As a celebration to the amazing group of coaches in our practice, I am dedicating this month’s blog posts & newsletter to coaching. I’ve learned the value of coaching from personal experience – and am intentional about having coaches support me in my business and personal growth. I’ve seen the difference great coaching can make – in both personal and organizational performance.
I encourage you to subscribe to our blog & newsletter – and also to consider if one of our coaches might be just the thing you need to take your performance to the next level.
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This is the year I’ve finally decided to attempt a sprint triathlon. This means I will run 3.1 miles (can do), bike 10 miles (can do) and swim 300 meters (can’t do). I’ve talked about this for 3 years. It’s on my bucket list. I’ve watched sprints and talked to those who have done sprints. I’ve finally decided it was time to stop talking and begin doing – and the first step was learning to swim.
There is something a bit disconcerting about swimming – rather than biking or running. I can walk a bit in the middle of my run. Worst case with biking is getting off and pushing. But swimming feels quite different. You are either swimming or drowning.
As such, I was terribly apprehensive about the pool, the water, and my ability to learn to do this. I found a local pool and was pleased on my first night to meet Mary, who oversaw lap time and was also available to coach and teach.
I explained my plight to Mary and she asked to me swim a lap. She remained upbeat and positive, even though my floundering confirmed how little distance I could go, how poorly I kicked and how I was afraid to put my head in the water.
Mary reassured me that I could learn this and then proceeded to help. She had me use a kick board and fins, two tools that greatly helped me gain both skill and confidence. She broke swimming into infinitely small steps and drills –so that I could learn a part at a time and then put them all together. She encouraged. She demonstrated. She provided suggestions. She encouraged some more. And by the end of the hour – she had done a marvelous thing. Although my swim skills were only marginally better, my mental state was 1000% better. She had taken me from fear and apprehension to hope and determination.
Good coaches do the same. They can break things into manageable pieces. They can help you learn a step at a time. And most of all, they can boost your confidence and will.
