, other times ask you powerful questions allowing new awareness to emerge. Your coach will not just challenge you, but also champion your progress.

Coaching is forward and future focused and holds the belief that a coach is a guide, there to help extract the answers you already have.

Coaching provides multiple benefits such as increased self-awareness, relationship management and increased emotional intelligence to carry your career and personal development forward. Coaching can help you be a leader who engages more with the team and is able to build an environment with better energy, communication and relationships.

A commitment to professional development through coaching offers significant benefits across the workforce such as:

• Higher levels of engagement, commitment and retention

• Effective succession planning

• Stronger employee/leader relationships

• Increased productivity, resilience and wellness

• Enhanced creativity and innovation

Innovative Connections offers a customized approach to coaching that is tailored specifically to the your’ needs, whether you’re an individual seeking personal development or a company seeking to have their team coached. We have a variety of coaches, each with unique coaching styles designed to meet different challenges, needs and personalities of clients. We are genuine and believe that trust and strong relationships are necessary to carry a coaching engagement through to a successful result.

What experience have you had with coaching?

Where do you have “problems” that a coach could support you in finding solutions?