How I Got Into Coaching And Why I Love It.

Teaching is a job I stumbled into. I grew to love it for many reasons, which I will not get into now. And, as with everything I do, I gave it my all. Subsequently, I became a teacher leader. I was named pedagogic coordinator and supervisor. Both students and teachers became my responsibility. A responsibility I took very seriously. And, I watched them grow and get better. The pride I felt and still do feel is another story.

Several years after, I moved from the classroom to the corporate world.  I made the transition from working with young learners and started working with professionals in management positions. It was both exciting and challenging.

My students were mostly looking to improve their communication skills using English As A Foreign Language.
My classes were typically held in the client's office and we mostly talked about whatever they wanted to talk about and my job involved helping them acquire fluency and accuracy in expressing themselves in English. I was generally expected to clarify formal and informal communication skills amongst other things. It was common for clients to request "classes" just before an important meeting or conference call and sometimes, they would call me after the meeting to tell me how things went.
Sometimes, they would discuss situations they were facing. They discussed their frustrations and achievements. I am a good listener, so I listened. I am also very inquisitive, so sometimes I asked questions. And, I found that as they responded to my questions, they seemed to find certain answers for themselves. Sometimes, I shared experiences or something that I had read or learnt somewhere.
I never told any of them what to do, but in the 6 years I have worked in that field, I did not have one unhappy "student".  As a matter of fact, to this day, I still get referrals.

It is a job I enjoyed tremendously and whenever I find the time, I always find myself signing up one or two clients.  That experience provided me with untold insights into the lives and needs of executives. I learnt a lot about management and leadership.
Some people have told me that I have a natural flair for this awesome job as a coach, but I very humbly admit that I didn't realise it until I found myself in a place where it was brought out of me. I am sure that there are people who discovered very early on that they were gifted in that department. I am not one of those people. I know that there are coaches who knew it was a "calling" they had from the very start. I can not claim that. But I do know that, since my attention was drawn to this innate capability, I do not want to stop.
With all that I learnt, and all that I am still learning, I have made yet another transition. This time from teacher to coach, which, when I think about it, is almost exactly the same thing.
Now, I am better positioned to help every executive and leader of industry that chooses to work with me to ask themselves the questions that will aid them in finding the answers they might not  even know they have. I do not have all the answers, but I do have a lot of the questions.
There are many challenges involved. The setbacks are innumerable. But, who wants to count setbacks? I am a Coach and I absolutely love this job!

It would be great to read about how you got into coaching.