The Role Of Agency In Coaching & Curated Content #14 April 2024
A monthly email for paid subscribers with curated reads, videos, podcasts and other content which have interested or inspired me this month.
When people meet me, they often ask what type of coach I am. It is a genuine question and a conversation starter but one I sometimes find myself having a slight resistance to. In reality, many coaches are trained in a similar manner with little attention paid to what type of coaches they will become. For most coaches, the choice to focus on one area or client segment is driven by their own life experiences, their research areas or interests and/or past career or sector experience.
Originally I didn’t want to label myself too tightly because I believe when it comes to coaching, the coach/client match is more powerful than any ‘style’ or specialisation the coach may have. That said, clarity about who you serve is not actually about you, its real function is to help your client understand if you are a suitable coach for them. When I was writing and refining wording for my website, what I was really aiming to do was make it clear who I was so potential clients could understand if I sounded like someone who resonated, that they could work with and trust. Similar to my writing, I wanted to share my ideas and who I am openly not to simply sell something but because it is the truth. For me, the truth is always powerful. It removes friction from situations and helps shorten the distance we need to travel to understand if we want to work together.
The clients I work with tend to fall into two categories; business owners/leaders and purpose-led individuals seeking greater clarity on the next steps in their life and work. Everyone has their own unique story and challenges but they all share one thing that I believe is fundamental and non-negotiable to the personal growth process: agency. Self-actualisation, personal growth or development of purpose cannot happen without embracing and owning the agency you have in your life and work. While performance coaching in organisations has become a big trend, I myself, have a concern it can be in conflict with my coaching approach if the client is not fully in control of the process. I only work with a client if I feel this conflict doesn’t exist. Your boss or someone in a working environment may suggest you go to coaching and even give direction on what to focus on but ultimately coaching is about you. Any coaching process should be about what you want, your potential. You cannot and will not self-actualise based on what someone else thinks you should do. You need to be consciously choosing to engage in the coaching process for yourself, rather than it being chosen for you by others.
A simple indicator of agency is the investment you are willing to make in coaching in terms of both time and money. For many of my clients, this means they are paying the coaching fees themselves or are the owner/part-owner/partner of the business that is paying the fee. They are actively choosing this path, no one is choosing it for them. It is their process and they are invested in it. When you own and are motivated by that choice, coaching will be a much more powerful experience because you have chosen this investment in yourself for yourself. This element of the coaching dynamic is a more potent accelerant of change and growth than any one type of coaching can claim. It keeps you at the centre of the coaching process because, while I am there to support and guide you, it is only you who holds the power to actualise your potential.
If you have been considering coming for coaching and wish to have an initial chat to discuss how we can work together, please feel free to book in via this link: Fiona English Initial Appointment
For reasons that remain a complete mystery to me, a post I wrote for my LinkedIn page on new styles of leadership and gender equality this month went viral with over 100k impressions and counting. You can read it here: Leadership is not built, it emerges
As promised, our first live call with be in May. Full details will be sent out next week with the link to register but if you want to mark it in your diary - it will be Wednesday 22nd May 7pm GMT/ 3pm EST/ 12noon PST.
I would love to see you there.
After the paywall, links to podcasts and reads I enjoyed this month.
Fiona x
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Expression with Fiona English to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.