I have just completed my Executive Coaching Certification at Weatherhead Management School, Case Western Reserve University. It was an intellectually engaging and a deep, personally reflective journey, which also included making new friends and colleagues.
The training included lots of theory and reading, but most interesting for me, were the personal exercises that involved delving into our own deepest recesses about what holds us back, what motivates us, what do we want to leave behind and who will help us along this path.
In the final class, we were asked to create our own Board of Directors. These people fall into a number of categories – ally, friend and mentor for example. These are people who will support you professionally, who will support you emotionally, who will support you socially, and who will help you with professional connections. These people will be honest with you and your expectations. These people can be people you know or those you know of, who you wish to reach out to, and like our teacher for the class might even include those who are no longer living (Abraham Lincoln)!
I considered my current Board of Directors and realized that they fell into a number of categories – friends/family, Yoga/Ayurveda and academics. It also occurred to me that the list included too many people who were too similar to me and that I needed to branch out, particularly if I wanted to find support in my new career path. So, I sat, and thought and created my new list, which included people that I had met during this training.
So, I challenge you: can you create your own Board of Directors? Reach out to them and ask them to be on your Board, explaining that you will reach out to them for support. I have reached out to two of my Board to request their roles as Board Members, 3 more to go. Join me, in creating your own Board of Directors to support you on your journey!
Tamsin Astor-Jack writes at www.tamsinastor.com
©Tamsin Astor-Jack, Yoga Brained LLC