Coaching Philosophy
Over time exceptional coaches develop a coaching paradigm based on their formative experiences and scholarship. My coaching approach has been heavily influenced by a number of factors.
As an undergraduate Philosophy and Psychology major I quickly recognized the importance of solving problems using an integrated cognitive and emotional framework based on self-awareness, critical thinking and developmental perspectives.
The foundation of life mastery is the ability to be self-aware, the practice of reflectively listening within and understanding one's thoughts, feelings and impulses. Self-awareness is the prerequisite for all further discovery since it reduces the likelihood that errors and bias in our thoughts and feelings may unknowingly influence our future behavior and decisions,
The self-aware person is then free to become a critical thinker who is able to see through to the core of issues with logic and clarity while incorporating intuition and ethical judgment. Critical thinking involves meta-cognitive processes -- thinking about how one thinks and feels -- to arrive at more informed and stable understandings of situations, problems and people.
Developmental perspectives add further value by illuminating normal stages of growth and development, as well as the effects of previous experiences that can interfere with this normal progression. Assessing the match between internal maturity and the expectations of the external environment often leads to productive change.
My clinical background as a psychiatrist has opened an additional perspective from which I can derive insights and observations. Many of the challenges of leadership are made more difficult by pressures and expectations put on us during our formative years, and the resolution of leadership obstacles often requires examination of the sometimes subtle influences of these experiences on our adult life.
These background characteristics have led me to a clinically-informed coaching style that is systems-oriented and integrative, while focused on achieving specific outcomes. I emphasize the transformational rather then transactional aspects of leadership development using a strengths-based approach rooted in positive psychology. Clinically informed coaching is not therapy, but it is therapeutic.
Because of this background I am able to address a wider range of difficulties in coaching settings, working with more challenging clients or with coaches who are unable to achieve results with particular clients. I am also comfortable working with leaders who need discreet evaluation and treatment of serious psychiatric conditions which are impairing their social or executive function.
Although most of my work is done with clients in healthcare settings, I am also frequently invited to work in for-profit corporate environments with senior executive leaders and boards.