Coaching Excellence

King says they discussed areas where she excelled at work—but more importantly, her manager pointed out something that was getting in the way. 

“He really took the time to understand me, and because of that I felt engaged and inspired when he told me what I was doing well,” says King. “He also shared a flaw he saw in my personality—when something didn’t go my way, I’d get irritated too quickly. Instead of bouncing back, I would give up.” 

King says that was a painful thing to hear, but it was also an “aha!” moment. 

“Not only did he point that out and create self-awareness, he also gave me some strategies to use when I could feel it was going to happen,” she says. “That was very powerful because it was the first time I realized I could be proactive in determining my performance.” 

What she didn’t realize at the time was that her manager was using a coaching strategy— a way of empowering others to become their best by asking questions, listening intently and providing feedback. 

King would go on to a 25-year career in leadership coaching across business and higher education. Today, she works as an independent leadership consultant and is co-facilitating CLOE’s new Leadership Coaching certification. 

The curriculum benefits those who wish to enhance their own skills to be successful managers, as well as those who would like to coach others. 

King says coaching is especially important now, when budgets are tight and employees are being asked to do more with less. 

“Your employees want to be empowered. They want to do their best,” says King. “With coaching, you can motivate and inspire them to do just that.”