Creating Space to Lead Beyond Achievement

Leading With VOICCE® Series.

I remember feeling like everyone else saw my strengths, yet I felt like I was just trying to get through the day. My annual appraisals always had glowing reviews, yet I remember feeling like something wasn't translating into the way I felt about my leadership day to day.

If all of this is true, why does every day feel like I'm swimming against the current?

Since becoming a coach, I now truly understand how powerful it is to have one, and how much I wish I had one when I was still leading in a traditional workplace. I certainly rely on coaching now as a business owner.

There are a few fundamental principles we learned during my time at The Jay Shetty Certification School:

1. Coaches aren't there to give anyone the answers - they are there to guide individuals to their own.

2. No one is broken, and no one needs fixing - people simply need the space to discover how whole, complete, and resourceful they truly are. 

3. Coaches are not therapists, and both the coach and the client always need to understand that distinction.

4. As coaches, we must do our own inner work first. Not because our lives need to be perfect - that's not real - but so that our own triggers, traumas, and biases don't get in the way of serving our clients' needs.

I've also learned that the more I talk to others, many people don't quite understand those principles, and very few can name how coaching is different than therapy. So let's start there. 

Jay Shetty says it best when he simply tells us: "Therapy helps you make sense of your past. Coaching helps you build for your future."

Therapy is a beautiful complement to coaching, and I love when my clients choose to engage in both. 

Here are areas that we specifically focus on in coaching. 

Awareness

Coaches serve as a source of deeper awareness. But ALWAYS with an understanding of how it serves where you are trying to go. We focus on building internal awareness so that there is clarity as we define and refine goals. We strive to understand how you see yourself, and what core beliefs and behaviors are serving you as well as which ones are not. 

Direction

As we practice deepening awareness, we are also support you in identifying your direction: What are your goals? What's the future you want to create? What is the best possible outcome? For many clients and coaches, you may start with a certain goal, but as awareness deepens, you find that the original goal was only directionally accurate and there's a deeper objective you are craving. 

Clarity like that happens because coaches serve as a mirror. Not to give you an answer but to reflect back things you might otherwise overlook. When you have direction, you can move forward with intention.

Practice

The time between coaching sessions is just as valuable as the time spent in conversation with the coach. You're setting up the work during the conversation, but you're actually putting in the work once the session is over. I've had clients who attempt to postpone sessions because they hadn't had a chance to complete whatever they'd last committed to. Those are my favorite moments. I encourage them to keep the session on the calendar. Why? Because there's insight there. What did you prioritize over doing the work? What insight can you gain from this? Coaches are here not to witness the final, finished product, but to walk alongside you through trial and error, discovery and disappointment, setback and success. 

Accountability

Imagine having an accountability partner who is as invested in your success as you are? It's up to you to do the work, but how much do your chances of success increase when you know you are fully supported? Coaching creates a psychologically safe space where you may not always get it right, but you will be supported as you learn along the way. And you will always be held accountable to the goal or outcome you are trying to achieve. Things may evolve, and that's okay - if they do, that is because you have higher self-awareness, clearer direction, and have put in enough work to know if you are still on track.

World-class athletes have coaches, not because something is wrong or broken, but because they want to be at the top of their game. Imagine how different your leadership, or the leaders on your teams, would show up if they had dedicated support to not only see their blind spots, but to identify their ideal path forward? What if they could both build a strategic plan, consistently practice putting in the work, and be held accountable along the way?

If you or someone in your circle is interested in doing deep, transformative work to deepen internal clarity, lead with greater impact, and gain deeper alignment to your own voice, my fall cohort is currently enrolling. You can find more info here.

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Tian Philson - Leadership Transformation & Decision-Making Coach | Creator of the VOICCE® Decision Making & Empowerment Framework | Helping leaders go inward so they can go upward.