Every week I spend two hours with a business/psychological coach. I have done this most of my working career. It provides me with an opportunity to think through key issues in my life and work from a higher perspective - to get a helicopter view of my external world and hence put things into perspective. It also allows me to get feedback on my blind spots - on how I am getting in my own way.
Blind spots by definition are the things about ourselves we can't see. Having a professional, who knows us well, shedding light on our blind spots is invaluable because then we can do something about them. The rule of thumb is that what we can't see (because it is unconscious) rules us, while we have some control over what is conscious.
For me two hours a week gaining perspective, growing, learning and finding new strategies to empower me to achieve at ever higher levels is a great investment of time and money.
This is particularly so because my company provides coaching style services to executives around the world and I strongly believe that we should not do to others what we are not prepared to do to ourselves. There have been periods when - for a variety of reasons - I haven't seen a coach. Invariably, the major hiccups, downfalls and disasters in my life and career happened when I wasn't getting professional support.
Apart from being professionally programmed to get support (in my field it is called supervision and is seen much the same way as a doctor reviewing his or her cases in front of colleagues) I am also more likely to seek it because I am a woman. Women when they feel unwell or have a problem are more likely to see a doctor or talk to friends or professionals.
Men on the other hand tend to tough it out. Male bravado calls for men to do it themselves, be strong. The image of the Lone Ranger comes to mind. The strong lone man, mounted on his trusty horse, riding into town saving the situation and riding off - alone. It always amazes me when clients (usually men) defer or cancel a coaching session because they have major issues to face. This makes as much sense to me as saying "I can't eat now, because I'm hungry".
I have found both personally and professionally that the key times to get support are in fact when we are the most busy (times when we are likely to get stressed and lose perspective) and when we have the most challenging issues (and therefore need time to think through lateral creative solutions - not to mention growing and getting out of our own way).
What is it that makes people feel more comfortable with managing crises alone rather than taking the time to think through and talk through issues with a trusted adviser/coach so that they avoid pitfalls and therefore in the end have fewer problems to solve?
