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Personal Coaching for Professional Women:
A Transformational Experience
By Donna Daisy, Ph.D.
Whether one is a coach, or considering hiring
a coach, one of the key questions to be answered is, "What
are the benefits of hiring a coach?" In my recent doctoral
research study, "Personal Coaching for Professional Women",
this question is answered from the perspective of the professional
(working) women who have been coached for four or more months
by an International Coach Federation (ICF) Master Certified
Coach (MCC) or Professional Certified Coach (PCC).
Specifically, this study asked the questions,
(1) "What are common reasons professional women hire a coach?,
(2) "What goals and benefits do they perceive they have achieved
as a result of the coaching experience?", and (3) What factors
in the coaching experience contributed to the achievement
of desired goals?". A second purpose of the study was to determine
the extent to which the data supports the findings in the
recent research study conducted by Dr. Brenda Wilkins (Wilkins,
2000).
As noted by Dr. Wilkins, one of the major goals
of coaching is to help clients learn, change and achieve goals
as a result of coaching strategies. In my study, I identified
psychological research that provides the foundation for many
of the motivational strategies utilized in the coaching profession.
More importantly, this study identifies the client's perspective
on how a personal coach helped them meet their goals. As a
result, this study provides a valuable resource for coaches,
those considering hiring a coach, and coach training institutions
as they continue to develop their coach training programs.
The Approach
The approach that was used in this grounded theory
study was telephone interviewing of twenty-six professional
women coaching clients who were referred by their coaches.
The coaches had been made aware of the study by means of an
RFP on the ICF website. The interviews consisted of twenty-four
open-ended questions written for the purpose of generating
client perceptions of the coaching experience. Clients were
assigned numbers for the purpose of preserving anonymity.
In addition to asking why they hired a coach these clients
were asked to identify what the coach did and what they did
that helped them achieve their goals. One of the primary distinctions
between the Wilkins study and the present study is that Wilkins
developed a coaching model based on interviews with coaches.
The present study used coaching clients to determine the extent
to which client perceptions agreed with the perceptions of
the coaches interviewed for the Wilkins (2000a) study.
Interview Questions
The interview questions used in the present study
were:
-
Why did you obtain the services of
a coach (hire a coach)?
-
In what way, if any, did the fact that
you are a professional woman affect your decision to hire
a coach?
-
How were you coached (how frequently,
length of call, cost)?
-
What were the goals you identified
at the beginning of the coaching experience? (Identify
the life area goals applied to)
-
In what ways, if any, did your goals
change as the coaching experience progressed?
-
To what extent did you discuss purpose
in life with your coach and use that concept to shape
goals and actions?
-
In what ways do you perceive the coaching
experience as having been beneficial. (What did you learn?)
-
What were the actual changes/outcomes
that you experienced during the coaching process as related
to your stated goals?
-
How did these changes impact your life
(goal attainment, self-efficacy, stress level, quality
of life)?
-
What changes/outcomes did you hope
for that did not occur?
-
In what way, if any has the coaching
experience impacted your personal life?
-
In what way, if any, has the coaching
experience impacted your career?
-
What measurable or observable changes
have occurred in your life as a result of the coaching
experience?
-
In what way, if any, have you formally
or informally incorporated things learned in the coaching
process into areas of your life such as career, health,
finances, relationships, fun and recreation and/or spirituality?
-
What measurable goals did you have
during the coaching process?
-
How did you evaluate the attainment
of these goals?
-
What did the coach do (challenge, support,
empower) that helped you identify or achieve your goals?
-
What was the most helpful thing your
coach did during the coaching process?
-
How would you describe your coach?
-
Based on your description, which of
these factors were most helpful during the coaching experience?
-
What do you consider to be the most
significant thing that occurred during the coaching experience
that led to behavioral or attitudinal change?
-
How did the change occur?
-
What did you do that contributed to this
change?
What advice would you have for professional women
considering hiring a coach?
Wilkins' Coaching Model
Based on her research findings, Dr. Brenda Wilkins
developed The Coaching Model. This model has three main theoretical
constructs which are Purpose, Process and Relationship (later
referred to as "People" (Wilkins, 2000b). These constructs
are considered to be the primary causal factors in assisting
coaching clients to learn, change and achieve goals. According
to Wilkins (2000b),
Purpose reflects clients' core values
and priorities. Clients set goals that align with their values
and priorities. At the core of all goals is the assumption
that clients can and must strive for optimal learning and
development. Coaches can help clients define and clarify these
goals.
Process reflects the coaching strategies
of (1) consciousness raising, (2) supporting, and (3) challenging.
The client-customized application of the strategies, in combination
with the focus on purpose, creates a unique environment for
learning.
People reflects the unique coach-client
relationships. Whether a single coach-client partnership or
a team of coaches and clients are working together, the emphasis
is on developing relationships that support learning and change.
The coach will be client-focused and the relationship egalitarian.
The Transformational Coaching Experience
While current data supports all aspects of the
Wilkins' Coaching Model, new findings, based on the experience
of coaching from the perspective of coaching clients, adds
another dimension to The Coaching Model. That dimension is
experience-based outcome, or what I am calling, "The Transformational
Coaching Experience".
Wilkins makes the observation that coaching is a transformative
process where coaches support learners aspiring to and acquiring
new levels of learning, development, change and achievement.
Almost unanimously, the professional women interviewed in
my research study affirmed coaching as a vehicle for transformation
and change. The Coaching Model defined by Wilkins (2000a)
provides the constructs shown above (Purpose, Process, People
(relationships) which must be present in order for learning
and change (transformation) to occur.
The word "transform" refers to (1) changing form
or outward appearance, (2) changing the condition, nature
or function of, and/or (3) changing the personality or character
of. Interview data in the study supports the concept of coaching
as a transformational experience due to the emphasis on change
and the level of consciousness required for change.
Coaches help their clients move forward toward
transformation and self-actualization as they support their
clients in defining goals, identifying barriers to achieving
those goals, and challenging them to move in the direction
of more creative solutions. The transformational experience
of coaching is facilitated by the non-judgmental stance of
coaches and the use of questions which are emotion-neutral.
One of the keys to a transformational coaching
experience substantiated by client interview data is the importance
of a playful attitude and having fun as a way to enhance the
creative process. Several clients interviewed described their
coaches as fun, or having a great sense of humor, which freed
the client from old rigid rules, attitudes and beliefs. These
clients were encouraged by their coaches to try new behaviors
and new ways to think about things.
Perhaps the hidden gift of coaching is healing.
The art of using the power of our minds to heal comes through
the ability to notice when people are stuck in an unproductive
mindset, to become aware of the mental movies that are limiting
their creativity, and to make new choices (Borysenko and Borysenko,
1994). The two keys to inner healing are awareness and choice.
Data from the majority of professional women interviewed validate
the fact that a major outcome of the coaching experience is
the awareness that one is always at choice, and that through
choice, one designs one's life.
Giving clients the keys of awareness and choice
are among gifts coaches bring which result in a transformational
coaching experience. The review of literature and current
data support the idea that coaches can help client's achieve
transformation by strengthening their intention to change,
helping them be aware of where they are stuck in negative,
non-productive, self-destructive thinking, and asking the
questions which allow clients to see an opportunity for change.
Clients interviewed reported that their coaches always believed
in them and believed it was possible for them to accomplish
their goals. Data resulting from clients interviewed for this
study certainly give rise to the possibility that it is the
attitude of coaches who look at their clients with a passion
for the possible that lies at the heart of the transformational
coaching experience.
The Client's Perspective
Analysis of data in this study supports the addition
of the concept of the Transformational Coaching Experience
to Wilkins' Coaching Model. Information regarding the coaching
experience as producing transformation and change from the
client's perspective was not available in Wilkins' (2000a)
study since only coaches perspectives were available. However,
in this study, the vast majority of professional women interviewed
stated the hoped for change (transformation) did occur. Thus,
this author proposes an additional component to the Wilkins
Coaching Model as shown below:
Factors Contributing to the Transformational
Coaching Experience
If coaching is to create a transformational experience
in the lives of coaching clients, it is important to identify
the factors in the coaching experience which contribute to
significant change and produce transformation. Clients in
this study have identified some of these factors.
-
Why clients hire a coach (Purpose).
As described in the Wilkins study, most of
the professional women interviewed indicated that they hired
a coach as a result of dissatisfaction with the quality
of some aspect of their lives, and the hope that a coach
could help them make the shift from where they were to where
they wanted to be. A vision of the life they wanted was
described by 19% of clients interviewed. This vision for
life as it could be became the foundation from which goals
were identified. Client #5 stated, "My goals for hiring
a coach were about defining what my purpose was, personally
and professionally. It had to do with quality of life. It
was about fine-tuning." Client #19 said, "I had fulfilled
my career and financial goals, but I had lost my family
in the process. Achieving your career goals is meaningless
unless you have the people you love there to share it with."
Client #5 stated, "As a business professional, my goals
were very ambitious, and I wanted to achieve them faster.
I wanted to start and build my own business, and hiring
a coach made sense to me. One client made reference to needing
help getting focused at work, while still another client
stated that she didn't think of hiring the coach, but rather,
her employer did. The employer "footed the bill" for a coach
for each employee. Still another client reported, "I hired
a coach because I knew the best could get even better with
the help of a coach."
As predicted in the Wilkins study, the goals
of clients for hiring a coach tended to fall into three
primary categories: task, balance, and self-actualization.
-
Attitudes and Actions
The achievement of client goals required specific
attitudes and actions on the part of both the coach and
the client. Clients described these actions and attitudes.
A few of these descriptions are shown below. Others can
be found in the appendices of this research study.
-
What the Coach Did That Helped Clients Achieve
Their Goals
Client #6: The most helpful thing my coach
did was to listen. It was more than hearing. It was getting
behind what was being said, thinking about it, and giving
it back to me. Holding a mirror back to me.
Client #11: My coach gave me the skills to
evaluate myself and my life, and to see what is keeping
me from being the best that I can be. I recognized that
a person like a coach is essential for self-evaluation.
My coach also made me aware of resources for change (articles,
trainings, etc.)
Client #12: The most helpful thing my coach
did was asking pertinent questions. It wasn't her telling
me what to do. It was her asking me and guiding me.
Client #13. My coach validated me, supported
me, challenged me, and gave me a reality check.
Client #15: Openness and honesty in the relationship
with my coach certainly were factors contributing to change.
Client #20: The most helpful thing about the
coaching experience was the consistency of having a regular
process and a regular place to check in.
-
What the Client Did That Helped Them Achieve
Their Goals
Client #6: What I did that contributed to change
was that I was smart enough to hire a coach. The coach is
the key. Plus, I had the desire, a huge need, and the courage.
Client #11: What I did that contributed to
change was that we identified that I was ready to make a
change, but needed the skills to do it. The motivation for
change came from within. The coach gave me the skills to
make the changes and then I implemented them.
Client #13: How I contributed to change was
that I did the work!
Client #15: What I did that contributed to
change was bring my problems to the table when I needed
help, being honest, listening to suggestions, and trying
to implement those suggestions. It's not something that
happens to you and then you are a different person. It's
a process.
Client #20: The thing I did was that I kept
going. I took some step to further the action. That is what
the client has to do - - take the steps or decide to take
a different step. That is one of the hallmark differences
between coaching and therapy. Not that therapy patients
don't take action, but often therapy is about exploring
the meaning of things, and not necessarily about doing anything.
Changes (benefits) Experienced As a Result of Coaching
The following are a few paraphrased statements
of professional women coaching clients interviewed in this
study. It struck this researcher that of equal importance
to the actual words spoken by the clients regarding the benefits
of coaching was the excitement, intensity of voice, and passion
with which responses were given. The statements below are
representational of those found in Appendix D (benefits of
coaching) and clearly demonstrate that when all components
of the Coaching Model are in place and operational, the coaching
experience has a high probability of facilitating transformation
and significant change in the life of the coaching client.
Client #8: As a result of coaching, changes
have occurred in all areas of my life.
Client #9: My coach and I talked about values
and purpose in life. . . I have a different outlook now,
and I'm in a totally different place.
Client #20: I have experienced huge changes
and outcomes as a result of coaching. I started my new business,
and I moved from there to focusing on my personal life and
my family life. I am more personally and professionally
fulfilled than I have ever been at any other time in my
life.
Advice From Professional Women To Others
Considering Hiring A Coach
When asked their advice to other professional
women interested in hiring a coach, the consensus of opinion
seemed to be "Just do it!" Below are some representational
statements given in response to the request for advice for
other professional women considering hiring a coach. Others
may be found in the Appendix F of this study.
Client #2: Don't be afraid to hire someone,
and once you make the decision to seek support for your
endeavors, I would suggest you interview a couple of coaches.
Look for someone with whom you are compatible.
Client #3: Just do it! I can't imagine anybody
who couldn't benefit from that kind of a partner in life.
If for no other reason than taking a closer look at life.
A life well examined is a life worth living. It is important
to take stock. A coach will make that process very efficient.
Client #5: I would give professional women
the same advice I would give anyone. Definitely do it. Find
the right coach for you. Have a complimentary coaching call.
Word of mouth is great, but you need to see how your rapport
is, if you connect with that person, if you trust them,
if you can speak freely, and feel heard. Ask them to challenge
you, so you get a sense of how they would do that and how
they would be with you.
Conclusion
In his book, Real Magic (1992), author and lecturer,
Wayne Dyer, suggests that, "Deep within you is a unified field
of limitless possibilities. When you become competent at going
to this wondrous place, you will discover an entirely new
realm of human experience where all things are possible. It
is here that real magic takes place."
According to Dyer, in this place of real magic
limits do not exist, one seems to be in exactly the right
place at the right time, one makes synchronistic "unbelievable"
connections with others and is capable of meeting exactly
the right person to help him or her on his or her path at
exactly the right time, and one's purpose in life becomes
very clear. Dyer states that human beings have the ultimate
awareness of choice and can choose to function at a lower
level of awareness and "simply exist", or soar to new and
higher levels of awareness, allowing themselves to transcend
their environment, and literally create a world of their own
- - a world of real magic.
This researcher believes the coaching process,
described by Wilkins (2000a) and validated by data in the
present research, provides a vehicle to facilitate the process
of creating real magic as described by Dyer. That process
is being called the Transformational Coaching Experience.
The interview data in this study, coupled with
the awe, intensity, and passion with which professional women
described their coaching experience, validate the observation
of Wilkins (2000a) that the purpose of coaching is to seek
to develop clients to their fullest potential. This researcher
believes the coaching profession as it is emerging, and as
shown in both in the Wilkins' data and data from the present
study, is a gift to the world as it goes about its business
of developing clients. Thomas Leonard made the following observation
to this researcher: The human spirit thrives on inspiration,
not motivation. A coach helps you discover that which naturally
inspires you." When coaches and clients are inspired and "at
purpose," there is a high probably for the emergence of the
phenomenon referred to by this writer as a Transformational
Coaching Experience and for the occurrence of significantly
changed lives.
References
Borysenko, J., and Borysenko, M. (1994). The
power of the mind to heal. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc.
Dyer, W. (1992). Real Magic. New York, Harper-Collins.
Wilkins, B. (2000a). A grounded theory study
of personal coaching. Doctoral dissertation. University of
Montana.
Wilkins, B. (2000b). Coaching catalizes eLearning.
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