Coaching

Coaching is a journey of transformation, and when coaching clients are committed, extraordinary change is possible. My goal for you is that this be a life-changing experience.

Coaching can mean different things to different people, so I want to be transparent about how I work and give you a full sense of whether my approach will work for you. The process breaks down into three phases:

The tangible outcomes you can expect from this process include feeling very grounded in your own values and how you make your best contribution to an organization, renewed confidence in your professional path forward, and feedback from others about how you are showing up in a more powerful way at work. I know that these will be your tangible outcomes, because my clients tell me this is their experience:

Phase 1 – Foundation

In this first six-week phase we will dive into your background and current reality, and gather all of the data that’s available to help you decide which key skills and tools you want to prioritize bringing into your life. We will:

• Understand your default mode: I use the Birkman Method, which is a personality assessment designed to help you understand your usual behaviors, your needs, and your stress responses when those needs are not met.  You will gain immediate insights on your daily lived experience from this simple first step.
• Develop the full picture: We will work together to identify 4-6 people that I can interview to get a full picture of what it looks like and feels like to work with you when you are at your very best. You need this information because we, as humans, are spectacularly bad at getting a full perspective on ourselves. You literally don’t know how good you are, nor how much & why people like to work with you. I’ll gather that data from the people that know you best at work and who want to you succeed and thrive in your role.
• Navigate towards what matters most: I use this Live Your Values exercise because it is a fun and creative way for you to spell out the deeply held beliefs and principles that guide your decisions and actions. Values influence how we prioritize our time, approach relationships, solve problems, and define success. Having them clarified early in the coaching process helps you design a new approach to work that feels right, because it is aligned to your values.

At the end of this Foundation phase, you will have a clear picture of where to focus your experimentation and iterative change in Phase 2 – Experiment & Iterate.  

Phase 2 – Experiment & Iterate

In this phase you’ll use the data from Phase 1 to identify new skills and behaviors that you want to bring into your life, and try them out in small real-world experiments. You’ll note the impacts of these changes and then devise the next experiment to try out. These small, iterative experiments can result in significant positive change over time.

The work that we can tackle next falls into four areas, with 3-4 skills in each area.  This list of a dozen skills is what you’ll choose from for your coaching work in this phase. I developed this list by interviewing other women in tech leadership to learn what has worked for them and others whose leadership they’ve seen be very successful at work.

Don’t worry, you cannot and should not tackle all 12 skills at once, this is not another long to-do list for you! I recommend that we focus on the top 2-3, and take them in priority order. This is your own personal kanban board, so we’ll pull in one story at a time. Here’s an overview of the themes and topics:

• Know & care for yourself: I have yet to coach a woman who wasn’t sacrificing her own needs in order to care for the interests of others, be that in a work setting or a life setting.   We will dig deep into what you need to thrive, and the practices that allow you to keep that front and center in this coaching process and in your life.
• Make your mark: You are doing great work, but do others really know that? You would work on truly understanding the value you are adding at work, and being your own best advocate. This is also where we could explore how you are operating as a leader. Are you focusing on the right work? Is your team effective? How is your relationship with other key people around you? It’s time for you to have the full impact you want to have.
• Craft your authentic style: Your most effective leadership style is your own, and it is like nobody else’s. When you are at your most authentic, people notice it and follow your lead more easily. In this area you could practice taking off your mask, or whatever “corporate façade” it is that you’ve donned over the years, and start showing up as yourself. And with this new presence, you could learn to seek & provide feedback, navigate conflict gracefully, and share your leadership vision to inspire others.
• Build your community: Half of women report feeling isolated at work, and this number increases as women climb into leadership. I recommend having four types of people in your life: supportive peers, cross-functional allies, mentors and sponsors. You need a community to give you that friendly and supportive smile across the Zoom, the casual check-in on Slack, the instant kudos and feedback after an important meeting, and the vocal advocacy that gets you your next exciting role.

We will review which of these areas are of the highest priority for you and we will customize your plan once we start working together.

Phase 3 – Sustain

In the closing phase of the coaching engagement we focus on making your changes stick, and the sustaining practices that you need to keep growing and changing on your own.

We will also spend some time really spelling out the insights you have gained from coaching, to ensure that they remain front and center for you going forward, and don’t get lost in the busyness of your day-to-day and you can keep up your forward momentum.

And we celebrate how far you’ve come and the fresh new skills and awareness you are able to put to work each and every day! The new self-awareness, skills and approaches that you learn during coaching will continue to serve you in the rest of your career.

Who Pays for Coaching?  Your Company Does! (Not You)

Women who are curious about coaching often ask me how much it costs as one of their first questions, because they are doing the mental calculations to fit coaching into their personal budget. However, it is usually a company who pays for leadership coaching, out of a dedicated HR development budget. Women are notoriously reluctant to ask for the support and resources they need from the organizations they work for, when the benefits of coaching accrue directly to those organizations!

I will help you craft the request for funding from your organization, including meeting with you and your manager to make the case for coaching, and helping with paperwork from your HR department. Together we’ll get you the support and resources you need to thrive in your tech leadership career.

Your next step:  Actionable Insights Call with Rebecca

In our 30 minute call, we will explore where you are vs. where you want to be and help identify strategies to get you moving on the key skills you need to thrive in tech leadership.  This call is for you!

Mentoring

I mentor two women each quarter through the mentorship programs run by AnitaB.org. Please use this link to apply for mentorship through AnitaB.org. While we may not get matched directly there are a lot of smart and inspiring women for you to meet through the organization.

If you are already a leader or an experienced person in the tech space, please consider offering your mentorship to others through the AnitaB.org program. I have found it extremely rewarding!