By Dr Renate Volpe

Optimal work and life performance, through a coaching relationship.

My life journey has gifted me with a unique package within which to encounter the role of coach in a coaching relationship. My original training was in the field of psychology. My outlook on humanity is developmental (that is, I believe that if we have the skills and the desire we can achieve much) and my experience is in the world of tough business both, in the corporate field as an employee and employer, and as an entrepreneur running a successful consultancy over 15 years.

My approach is an integrated one, in that I believe that we are:
a product of our past,
it is our awareness of those factors that have influenced us in the past, and our ability to manage these with wisdom and objectivity in the present,
that will determine absolutely whether we achieve optimal levels of life and work satisfaction in the future.

When one has worked with people intensively over many years one cannot help but begin to identify certain common trends. My specialty is coaching people at middle and senior management levels. My chosen market segment is people who have encouraged their organizations to invest in them for professional and personal growth.

The people that come to me are inevitably intelligent; their lives demonstrate success and competency at many levels. At work they have achieved and been promoted and earn super packages. However they find themselves in one of a number of situations:

1. Either they are plagued by a vague sense of lack of meaning and a perception that they need to move, on but have no idea to what or where
Or
2. They simply hit a performance ceiling, which is an uncommon experience for them as they have previously managed to resolve most of life’s and work based challenges effectively
Or
3. They find themselves in the midst or an organizational and or life transition
Or
4. They are caught in the midst of destructive games at work and have become aware that they may have outplayed themselves politically at work and resultantly are angry, confused and unhappy.

The most fascinating trend for me is that as the trust grows in the coaching relationship the following occurs:

The "coachee" will inevitably make links between their experiences as a young person and their current view of, and behaviour at, work.

For example their father might have been very authoritarian and so is their boss, and they find themselves behaving like a rebel without a cause
Or
Their parent was physically and emotionally absent and they had to become overly responsible at an early age. Resultantly at work they find that they take on the role of rescuer and care taker to their own detriment.
Or
They were the most gifted girl or boy at school and everything came easily. Now suddenly at 35 they are having to work hard at learning new skills, their looks are fading, their energy is diminishing and they have never had to learn life’s lessons of discipline, hard work and resilience.

In essence what has happened here is that their intellect has carried them and their emotional maturity has lagged behind. Once the emotional awareness is created, and the necessary EQ development is done in the coaching relationship, the pieces of their life puzzle once more fall into place.

Once this is accomplished the true coaching process can begin with people management skills, competencies and techniques being provided.

In essence coaching increases:
• insight into ones own behavior and emotions,
• enhances a willingness to learn skills, and
• improves competence in communication and relationships.

And results in people experiencing:
• enhanced life satisfaction,
• clearer decision making ability, and
• quantum leaps regarding work performance.

The best news of all for me, and why I continue to do the work is that inevitably a phone call or an e-mail follows a few months later with good news such as:
• “I received that promotion”
• “I’m finally on the Board”
• “I negotiated that increase I deserved”
• “I finally had the courage to leave and get that new position I desired."

Dr Renate Volpe is an author, facilitator, consultant and coach.

For enquiries please e mail Dr Renate Volpe, CEO of HIRS at Renate@hirs.co.za or call 011 455 0769 / 083 273 2687.