These sessions certainly helped to shape my development, but I remember becoming just as fascinated by the coaching experience itself as the ‘aha’ moments it was giving me.
Ever since then, I have been refining the FEEL framework. It is a straightforward yet adaptable blueprint that I used to motivate myself. Now, I use this approach to uncover my clients’ goals and help them make more sustainable progress on their leadership journey.
I use a series of tools and techniques to help you explore each phase of the FEEL framework in more detail. For example, I might call upon the Eisenhower Matrix to help you prioritise tasks and readjust your focus, or I may use Hogan’s Motives, Values and Preferences Inventory to raise your self-awareness. I tailor the tools and techniques to each person, meaning the FEEL framework is flexible and adaptable.
It is easier to feel like you are making progress if you have a single objective; a clear metric for what success means to you.
My coach helped me realise that, above all, I wanted to be a positive role modelblue, recognised as an expert and responsible for developing and delivering strategy.
I quickly realised that, if I wanted to achieve this, I had to stop spreading myself too thin and only place my energy into the things that would help me achieve this very specific goal. This of course had to be aligned to the context of my firm and its priorities. Not only did this streamline my activities, it also helped me improve my wellbeing, and it gave me back more time to spend with my young children.
It’s not easy, and it requires discipline. However, if you really want to excel at something, you need to put the work in.
Working with a coach reminded me that all progress is progress, no matter how small it may seem. Dedicating even a few minutes of time to furthering your own knowledge or trying something different every day will pay dividends in the future. Just a small step can help you make progress.
Find ways to share what you have learned. Make your passion for your work infectious. Inspire others to meet you at the top, and you will create a team and a culture that’s always reaching for more. The best leaders develop new leaders and teams.
At a time when I was taking on more responsibility than ever before, I remember one of my partners taking me to one side and asking me, “Where have your bubbles gone?”. He recognised that I was tired, and I became concerned that this may affect the people around me. His words were a wake-up call.
They spurred me on to engage with coaching and to do things differently. Through coaching, I was able to explore practical ways to protect my energy and keep showing up positively for my team – even when I was under a lot of pressure.
What kind of leader do you want to be? The way you manage yourself and your people will have a huge bearing on what people say about you, both your teams and in the market.
If you have been lucky enough to work with a brilliant leader, think about what made them so inspirational. What behaviours do they exhibit? What style have they adopted? How can you emulate their work, in your unique own way? Looking to others for guidance and inspiration was (and is) a vital part of my own growth.
Wendy brings unrivalled experience of senior management, which is invaluable in helping senior professionals to shape their own path. Wendy is patient and determined in bringing the best out of those she is coaching, listens very well and follows up with points and tools which are of great usefulness for reflection.
During my time at BDO, I interviewed hundreds of potential partners. We always gave them the opportunity to ask questions at the end of the interview and one of the most often asked questions was “what advice would you give to a new partner?”.
Balance and coaching - a shifting mindset. In this article I explore how my attitude to both finding balance and coaching has shifted since I “lost my bubbles” in 2003. Moreover, I consider how a business coach can work with a client to find work life balance.
This article was published on the BDO intranet after I lost my dad to Covid-19 and talks about some of the things I learnt during that experience, as well as the support I received.
Executive & Leadership Coach
for Professional Services Firms
