I had my first coaching session on Wednesday. I was kinda nervous but after a while it settled into a nice rhythm. The person is a peer of mine doing a four month stint at a fellow group leader. He's a super guy - quiet, very smart, and personable.
Observations:
- the less I talked, the more he did.
- I found that by questioning assumptions, it allowed him to open up his perceptions to other ideas.
- by questioning his ideas on what he should do next, it allowed him to develop a gameplan to move into this role
- coaching is a partnership. I'm learning as much as he has.
- I think (heaven forbid I think) by following the materials presented in both our books, (I'm more of a HEART coach), it gives direction.
- having an agenda prior really really helps
- asking him to bring forward items to our next session sets us up for the next round.
- I've scheduled myself to email him weekly to see how things are going (support)
- coaching is HARD. REALLY REALLY HARD. It's draining, especially if you get involved.
- at the end of the session, I needed a mental break.
- matching the communication style of the coachee really helps.
- don't think so hard about it.
- I need to bring forward more theories into the next session
- I need to match and research his MBTI style when it comes to planning
