I wanted to set the record straight, at least from my perspective.

I want to go beyond that, to how we can change the perceptions many people have about coaching, just by how we hold ourselves in the equation and create a paradigm shift in people’s minds, not about what we do and who we are, as much as who our clients are.

My clients are not damaged people who need to be fixed. They are very healthy people who want to fly and partner with someone who can help them do just that.

It always amazes me when some people ask me what I do and when I tell them, immediately they jump in and say “I know someone who could REALLY use you!” or “Oh. I don’t need a coach.”

I know many other coaches hear these two lines as well. Question is…how do you answer?

I turn around and say, “Oh, why does someone need a coach? Because he/she is a rising star and wants to evolve?” or “Who DOESN’T need a coach (though I don’t use the word need, more like WANT) to work with them – someone who’s there to help them recognize hidden talents and strengths, remove roadblocks, experience breakthrough and evolve to their level of excellence with a partner who is a non judgmental professional – who can help them get where they want to go?”

My clients are amazing people who want to learn what they don’t know and see what they don’t see. They’re not people who think they’re experts or the best at what they do. Even if they are deemed best, they realize they will be really smart when they recognize they don’t know everything there is to know.

So taking this all into account, when I look at who my clients are and how they’ve flown and still want to work with a coach, I say BRAVO and double BRAVO for political leaders who park their egos and work with me. They are open to changing, being more powerful, seeing their impact and learning how to truly connect with those they lead. So if anyone from the media is reading this, applaud those political and government leaders who are working with a Coach, ’cause remember, these people don’t have to be fixed….they want to evolve into their levels of excellence.

Coaching is now in the psyche of the general public. They talk about coaches and recognize we’re here to stay. We have to articulate what we do from a position of power, positivity, strength and growth.

In order for people to see the power of coaching, they need to see it in the light of healthy appetite for growth and learning, not fixing.

My three cents….
Donna Karlin

Mondays, when I’m not working with a client, I spend a good chunk of my day handling administrivia, writing, doing paperwork, and wading through that special file I keep of ‚Äúseed thoughts,” ideas, and reminders to add to, create or morph a program or concept. There is also this file I keep of emails that I parked because I know I need a lot of thinking time to process them. Mondays are when I schedule that time in.

This morning I came across an email exchange I had with a colleague way back when. We had been talking about learning through the process of coaching, not just learning the business of coaching, or through class material, conferences or seminars. Coaches should learn from their clients daily….increasing our awareness of who we are as individuals and professionals.

I remember writing her in response to a comment she made about my work. I shared the following: ‚ÄúWhat was amazing was how much I learn when I’m Shadow Coaching. I see and learn about things I never knew existed. But even more than that, the feedback I got this afternoon showed how many levels I work on with my clients when I’m on the scene. That’s what amazed me the most. This client told me how I also helped him change in a ‚Äòholistic way’. That blew ME away. I wonder how many coaches are so wrapped up with coaching that they can forget they’re students at the same time? It doesn’t make us any less effective. Quite the opposite. It helps our clients realise the depth of their knowledge when we share how much we’ve also learned in the process. It’s a true collaborative partnership”.

“Her response was ‚ÄúThat’s why you’re so go damn good at what you do Sherlock! I learn tons from you and also keep you in my mind when I’m consulting and not sure what to do.”

There have been many a thread in coaching articles as to old ways of coaching, models perspectives etc. In the ‚Äúold days” of coaching, we used to hold back any advice-giving or communication with regards to any sign we might not have all the answers. Now, things are changing dramatically. It might be easier because I’m a situational/observational coach and there to deal with situations and truth as it unfolds. It’s even more powerful when I’m able to tell my client ‚ÄúIt’s not important to know what you do as much as how you do it or the drivers behind why you do it”. However it’s also incredibly powerful to turn to a client and ask ‚ÄúWhat is it you want from me right now? What am I missing?” and admit we’re both on a learning curve. Sometimes we need ‚Äòpermission’ to admit we don’t have all the answers but that in itself leads to a fact finding, collaborative learning curve.My clients are all unique individuals. Why would I even presume to use one methodology or answer for all of them?

How does the saying go? ‚ÄúIt’s a very stupid man who believes he has all the answers.” Something like that?

One way I let go of who I am right now to become the person I may be in the future is by asking one question at a time, then paying attention to whatever unfolds without having the need to control what that might be.

That just might be what it means to live in the questions.

I am a Coach after all and one who is involved in giving back through my work on the Board of The Coach Initiative. I felt this should be shared far and wide so I asked one of the founding partners, Chris Smith, if he could share with me how Emma gives back…

“When it comes to giving back, we like getting lots of people involved. For example, this will be the sixth year of our Emma 25 initiative, where we donate 25 Emma accounts each holiday season to small, deserving charities. Our customers nominate their favorite causes, our staffers pick the list of finalists, and our customers vote for the final 25 honorees.”

“With the trees we plant each month – we plant five for each new customer who joins us – we designate half of them for the equatorial regions that produce the most growth (and therefore the most oxygen) and let our newest customers choose where the other half go (typically somewhere in the United States). Again, it’s an easy way to not only remind them they’re helping us plant trees, but to actually give them a say in the project.”

“And we take a similar approach with our monthly donations to Kiva.org and DonorsChoose.org. In each case, an Emma staffer takes charge of the program and has a rotating group of colleagues help distribute the funds each month – to deserving third-world entrepreneurs in the case of Kiva, and deserving classrooms in the case of DonorsChoose.”

“In most of our giving, there are stories and names and faces that make it all feel really personal and rewarding, and by taking a collaborative approach we make sure everyone on staff gets to experience it first-hand.”

“Of course, this is just the tip of the collaborative iceberg for us.”

“Meals on wheels? Two staffers collaborate each Wednesday to handle the food delivery.

The newly formed Emma bowling league? Collaborative.

Designing the all-important bowling league commemorative socks? Collaborative.

Finishing off last week’s kegerator beer to make room for the new stuff? You’ve never seen such a collaborative spirit : ) ”

More information about Emma Gives Back.

When she first wrote, it didn’t remotely occur to me I would be standing in front of a group of amazing internal corporate and executive coaches in Milan a few months later. When a second coach contacted me, I figured it was worth a look.

The first question I was asked was “Will it slow you down or make a difference if the class has to be translated?” I answered “The pace will be different yes, but it will only be an issue if we make it an issue and for me, it’s not”.

So, mid April arrived and there I was standing in a conference room in Milan teaching them the Shadow Coaching methodology; action / experiential learning, fast paced and interactive. A good number of participants spoke little or no English and I spoke no Italian.

By the second day I was translating words from Italian (don’t ask me how, but I was) and the class was speaking more English than they did before. They talked, learned, we discussed, translated in real time when needed and percolated ideas.

We all evolved because of that class.

Different language and culture aside, coaching is, if nothing else, fine tuned communication between individuals. If we don’t understand, we discuss until we do, and then discuss again until we evolve.

There were many paradigm shifts as they learned the methodology of Shadow Coaching. One of the participants thanked me because he said before the class, when coaching clients his head told him one thing but his heart another. Now, through this methodology head and heart came together as one and he would never go back to his old way of coaching.

Looking back, I realize there was never a language barrier though we spoke different languages. As I reflect, I realize it was a huge leap of faith for them to bring in a Canadian coach who spoke no Italian, and who for many, was an unknown entity; however they dove in with everything they had and were, and embraced what I had to offer. I felt welcomed, and in many ways adopted by this ever growing professional coaching community.

Lessons learned or shared would be, don’t let what might seem like an obvious barrier stand in the way of sharing your knowledge and expertise around the world. Language, culture, ways of being aside, coaching is one of the few areas of practice that bridges all gaps.

I believe the ability to ask a powerful question at the right moment and for the right reasons, whether to others or ourselves, is what makes a coach masterful. Being there to see that moment unfold and recognizing it is what takes a coach to the next level, and in turn, the client and, in this case, I add the teacher and student.

So I invite you to ‘play’‚Äö√Ѭ∂to take part in this project and suggest leaders to be interviewed. I am asking leaders to spend a bit of time with me to share their stories, perspectives, and ideas in their words so they may be shared with those who will follow in their respective fields of expertise and areas of passion.

If you know a leader, a human based leader, who you think would be perfect for this, please forward this letter to them and copy me with ‘Leadership Project’ in the subject line so I can follow-up. It’s time leaders share their stories with the world and, as a Coach, through their stories I will ‘get it’ as will my students, colleagues and those who follow me in the coaching profession. In turn coaches will be able to coach people like them from a perspective of insight and understanding. A coaching ideal: ‘Win-Win’ for us all.

So will you help me in this?

With appreciation…

Donna Karlin

Coaching is a powerful intervention; however it is just one of many tools in the box an organization will bring in to help them with their growth and sustainability. Some might think coaching is the ‘end all and be all’ in solving leadership challenges. There is never one answer to all of them. What are the differences of each intervention? How might they all work together? Or not? These aren’t easy questions to answer.

As someone who is listed as a ‘leadership expert’ on Fast Company, I look at the key factors in leadership within organizations. Does a leadership culture permeate the organization or, if the person in the role of leadership leaves the organization, will it fall apart? What safeguards can be put in place to avoid that? How might we grow a leadership culture through all ranks of an organization so that doesn’t happen?

How do you define sustainable leadership? Have you had this discussion and if so, what were your findings? These are some of the key questions we will be discussing at our next ICCO symposium in Chicago. What are your perspectives on this? How can we define the coach’s role in organizational leadership? How can coaching work in combination with other change interventions to deliver the promise of sustainable leadership?

To say human beings process things in a certain way, in this case waiting until things are ‘broken,’ is to give validity to a perspective or paradigm that doesn’t serve us. Why wait for a crisis to implement change or rethink and reinvent something? Why not just create something incredible to start with, when everything is already good?

Could it be we automatically settle because amazing things happen to someone else, not us? Is it possible we don’t want to ‘press our luck’? Many have a hard time getting past their successes and so stop dead halfway to their dreams. Many become workaholics and yet won’t redefine their lives until their partner is about to ‘walk.’ There are those who won’t redefine how a company operates until it’s in crisis and about to go under. Why wait until the last moment when digging yourself out is so much harder than building something new on a foundation of great?

There might not be a simple answer, but I’d love to hear your insights on this.

I believe we can do our best coaching when we have the conversations we need to have with people in all fields of practice. It’s not just talking to clients or colleagues, it’s talking to everyone and anyone to find out their story, how they got to where they are.

Did they work with coaches or not? If they haven’t worked with a coach, what was their overall impression of coaching? Good? Bad? Indifferent? How could coaching have impacted their world if they worked with one when things were great?

I recently wrote an article for the International Journal for Coaching in Organizations http://www.ijco.info on the topic of Shadow Coaching political leaders. One of the questions I posed to someone in an area of power, complexity and intensity was “What if your work could positively influence the stressors on your team? What would that look like?”

Without letting the cat out of the bag, you’ll have to read the article to know the rest, let me just say that in this case the stressors were positive and energizing ones. How can we, as a community of coaches, let the world know our work is about helping great people become even better and that we don’t ‘fix’ things or people?

I’d love to hear your stories about “From Great to Even Better”

I recently read a fascinating article in the World Business Life online magazine called “How Good Do You Think You Are?” which fascinated me. How often do we take client ethics into consideration when we coach them? Is it something that is in the forefront of our minds as we listen to where they are, to their challenges, to roadblocks and stressors in their worlds?

Do we challenge them in a non-judgmental way about how they process what they do and how and, perhaps, help them see their way might not be the only way or best way? Does it come to mind as we coach them through an inter-personal relationship, especially in the workplace when they might deceive themselves as to the right or wrong of their actions? Or do many coaches take what the clients say at face value and coach them on their articulation of the situation?

I found this article fascinating as it highlighted an area of focus I should always pay attention to. How can we ask our clients about their ethical foundation without sounding judgmental? If you witnessed a client doing something where their ethics might be in question, how would you approach it, if at all?

Do you think that HR professionals feel threatened by the presence of a coach? Should we develop an awareness or info session to define the differences between the roles of a coach and the HR department? What are your thoughts about the best ways to get HR professionals on board to support the coaching intervention? Or do you think organizational coaches should bypass the HR departments altogether, and work only with organizational leadership?