Coaching is not just about asking questions.
Posted on June 04, 2021 by Andre Gunawan, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
This article discusses one of my personal experiences as a coach.
My client (a Senior Manager) had only been on duty for 6 months in a city in Kalimantan, when his company appointed me as his Coach for 6 sessions. Everything went well, but after the 3rd session, suddenly my client was transferred to the head office in Jakarta with a lower position (demotion), without anyone knowing the reason.
My client hasn’t called me since then, but I know something’s wrong with him. I keep trying to contact just to be able to meet.
Finally I met him. He seemed devastated by this incident, because he did not understand the reason the Board of Directors transferred him (the company is a large national company and the Board of Directors does not seem easy to contact). In this coaching session, I invited him to see the positive side, because I felt that his potential was actually extraordinary there. What was going on was only temporary, I noticed.
At the end of the session he looked bright and excited again.
We use the 5th session as a closing session before the coaching process stops.
Sure enough, 6 months later he returned to the branch in Kalimantan and was promoted to become General Manager. I was then re-elected by him as his coach until now.
From here I learned to trust my intuition more. As a Coach, I have to be able to see with a helicopter view, not only seeing the client but also the whole ecology around the client.
