Posted on: 20th February 2024
Another New Year fades into the distance and along with it so many good intentions for a better self ahead…or are you one of the many that have made a real commitment to change and development in 2024?
So far this year at Parsons Talent Consulting we have had a record number of clients signing up for coaching fr all kinds of reasons. Some as part of on-boarding and stepping up to a new job, others with longer term progression and succession readiness in mind, and because they want to maximise their impact in the roles they already have.
Increasingly, this includes both executives and non-executives addressing greater pressure on performance and increased pace of change.
So how to ensure that this investment in your development delivers a return?
Clearly, choice of coach is key and ideally this would be someone with business insight alongside strong development skills and an ethos you can relate to. Some degree of chemistry is also needed and difficult to quantify, only you will know. But how to prepare yourself for learning and the inevitable need to leave your comfort zone?
Research suggests that we learn best when we have clear goals, feel psychologically safe and have opportunities to apply new learning as we go, but what about the specifics of learning in a coaching construct?
It’s simple but also deep and boils down to the following:
Show up: bring you, with all your hopes, fears and frailties to this unique opportunity
Be open to feedback: get good at it, it’s essential to accelerating and maximising learning and change
Commit to action: know that coaching is a passport to new habits, perspectives and horizons – but only if you are prepared to move