As we are celebrating International Coaching Week, I decided to share my path to coaching and why I coach… here is my story:
It’s a sunny, humid and warm June afternoon in New York City many years ago. I am sitting on a bench under a Green Ash Tree in a small park on the corner of 46th Street and Second Avenue with a large envelope from the United Nations Pension Fund in my hand. It contains the information about my pension earned from the past years and the signed resignation forms. An hour earlier I’ve visited the United Nations Secretariat as a staff member for the last time. To finalize my resignation. I feel as if I was giving up on my childhood dream of working for the organization that protects women and children. The downtrodden. The hungry and displaced. I’m full of conflicting emotions. Simultaneously sad and relieved, disappointed and elated.
Working for the UN was my dream since third grade when we celebrated UNICEF Day in school making paper cutouts of the UNICEF logo plastering them on the classroom windows in my small-town school on the northwestern coast of Finland. I still remember what they looked like.
That I would one day live on Manhattan in New York City with an office on the 25th floor of the iconic UN Building was unimaginable for me and everyone else who knew me and my family. How I got there is another much longer story. Today I want to tell you about what brought me to coaching.
I had worked for the UN Secretariat for five years, moving from an entry level position to that of a team leader quickly, being promoted twice in 4 years. I was on a roll. The competitive hierarchical system feeding my competitiveness. I had also joined as a “senior” junior professional and was eager and impatient to prove myself. I was efficient and hardworking, and I had managers who encouraged and supported me. The organization offered flexible working arrangements that I made use of and my managers were very understanding.
Life was still very busy. I had married a few years earlier and started a family soon thereafter. My husband worked on Wall Street and was even more driven and competitive than I was. We had a nanny who cared for our toddlers. It all looked rather good. But I was feeling increasingly stressed out with the competing demands at work and at home. I wanted and needed to be a present parent. But I also wanted success at work. To make a difference. To live my childhood dream.
It felt increasingly challenging to juggle it all. I needed a change. I needed to make a change. I was burned-out and spent the next few months looking for a better balance in life, learning to manage my stress and exploring what I really wanted to do. I eventually decided to take a leave of absence as we learned that our youngest, who was three, likely was on the autism spectrum and I needed to focus on his needs and education, too.
The time off was my opportunity to re-evaluate my life, my values and what really motivated me. I decided to pursue a master’s degree in counseling as psychology had always intrigued me and helping others is a strong value that drives me. When my manager asked me to return to work, I declined and resigned. It was not an easy decision, but that’s how I found myself on the bench under the Ash Trees.
As I was going through this difficult period my own purpose and mission in life slowly crystallized: I want to dedicate my life, my knowledge and skills to support others to reach their potential while being happy and healthy whole human beings living an authentic life. I had again reconnected with the young woman with a drive to change the world.
I often wonder, what If I had had a coach helping me navigate my professional goals and needs while also helping me to stay true to my personal values and needs? A coach who kept me honest and authentic to what really mattered and helped me channel my energy towards meaningful, timely and achievable goals? Then, where would I be today?
Today I am that coach.
Among others, I coach emerging leaders, how to be successful in global, cross-cultural work, often in unsafe and challenging locations while staying healthy and having fulfilled personal lives. It’s often not easy.
Why does their employer invest in coaching for their young emerging talent? Because everyone wins. When your staff is healthy, happy and supported they are more productive, engaged and the overall performance of the organization improves. Investing in your staff means investing in your future as there is less turnover and more growth and innovation. Having well written policies about wellbeing, work-life balance and flexible working arrangements is not enough. Senior leadership needs to model and actively promote the polices, and HR needs to be there to ensure staff can use the options available without fear of retaliation or career setbacks.
Leaving my job at the UN Secretariat is not what brought positive change into my life. My message is not to give up and run away from challenges. To the contrary. I still work for the United Nations System of Organizations, as a consultant and coach. I’m still pursuing my childhood dream and making a difference. This time one person and one team at a time. What I’ve learned is to work through challenges, find new perspectives and be open to different opportunities.
My mission as a coach is:
To help my clients reach their potential, as leaders or emerging leaders, while staying true to themselves.
To help my clients unearth what motivates them, what gives meaning and then define and pursue goals that are aligned with their values and needs, and that of the organization they work for.
To help them understand what is holding them back and to overcome obstacles and learn from the challenge.
To make teamwork, especially in diverse teams, more joyful, collaborating, trusting and high performing.
My own life and professional experience has taught me resilience and deepened my understanding of and empathy for the challenges we all encounter. I use a holistic coaching approach where we focus on both your professional goals and skills while also integrating your health, wellbeing and personal needs and values. I believe leadership begins and ends with personal leadership.
Are you living your life with purpose? Is your career aligned with your values? Are you the leader you want to be, and your team needs you to be?
Interested in exploring coaching further? Contact me at https://www.khdinternational.com/homepage-2/free-intro-session/
