Here Is Sophie's Success Plan
Sometimes coaching sessions are too good not to share (don't worry I have permission)
On Monday, I met a longstanding coaching client for the last of her current sessions. Sometimes, when I’m closing out clients’ journeys, there are still agreed topics to cover, and together we squeeze out every last drop of goodness.
With Sophie (not her real name) we ended up on a different pathway. She openly reflected on what had been and where she’d gained most value. How things had changed and the ways in which our conversations had enabled her to look at work anew, to regroup when her chips were down, enter tricky conversations with less emotional equity at stake, and in the end, do her job better - play bigger even.
As she talked, I jotted down Sophie’s nuggets of wisdom. I always take notes, this though felt different. Very quickly I was writing a powerful list of the ways that Sophie could continue to coach herself.
I believe that Sophie’s list is a list for us all. A kind of anchor for whatever professional waters you happen to be sailing in.
Everything shared in today’s newsletters is done so with Sophie’s permission.
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For context, this is my view of Sophie and her work:
Sophie is brilliant
By her own admission, Sophie is too quick to think ‘I am rubbish’
Sophie’s direct boss is challenging, this has chipped away at her confidence
Sophie is empathetic and clever
Everyone is thinly stretched at Sophie’s work
I am going to miss Sophie. Of course I am. My favourite thing is to spend time with awesome women like her. And I know that every new beginning there is also a sense of loss. You know that too. Either way, I still think it is an important recognition to share.
In conclusion, she told me on Monday, coaching had made her far more resilient. She had learnt over the course of our 12 meet ups, to cope much better with everything that work threw at her. Her boundaries were doing their job now: they protected her energy, they stopped her being floored by Sunday night emails. Exceptional circumstances aside, the emails could wait.
We often can’t articulate the ways in which we grow and evolve. Of course we can’t! We are with ourselves all day long; unbiased perspective isn’t exactly on tap. So like I said, while Sophie surmised, I took specific notes.
Sophie’s 10 Point Coach Yourself Plan
Seek Many Perspectives: in Sophie’s case, her tricky boss became the only filter of internal information. Now Sophie has a suite of women and men in her company who she can pick the phone up to. They all offer different view points. The filter is suddenly a hell of a lot wider and more balanced.
Let Things Break: this is an awesome one. Sophie is a fixer. She plugs holes to prevent metaphorical deluges. Sure her plugging keeps everyone dry, it also rinses Sophie of energy and focus. Letting things break, then escalating the issue, makes better sense all round.
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