Coaches Aren’t Just for Athletes

If youre like me, one of the first things you do at work in the morning is read your email. Bad move, it turns out. Why? The randomness with which tasks are thrown at you decreases your cognitive ability. You can end up spending a big chunk of your day reacting to those demands while more important tasks are left unattended. Instead, consider beginning your day by reviewing your to-do list. Setting priorities requires high-level thinking, which is best done first thing in the morning when your mind is clear.

That was one of the pearls of wisdom I gathered from Sam Magill, a coach I asked to help me improve my abilities as a manager. Magill offered the sessions free to give me a glimpse of why coaching as a profession has grown so rapidly during the past decade.

My own needs were pretty evident. As a journalist, I had always worked alone. When I became an editor for the first time six years ago, I had to undergo a drastic change in thinking. I needed to do a better job of delegating tasks and I had to become more aware of what my bosses and coworkers were thinking. I found myself frequently sidestepping looming problems to avoid conflict.

Turns out these are pretty common challenges among business leaders, many of whom start their careers as experts in a particular field, whether its medicine, law or sales. Once promoted to a managerial position, they needed skills that were vastly different from the skills that originally brought them to the attention of their superiors. To manage such transition, many executives turn to coaches for help.

The first step is to get recommendations. What kind of professional experience, education and certifications does the coach have? The International Coaching Federation sent me a half-dozen resumes from which to choose. I selected Magill because he had strong experience beginning with eight years as an internal consultant, coach and manager at Boeing. He is a Master Certified Coach, a recognition of his expertise as a coach and instructor of coaches.

Magill recommended three months of biweekly sessions of an hour each, a period of time he believed was the minimum necessary to have an impact. I wanted help in addressing such issues as conflict resolution and time management. As a reporter, I had always focused on one project at a time, working furiously until the article was done. Now, I had to juggle a dozen or more projects. I had to change the way I operated.

Magill started our sessions by asking me what particular challenge I wanted to address. If it was about conflict resolution, he would ask me to describe the circumstances and how I might have better resolved the conflict. Once, I began with I assumed that he …. Magill quickly interrupted me. Dont assume. When you assume, you make an ASS of U and ME. If you dont know what someone is thinking, he said, you should ask.

But usually Magill listened to me and guided me as I worked my way through a workplace challenge. I dont have a solution or formula, says Magill. Instead, I give the client the chance to engage at another levelto learn how to learn. There is a skill and discipline in self-reflection and those that do it better tend to be more successful.

While a coaching session can sometimes feel like therapy, its far more action oriented. Magill would typically end our sessions by enacting the future. This might, for example, involve role playing. Sometimes it felt silly rehearsing what I would say to a colleague. But thats part of the lesson: to show just how simple it can be to say whats on your mind in a manner that encourages a positive outcome.

Coaches, I learned from Magill, dont only work with individuals. Magill once worked with a health organization that had completed a merger and was having trouble melding two very different cultures. He also worked with a national physicians organization to help unpack conflicts among leaders that had divided the institution.

While the six sessions I had with Magill didnt change my lifeI still have the nasty habit of reading my email with my first cup of coffeeIve become more conscious of my priorities, how I spend my time and how I interact with others. And Ive learned how to think through problems and address them before they reach a crisis point. Thats a pretty good start.

LESLIE HELM is editor of Seattle Business magazine.