The power of coaching

I was recently invited to reflect on an early experience that has defined my leadership style. The experience that immediately came to mind was from my time working as a figure skating coach in my teens. 

I coached a young girl who was preparing for her first solo competition. She was not your typical figure skater. She was taller than most and had the posture of someone attempting to make themselves appear smaller. She preferred baggy clothing to sparkly skating dresses. She wasn’t obedient and eager to please like my other students (or like me, for that matter) - she was rebellious and wickedly sarcastic. Being in the spotlight was not her thing, so preparing for her first competition was an enormous challenge for her. Over several months, she and I worked together to design a routine that reflected her strengths and felt authentic and achievable to her. We worked through many tears and fears together. I loved being her coach. 

I so vividly remember her first performance in competition. She showed up with confidence, determination and joy. She didn’t win a medal, and she didn’t move on to have a spectacular figure skating career. And none of that mattered. She took fear by the hand and let herself be seen, and that was a big deal. I could see that something about that experience was important for her.

The experience was just as important for me. It gave me my first taste of how incredible it feels to help someone see their own potential, not in a way that tries to fit them into a mould or pre-defined path, but in a way that honours and enhances their natural gifts. 

One quality I’ve possessed since childhood is the ability to see the good and potential in everyone. I know that we all have gifts, and that we’re all capable of greatness in our own ways.

My leadership and coaching style reflects that belief. I see humans as being naturally capable of challenging, often amazing, things. And I think we can all be at our best when we show up to those challenges in our own unique ways. Having someone mirror back our potential is a beautiful gift, and it’s enormously powerful.

As a leader and coach, I wholeheartedly believe that the greatest service I can offer someone is the experience of being truly and deeply seen and accepted for who they are. And to encourage them as they chart their own brave path. Once someone experiences that gift for themselves, I believe they are more likely to share it with those around them. This has the potential to create powerful ripple effects in the world. This is what I love most about coaching.