Meet Rich
My purpose
What drew me to coaching is ultimately what I now feel is my purpose to coach. I enjoy work; always have (with one or two exceptions, naturally!). We're at work for such a large chunk of our lives and I want everyone to feel good about the work they do.
I've enjoyed my work most when I've felt a good alignment between my personal values and those of the organisations I've been working with/for, when I've felt capable, when I've had challenge and when I was appreciated for the outcomes I created.
I don't think there is anything from this list that is outside of my control to influence, however it is not always easy or clear "in the moment" what to change when you really need to.
Coaching offers a space for this thinking to take place. If I can create that environment for my coachees so that they feel like powerful agents within their own story then I am one happy coach.
The flip-side to my purpose is that I like to make a difference to the success of the organisations I work with. If my coachees are enjoying their work, and the business they work for is improving as a result; that's the magic formula.
Early in my career I studied a Masters Degree in Occupational Psychology. For me it was the perfect way to understand how people make businesses work, and how the business culture, in return, creates the environment in which people can flourish. I'm still a student of this thinking, learning constantly about the evidence-based approaches to evolving problems. I learn in every coaching conversation I have and in every leadership development intervention I run.