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Elizabeth Horgan
November 8, 2010
! I interviewed Tom Shields, a life coach who focuses on personal development
and helping people with what he calls “optimal vision coaching”. Through conversations
with Tom, I was able to get a sense of his coaching style and approach, and to gain a
been involved with coaching since 1995, during which time the focus of his coaching
activities have evolved. This paper will review Tomʼs journey in coaching and will
highlight issues of particular interest to me. Reflections on his coaching practice will be
analyzed and insights into coaching as a field will be explored. I found that interviewing
Investigation
! Tom began coaching informally, as the “go to” person at his government job for
people who needed some counsel as early as 1990. He realized that he enjoyed
helping people, and decided to take evening classes, first getting his MA in in Education
and Psychology. He then used his weekends the following year to become certified in
there is a consistent internal ordering and structuring to the way we think and act
(Grimley, 2010). Shortly thereafter, he had major eye surgery and almost died from an
shifted to working at first part-time as a coach and then committed fully to coaching a
year later. He joined Nightingale Conant, a personal development company that sold
Running Head: COACHING INTERVIEW ! ! ! ! ! !3
self-help books and provided coaching services. Tom became their top coach, actively
involved with leading sales and introductory sessions and working one-on-one coaching
individuals. Tom preferred the coaching aspects of his job and went out on his own a
few years later in order to focus solely on coaching. His journey continues to involve
coaching. When asked to describe himself currently, Tom defined himself as a coach, a
writer, and an author, “I help people see who they truly are and what they can truly
! His personal experience with severe eye issues has shaped his coaching
direction. His focus is on vision, on helping people to see more clearly. He has evolved
over time to concentrate on helping people who want to do things but do not feel strong
well as the “why”s and “what they want to be and create”, using client-derived specific,
measurable goals.
experiences. Within the last year he changed his approach and definition of his target
market. Tom believes he is most successful working with and coaching authentic
leaders, who he portrays as people who share certain attributes (they are leaders who
want to learn and grow, they have integrity and a commitment to doing the right things
right). What his prospects do is secondary to who they are. He feels that this is a
change from his past marketing when he used to target clients by focusing on particular
groups of people (such as sports figures, doctors) in order to present and promote
himself using niche expertise. Now he has broadened his networking, from Meet-up
groups to churches, and seeks out other opportunities (sports, business groups) to find
authentic leaders and to talk about what he does. He is writing a book, ʻRefocus Your
Life”, which he plans to promote - the goal to increase his exposure and frame his
expertise. He also has a steady referral component that adds to his coaching business.
! Tom feels that he continuously learns and develops. He regularly networks with
other coaches and has a long term coaching relationship to address his personal growth
life management and personal development. The foundations of his practice come from
the adult learning principles and assumptions of andragogy (Bachkirova, Cox &
Clutterbuck, 2010) and involve several theoretical traditions and genres of coaching.
practice. He works with clients to dig deep to shift their focus and expand their capacity
others” (Hawkins & Smith, p.231). Added to this is his NLP training which he applies to
help clients explore their reality and to look at what helps and hinders them as they
behaviorally is a key element that informs and directs his coaching approach
! The business side of Tomʼs coaching practice can be looked at by market, client
and issues. His market is currently in flux, he is attempting to redirect his client base by
on the Internet. However, my view is that his new marketing strategy sounds vague to
me. Trying to meet “authentic” leaders through group participation might work, but his
comments as I questioned him seemed grounded more in hope and possibility than in
structured, concrete plans. The fact that he is writing a book is a time constraint that
can ultimately help or hurt his practice, depending again on his focus and overall
strategic plan. My sense was that his focus was not clear, and that felt problematic for
! Tomʼs likes his clients, and apparently they like him. He works with people for a
range of time periods: some clients he has had for 7 or 8 years, and at the other end of
the spectrum, he works with clients for 12 session/3 month commitments. His coaching
business went from being primarily face-to-face coaching to a practice where his
engagements are now done mostly over the phone. He has had to develop skills of
listening to what is said and not said, how pacing, inflection and other auditory cues can
inform the coaching session. My coaching sessions this semester were done over the
phone, so I understand the acute need to listen to the breadth and depth of what is said
! There are three issues that arose from my conversations with Tom about a
coachʼs practice and approach. First, the business side of coaching is important to
evaluate, as are the challenges of success measurement. Secondly, the issue of client-
coach selection is more complex than I initially thought. Lastly, through insights gained
from talking with Tom, I realized that continuous learning is a critical element of
coaching.
! In looking at Tomʼs practice, I found is that Tom does not use objective measures
to analyze his coaching success. He relies instead on his own read of client results and
addressing client results, he self-assesses each situation. Tomʼs passion is not on the
business of coaching, but rather is on the people side, helping others grow. As an
business end and the people side of things as a way of measuring success. While
Tomʼs approach seems to work for him (he has been able to support himself in coaching
for over 13 years), I feel that it is important to have more of a balance between the
business and the softer measurements. For me, balancing client successes with a
stronger emphasis on the financial aspects of a coaching business would drive greater
personal satisfaction.
! I see an issue in the selection of coach by coachee. Tom stresses vision and
seeing in his overall approach to coaching. Yet not everyone experiences things that
way or is a visual learner. Leeds, in her book Smart Questions, notes five different
Calculator and the Creator (Leeds, 1987). Each personality category approaches things
differently, for example, a Commander is results oriented and more interested in action
Running Head: COACHING INTERVIEW ! ! ! ! ! !7
than seeing. However, for a Carer-Nurturer type of person, a visionary approach may
expect that over time and through experience, a coach can have a sense of who he/she
! Through insights gained from my conversation with Tom I realized that continued
learning and talking with other coaches is an incredibly valuable thing. He talked about
“just do it” - as a coach you donʼt have to be perfect; allow things to take shape, a lot of
coaching is not knowing how. Additionally he talked about what can hinder change. He
said that whenever you set a goal, something always comes up. We donʼt know what it
is, so we call it procrastination. As a coach, the challenge is to dig into what is holding
the person back. Explore it, do not pretend it isnʼt there. Along those lines, Tom has
found that people want to do things, but many times donʼt feel strong enough to do
them. That is why he focuses on inner strength coaching. Each of these insights might
good coach.
! Tomʼs advice to me: “Ask myself “why?”. What is compelling for me in my career
direction? You need passion and purpose for any work you do”.
Conclusion
reflected on issues new to me, and gained insights into coaching approaches and
underlying client issues. I found that the education you have as a coach combines with
your interests, experiences and passions to create a personalized coaching persona. I
clearly now that that I can apply what I am learning and doing in coaching to embark on
References
Bachkirova, T., Cox., E., & Clutterbuck, D., (2010). Introduction. In Cox., E., Bachkirova,
Grimley, B., (2010). The NLP approach to coaching. In Cox., E., Bachkirova, T., &
! SAGE.
Hawkins, P., & Smith, N., 2010). Transformational coaching. In Cox., E., Bachkirova,
Leeds, D., (1987). Smart questions: The essential strategy for successful managers.