It’s become clear to me that I came into the world as a transformational leader. I’ve always been passionate about helping people become the best version of themselves or, at a bare minimum, leaving them better than I found them. Maybe that’s why I’ve always provided “coaching” (officially but mostly unofficially) to so many people throughout my career - leaders and frontline employees alike. So, when a friend offered me the idea of becoming a certified leadership coach, I accepted a meeting to learn more. Not right away, mind you. First, I needed to do some research.
There were so many options out there, and once I went down the rabbit hole, I couldn’t find one that spoke to me. I wasn’t interested in getting certified just to satisfy a potential client's need for a credentialed coach. As far as I was concerned, a “certification” didn’t validate my expertise. Plus, I wasn’t interested in spending upwards of $10k to check a box. Until I met Tilt365 and their Laser Coaching Masterclass (and the cost is less than half of that high price tag!).
Here was my challenge and initial concern. I’m the kind of person that tells it like it is. Straight up, no chaser. YesI will add a “spoonful of sugar” to help the proverbial “medicine” of truth go down when it’s needed. Experience has taught me that people who ask for help aren’t always prepared to do the hard work that goes along with receiving said help. And, subsequently, a few individuals couldn’t swallow their “medicine” and quickly kicked me to the curb, leaving my hurt feelings in their wake. The lesson for me? Learning to recognize the individuals who were ready for my kind of “medicine” because it meant that they were committed to change. But I also had something to learn about myself…
This is how Tilt365’s assessment certification and Laser Coaching certification courses got my attention. I immediately recognized we were peddling the same kind of “medicine,” and their “spoonful of sugar” came in the form of personality assessments that weren’t really about personality so much as building the strength of one’s character. Dr. King’s dream is at the tip of my potential client’s fingertips. You know, in a “judged by the content of character” way of leading and moving through the world. All we had to do was recognize that we had a choice from moment to moment, day to day, to choose the kind of person we wanted to be, and I could easily teach that part. I was sold! Tilt had the tools, and Laser Coaching had the methodology I’d been looking for.
Was my investment well-spent? It was better than that. It was time and energy well spent, too! For my twice-a-week commitment (one day to discuss learnings, one day to practice) over a three-month period, I discovered that I wasn’t really a “coach” so much as a “problem solver” and, because it was in my blind spot, I was also a bit of an “enabler.” Now, this last self-reflection only appeared when I was dealing with someone resisting the process (my medicine?). You know, that leader who sees vulnerability as a weakness and believes fear-based leadership is the holy grail.
The end result?
I went through a personal transformation thanks to the phenomenal instructors of the program: Pam Boney, founder of Tilt, Erika Bill Peter, Tilt’s Chief Learning Officer, and Carol Keith, MCC, CMC Master Certified Coach. But, of the three, Carol Keith is “The TRUTH,” or maybe I should say “the People Whisperer”. She’s truly mastered the art of reading people, meeting them where they are, and asking the BEST questions to help them see, acknowledge, and participate in their growth. I couldn’t figure out how she teaches this because you would think that’s an innate trait that can’t be taught, right? Then it occurred to me. She does it by helping you (as the coach) recognize and trust your own intuition! The answers are there, we just have to trust them when they appear.
The best part? Laser coaching shaved weeks off of the coaching program I offer to clients! Thus, I can see more clients in less time while still offering transformational results!
I’ll leave you with this: if you are a coach and any part of my journey sounds familiar or resonates with you in any way…the Laser Coaching Masterclass is JUST what you’ve been looking for. If it doesn’t transform you, your coaching practice, and your clients, I will eat my proverbial hat!
