Coaching
Pastoring is an isolating profession. As a pastor, I found myself with a profound understanding of the phrase “being alone in a crowd”. As a pastor, you are called to be an institutional leader, a spiritual director, a worship leader, an orator, a teacher, and a community leader, and offer a friendly ear. It is a swirl of obligations that can be draining.
Having a creative thinking conversation partner can help to strategize your next steps and to focus on your individual leadership goals.
Rev. Michelle Hughes has worked with pastors and congregations during her tenure as Associate Conference Minister in both the Connecticut and Illinois Conference of the United Church of Christ and is certified by the International Coaching Federation - ICF.
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“The International Coaching Federation (ICF) is the leading global organization dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high standards, providing independent certification, and building a worldwide network of trained coaching professionals.
As the world’s largest organization of professionally trained coaches, ICF confers instant credibility upon its members. ICF is also committed to connecting member coaches with the tools and resources they need to succeed in their careers.
ICF offers the only globally recognized, independent credentialing program for coach practitioners…”
What is the definition of coaching?
Coaching is working through a thinking process. Being a coach means partnering with another person in a thought-provoking and creative conversation that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential, which is particularly important in today’s uncertain and complex environment.
Coaches honor the other person as the expert in his or her life and work and believe that they are creative, resourceful, and whole.
Standing on this foundation, the coach’s responsibility is to: discover, clarify, and align with what the person wants to achieve, encourage self-discovery, elicit solutions and strategies generated by the other person (not the coach) and hold the person responsible and accountable.
Coaches pay particular attention to assisting clients to identify their strengths. Coachees learn to explore and develop their strengths as a means to achieve their goals, and also to cultivate positive emotions (M. Generating positive emotions leads to what Fredrickson (2013) calls, “an upward spiral.” Coaching creates the space for clients to build on these emotions and flourish.
Most people do not like being told what to do or when to do it. Coaches who understand this will build coaching relationships that allow the client to act autonomously.
Autonomous motivation means the person controls the decision-making process. The coach provides resources and support and nudges as needed, but the coachee in charge is certified by the International Coaching Federation - ICF.