Why work with a coach?
‘Coaching helps the puzzle pieces to fall into place’ – Daniel
“Why work with a coach?” is a question we’re often asked at Sirise Coaching. And who better to answer this than one of our clients, Daniel, who participated in our Sirise Stepping Up to Leadership programme. Sarah Parr asked him a few questions about his experience of coaching.
Sarah: What challenges or opportunities were you facing which led to us working together?
Daniel: My service area was underperforming due to the pandemic, and we had a backlog of work which was incredibly difficult to manage. As a new leader, I suffered with a lack of confidence which made me second guess my decisions and rely on my director too much.
Coaching challenged me, but in the right way. I realised that I couldn’t continue as we were. I realised I needed to step up and be more accountable as leader of my service. As you work with a coach, you might experience temporary discomfort as you begin to change but ultimately this proved to be successful, thanks to you.
Sarah: What might have prevented you from working with a coach?
Daniel: I previously perceived coaching to be similar to counselling. Quite clearly, that isn’t the case. I also had a fear of ‘being found out’ or of a coach reporting back negatively to my manager. Of course, that is absolute nonsense, but being in a new role, I had to overcome my initial feelings of having ‘imposter syndrome’.
In my experience coaching wasn’t something that was widely discussed at operational level, so it come as a strange concept to start with, but after getting advice from colleagues, it was clear this was something that would help me.
Sarah: What have you done differently as a result of the Stepping Up To Leadership programme?
Daniel: Delegation!!! I struggled to delegate, being now in a leadership role, I cannot feasibly take on everything, I had to find a way to delegate more to give myself the time to do my own job. After coaching, one of the first thoughts now is, “Who would be the effective person to take on the task?”
Management of stakeholders has also become a much larger part of my day to day activities. I have taken more time to reflect on my own performance, and how my team’s performance impacts stakeholders in and out of the business.
‘Coaching helped to unlock the answers in me’. – Daniel
Sarah: So, what did you feel before and after the coaching programme?
Before – I was very apprehensive about how to work with a coach, but I went into it with an open mind, as I felt I needed something to help me, given where I was at the time.
After – I felt like a new person, almost like all the pieces of the puzzle that I needed at the beginning fell into place. The coaching has helped to unlock the answers in me which I am eternally grateful for.
Sarah: I’m pleased the Stepping Up to Leadership programme has made a difference in your life. What would you say to others who are considering working with a coach?
Daniel: I would 100% recommend coaching and would also recommend you as a coach. You are very attentive to the individual, it’s clear how passionate you are and this is clearly reflected in your detailed understanding of the circumstances discussed in each session.
I didn’t have to repeat myself or remind you of anything. The time we spent together was valuable, and each session covered new ground. Although I brought discussion points to the table, you focused the outcomes with my objectives. I recommend Sirise to anyone considering coaching.
Coaching is a working partnership between coach and client to achieve measurable results. If you’re a new leader and think that coaching could support you in your role, then please email sarah.parr@sirise.co.uk to book an initial discovery call, and we can take it from there.