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Reflections on a decade of coaching, leading up to certification
Ten years have passed since that great experience with the LifeBound group and other colleagues. Today, making a recount of what has happened, I can say that I have become a great coach in Puerto Rico, just like like the other LifeBound trainer exemplars. I am proud to complete my certification and be among them as this summer, and my LifeBound certification class, comes to a close.
I understand the purpose of coaching in relation to producing fulfilling results in people’s lives, and that they learn to take responsibility for their actions and goals. What at first was a great challenge for me, I can now handle with great skill. I don’t mean to confuse or switch my intervention styles with those of counseling and the fear of using the appropriate strategies and tools to handle the situations. I did this with many practice exercises and using the coaching tools like asking powerful questions, listening, observing, acknowledging, championing, and confronting.
To use open questions to provoke action, empowerment, critical thinking, and goals of the person was one of the many important things that I learned. During these years I have learned to better the skill of listening, asking the client what they want to work with, where do they want to start, and how do they want to do it. Also, to lead them to identify new possibilities and to commit to their goal and make it their own. I have also managed to understand that the client guides you to their goal and not to my sense of what they need.
I currently work at the University, supporting students and training new colleagues in the field of Coaching. It has been an incredible experience and I definitely do not regret the time or the sacrifices that my training and certification required.
-Zaidet Martinez-Chapel
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