In Service to the Client
Leadership Coaching is More Than Facilitating Growth
Photo by Paul Fiedler on Unsplash
What distinguishes impactful leadership development? Coaching. And more specifically, coaching that serves the client.
Leadership coaching is a complex, compelling, fulfilling, and rewarding process. Research suggests that those who engage in leadership coaching achieve extraordinary results for themselves and their organizations, and the testimonials regarding its efficacy are seemingly endless. However, it is not well understood and is often confused with mentoring, feedback, and performance counseling. The reality is that it is none of those things; rather, it provides an opportunity for leadership coaches and clients to engage in a structured, client-focused process that drives personal and leadership growth while enhancing outcomes. For those willing to adopt its principles, the derived skill sets will lead to countless opportunities.
As a leadership development course facilitator, I became interested in leadership coaching to provide my students with the best possible learning experience and maximize their outcomes. More simply put, I wanted to do more for them, which led me to coaching. Through my research, I discovered the Center for Credentialing & Education (CCE) and the International Coaching Federation (ICF), along with their professional credentials and accredited training programs. After determining that I wanted to pursue coaching training, I began my training search with CCE’s list of approved education providers and learned about the U.S. Air Force’s Air University in Montgomery, Alabama, which offered an accredited 60-hour coaching program for military personnel through its Leadership & Innovation Institute. With diligence, I secured a seat in the program and completed its multi-week course of instruction, becoming the program’s first Navy graduate. The program’s instructors and environment provided a tremendously fulfilling and insightful introduction to the practice of leadership coaching and fostered lifelong relationships.
Desiring to learn more about the discipline, I pursued additional training at an ICF-accredited institution to work toward earning one of their credentials. Like the CCE, ICF-credentialed coaches undergo rigorous training and must meet strict education and experience requirements. After researching various educational programs in the U.S. and considering their associated costs, learning formats, reviews, and time commitments, I narrowed my search to three outstanding institutions. However, I chose to apply only to one: the Executive Certificate in Leadership Coaching program at Georgetown University’s Institute for Transformational Leadership.
Commitment to service is central to my ethos. I attended Jesuit universities for both my undergraduate and graduate studies and am keenly aware of how serving others distinguishes Jesuit education, which strongly attracted me to Georgetown’s program. Over eight months, my cohort of exceptionally dedicated and talented professionals met monthly for three to four full workdays, completed more than thirty hours of pro bono coaching with real clients, frequently engaged in learning circles, coached one another, and received countless hours of mentorship. The 148.5-hour program exemplified service to others, and while many ICF Level-2 accredited programs exist, Georgetown offers an unmatched experience; if you ask, you will hear that sentiment echoed consistently. As a proud alum of the program and its 80th cohort, I share in the pride of my cohort’s peers, knowing we completed an intensive program led by some of the best, with a clear focus on serving others.
I became interested in coaching to provide my leadership development students with the best possible learning experience. However, after studying at Air University’s Leadership & Innovation Institute and Georgetown and earning professional credentials through CCE and ICF, coaching has become a central focus of my work in both corporate America and the military. Initially believing that coaching would complement my work in leadership development in a practical sense, it has changed my approach to client development and enhanced my ability to serve. Therefore, leadership coaching is not merely an add-on to my work; it is an essential aspect of every professional leadership development interaction.
Service to the client is fundamental to the success of leadership coaching. Because of this mindset, I can now give back to my clients, students, and military peers in a meaningful way that creates value for them and their organizations. I encourage everyone — executives and individual contributors alike, regardless of their professional tenure, career level, job title, or industry — to recognize that coaching is relevant to them and holds an undeniable place in their work and organization. I am honored to offer professional coaching as a service to my clients, and thanks to my training at Air University and Georgetown, I can fulfill my purpose more effectively, one client at a time.