LOOK IN THE MIRROR. DO YOU SEE A LEADER?
One of my values is personal development, and I have wanted to continue the development of my coaching for some time. This year, I have made space to undertake learning to become a Certified Master Coach.
Now, I am already a highly qualified coach, and I have more than a decade’s experience. So, you might ask, why would I do this?
There are many reasons which I will share, and the fundamental one is simply to satisfy this value that I have.
It is so important to me to continue my own learning, and this has stretched me. Achieving mastery in anything is a very significant undertaking. This experience has led me to ask myself some very tough questions. Including wondering why did I even start this process.
I have been questioning my competence as a coach. My confidence in my ability and being a coach has taken a beating. I have been questioning whether I even have it in me to accomplish what I set out to do and become a Certified Master Coach. Yet, I have previously been very confident and competent as a coach because I know I have done the work, the practice.
This learning, however, has been a humbling experience. Right now, I am in the messy middle. I will get to the other side, because this is so important to me and to the difference I aspire to make.
In fact, I am on the journey I speak to others about. Sharing what makes a great coach. The ability to hold the mirror up to recognise your greatness, and perhaps your shortfalls, is part of that process. Then to take this awareness and have the will to focus on your own development.
Growing yourself so you always have something to offer. This is one of the essential elements of being a leader that I talk about. I have been doing a lot of this myself. And no, it has not been easy. Yet, if it was easy, everyone would do it.
So let me share why I have continued this incredibly challenging journey to mastery:
- I want to be better as a coach and human.
- I want to offer an even higher level of service to my clients.
- I want to make a bigger, more impactful difference for good.
- I do want to continue to grow so I always have something to offer the people around me.
- I want to role model leadership.
- I want to elevate my own leadership of self, of my tribe, of my world.
The next thing I will do once I finish writing this article is submit my written exams. With the oral exams to follow. Soon I will see just how far I have come and whether it is far enough on the journey to mastery.
I have plenty of growth to come before I will feel like a master coach. I think capability comes first for me, and then confidence follows.
What about you? How are you actively growing your leadership?
I’d love to know your thoughts.
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