Coaching: Why Lombardi-style Ain’t My Style.
December 3 2020. Two months ago I began pursuing my passion to become an “official” Leadership and Executive Coach. In four months, I will complete Brown University’s Leadership and Performance Coaching Program. Below are answers to the most commonly asked questions I receive about adding this exciting new offering to my practice.
Why Pursue A Leadership Coaching Certificate?
Leadership coaching enhances the current work I do. To date, clients hire me to advance food, sustainability and innovation initiatives. I often find myself using a “coach-approach” in these engagements, which is some of the most rewarding work I do. So I’ve decided to formalize this work with an official credential.
What Is The Coach-Approach?
The Coach-Approach is a coach/client relationship where the I, the coach, provide the space and framework for my client to generate his or her own creative solutions that are best suited for his or her unique needs. Specifically, I help my clients:
- Clarify their goals
- Identify hidden barriers
- Uncover enabling insights
- Identify creative solutions
- Take action and measure success
Who Are My Clients?
When it comes to consulting, I am hired for my technical skills in food, sustainability and innovation. When it comes to coaching my clients run the gamut. I thrive when I work with high-level, creative individuals and forward-thinking organizations looking to make impactful shifts in their leadership, actions, and culture.
How Does Coaching Differ From Consulting and Advising?
Coaching vs. consulting: With consulting, individuals and organizations retain me for my expertise in early-stage innovation in food and sustainability. With coaching, my expertise is less of the focus. Instead, I provide the supportive frameworks and processes for individuals and teams to generate their own creative solutions. My expertise helps, but it isn’t the focus.
Coaching vs. advising/mentoring: I am also an advisor/mentor, particularly in my work with students at University of Chicago and Northwestern University. As an advisor/mentor, I am asked to provide guidance based on wisdom from my experiences. As a coach, I support my clients in using their own wisdom to create unique solutions that achieve their goals.
What Is My Approach With My Clients?
I am a coach, a consultant, or an advisor depending upon the situation. Sometimes I am all three. I co-create with my clients, designing to their goals. If a client hires me as a coach and I can see a need for technical assistance based on my expertise, I share my thoughts.
What Is My Coaching Process?
While each coaching client is unique, the consistent framework I use with my clients is what I call my “CEDC” process. Using my process, my clients can expect to:
C: Clarify their goals and objectives
E: Explore their situation, identifying any hidden barriers
D: Discover new and enabling insights
C: Create solutions that achieve their goals in ways that are consistent with their values. The solutions are actionable and measurable.
Can You Participate?
Yes. As a “coach in training” I’m currently taking on a variety of new clients. Ping me on LinkedIn if you are interested in learning more. I’d love to hear from you.
Why Vince?
In this post, I chose to feature Vince Lomardi because he is the most recognized coach. No coach in NFL history achieved more success in less time than Coach Lombardi. During his nine seasons in Green Bay he won five NFL championships including Super Bowls I and II.
While revered, the Lombardi-style of coaching is in direct opposition to the coach approach I practice. With Coach Lombardi it was “his way or the highway”. He believed in one operating manual and ensured that every player follow that manual.
The coach-approach I pursue is based on the belief that we each have our own unique operating manual that can be optimized for individual and organizational success. Tesla, for example, operates differently than a Hummer. Albeit different, both vehicles can have a great ride.
While there’s a lot to learn from Vince Lombardi, “my way or the highway” ain’t the only way – just don’t tell him that!
This cover portrait of Vince Lombardi first appeared on the eve of the 1962 championship game in which the defending NFL champion Packers successfully defended their title against the New York Giants. The cover portrait was done by Boris Chaliapin, who designed hundreds of magazine covers for Time Magazine. You can visit this portrait of the legend in Washington D.C.’s National Portrait Gallery.
