Back to School, Back to Coaching

As over 50 million students in the US head back to school this year, lifelong learners are also finding ways to continue their learning. Whether we are taking online courses or executive education workshops, our?progress can be enhanced and accelerated when the topics are relevant and address our current challenges. Many studies exist about the effectiveness of personalized learning for both K12 and on the job training.. For professionals, this could look like personalized coaching. After all, even star athletes need coaches.?

We asked a few Asian Women Coaching Collective coaches on how to optimize your coaching experience and find the coach that is right for you.?

1. How should people new to coaching select a coach??

Yon Na, PhD suggests leading with self-awareness of your own value & identity. “Everyone needs to be in touch with their identity and understand how that shows up in everything they do in their lives.”?

“At the core of identity is values…[for instance,] you need to recognize and appreciate your identity as someone of Asian descent, otherwise you’re covering aspects of who you are in life and at work.” For example, she explains that last year two thirds of her coaching engagements were Asian women looking for someone who was Asian.?

Looking for a coach who understands and appreciates your identity will prevent you from needing to cover up aspects of your identity.

Peggy Yu builds off of this, citing that “without cultural context, coaches might mistake familial or cultural values as obstacles rather than important parts of a person’s identity. Look for a coach who listens and understands how a person’s “socioeconomic status, race, gender… all come into play.”?

Neelu Kaur suggests asking yourself, “Do I need content or context coaching?” She defines content coaching as more specific to your work and career, and context coaching more broadly applicable to your current scenario.

She explains that if you are “switching jobs, seeking internal mobility opportunities, becoming an entrepreneur, or returning to work after an extended leave… you may want to seek someone who has experience navigating these transitions. If you are in tech…[it] makes sense to find a coach that has specific content and industry experience.” On the other hand, if “you are stuck in many aspects of your life and work because you have limiting beliefs about yourself, then this requires a coach who can guide you in deep inner work.”??

? Finally, Suzanne Kim Doud Galli sums this up well: “Many coaches have specific skills or maybe even a niche. It’s important to do your research and find a coach whose skills and niche mesh with your specific goals.”???

2. What types of goals are best suited for coaching and what are not??

“What’s next on that rung for your career—title, scope, team? How can a coach help you get there?” Yon says.?

“Think about it in terms of skills,” Peggy says. “Professionally, what is my assessment of my current professional status? What do I like, what do I not like, where do I want to go? What’s important to me in my next chapter—money, family time, trajectory, or a great team?”?

She also talks about inflection points—“Personal and professional inflection points, small and big; changing careers, leaving a job, going to a new company, changing industries…or someone about to have a baby.” These are inflection points that a coach can step into, using pattern recognition and an open-handed approach to hold someone else’s values.?

“There are so many topics that can be addressed effectively in the coaching process—career change, relationships, team building. However, issues like trauma, depression, anxiety may be best addressed by a therapist,” Suzanne adds.?

Neelu reflects on what coaching is focused on—the present moment and moving forward. She says, “Perhaps there is some past history context required; however, the goal is to move a [client] from a to b. If you are looking to move forward without spending too much time glaring in the rear view then coaching will serve you.”??

Together, these AWCC coaches provide an easy framework to consider as you seek to optimize your coaching experience and find a coach who will champion your values, skills, and goals. Just as students are making back-to-school checklists, don’t forget to make your own checklist of? what to look for when selecting a coach and creating goals.

Suzanne Kim Doud Galli, MD, PhD, FACS is a double board certified facial plastic surgeon and a certified life coach, specializing in career transitions for health care providers looking at nonclinical roles.?

Yon Na, PhD, BCC is an organizational psychologist, consultant, and board certified coach, helping executives, leaders, and teams accelerate performance by applying organizational psychology principles.?

Peggy Yu is founder and CEO of Stack Education, career coach at HBS, and founding member of AWCC.?

Neelu Kaur is an Author, Facilitator, Leadership & NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming) Coach, and Stress Management Specialist. She holds a BS from NYU’s Stern School of Business, an MA in Social & Organizational Psychology from Columbia University, and is a certified NLP Master Practitioner and Coach from the NLP Center of New York.

#lifelonglearning #coaching #asianwomen #careergrowth #internalmobility