Who Am I as a Coach?

With my first blog entry I am perplexed and surprised to admit that I do not yet have a simple answer. Why is this such a difficult question? My attention turns immediately to a quote presented at the *OLCC kickoff session. “Our presence is an intervention”, attributed to Dorothy Siminovitch.

This strikes a chord for me. It speaks to the essence of coaching as I currently understand it. It points to something more fundamental than coaching methods or their technical components. It is the coach himself/herself as a mirror…a stimulus for reflection, questioning, change and ultimately growth. Even now as I rummage curiously through my new OLCC toolbox I am sure of only this; as a coach I aspire to be fully present and unobstructed as a mirror that reflects truly and authentically for my clients.

*OLCC: Northwestern University's 12-month Organizational & Leadership Coaching Certificate program-part of their Master's in Learning & Organizational Change