Berlin Chats and Breakthroughs
My sister lives in Berlin, so instead of waiting until our schedules align for a phone call, we swap voice messages. What’s especially cool is that, since it’s asynchronous, there’s no pressure — we both get to set the pace that works for us whether we’re listening or talking. I wish I could take the credit for this brilliant communication hack, but it was all her idea.
Recently I was sharing with her about a breakthrough I'd had in a session with my creative advisor (whom I think of as my coach) that felt relevant to a situation she was going through. In her reply, she suggested I share some of the insights I've gained from working with him in my newsletter, which I thought was yet another great idea from my genius sister. (I'm not exaggerating - she's a neuro-linguist who speaks 5 languages.)
So without further ado, here are three of the most important lessons I've learned from working with my coach:
Measurement matters. This is one of my biggest challenges as an entrepreneur — looking at how my business grows over time so I can be more intentional about it. As I mentioned last month, I am not naturally disciplined, consistent, or interested in the past, so this is something I absolutely would not do on my own. One of the ways I manage to do things that are hard for me is to create accountability to someone else, and so my coach serves two roles in helping me track and measure data: 1) he reminds me (regularly) why it’s important, and 2) I know he’s going to ask me for updates, so I find the time to update my spreadsheets before he asks (most of the time!).
Zoom out! When I come up against obstacles that seem insurmountable, my coach is incredibly helpful at making me tackle big challenges by helping provide perspective. His knowledge and experience working with other clients give me a point of reference I wouldn’t know how to seek out otherwise. Plus having someone in my corner who accurately and empathetically reflects and affirms my efforts is a game changer.
Trust My Unique Voice. Like most of us (especially those of us conditioned female by the world), I sometimes struggle with what Amanda Palmer calls the “fraud police”, defined as “the imaginary, terrifying force of ‘real’ grown-ups who you believe are going to come knocking on your door in the middle of the night, saying… We have evidence that you have NO IDEA WHAT YOU’RE DOING.” Working with my coach has helped me silence those nasty voices so I can trust my instincts and experience and confidently share my unique perspective.
I hope my coaching clients have a similar experience of feeling both cared for and expertly advised. If we’ve worked together, I would love to hear from you about the impact my coaching has on your leadership! I know I am stronger, more consistent, and more effective at all the work I engage in because I have had such a wonderful collaborator and confidante in my corner for the past 5 and a half years.
Email me at Hanna(at)RingmasterConsulting.com.