Transforming lives through courageous coaching

In this vlog, we ask Fidelis Chebe, participant on our Coaching with Head, Heart & Soul programme what it’s like being on the programme.

A transcript of this film is below.

How did you come to be on the programme?

The context for this was very interesting, because it came against a backdrop of the  pandemic, where you know, everybody was having a difficult time. The organization was going through some change. The team was also changing, and we came to a point where there was a realization that the sort of tools as leaders, for managing our staff, for leading the organization and also for me personally, required some rethinking.

And so I came across the coaching program, Head, Heart, and Soul, and it struck me that there was something different here, which really spoke to that new context of, you know, of the uncertainty, of the unknown, and how you hold people within the organization and myself to navigate that new context of uncertainty, change and some of the pressures that were going on.

As a result of that, I took interest in the coaching program, and I spoke to one or two people who had been on the course and they said, “go for it” because you would definitely make some real progress as a result of this. So that's how I got into the program.

What would you say is unique about the Coaching with Head, Heart & Soul programme?

There are many things that are unique about this program. But I think the thing that stood out for me really powerfully, was the very transformative approach of this coaching programme, because it doesn't just look at the tools of coaching, which are also very important in terms of the structure and the models and all of it. It goes to the heart of the individual. So it it's about you. As I says, it's head hard and soul. So it's a whole person package and it looks at coaching from the perspective of the whole person. And for me that that's really fundamental, because you go into other coaching programs and the focus is often about what you do with other people. But in this coaching program, it's very much not about rescuing, not fixing individuals. It's more about being fully present and holding this space. And it just allows you to be “normal” and to enjoy the conversation as it goes through. And, and for me that was very very powerful because you build a relationship with somebody.

And, and in the process of that, you are asking some very simple questions, but questions that are also very profound. That element of you being genuinely curious about something, or generally curious about somebody, really brings out the heart of the coaching program, because it's not, again, as I said, trying to fix people. It's empowering, enabling that person to navigate. I think that that really nails it because it, again, as I said, it's not about fixing people, it's about a transformative approach to coaching.

How has the programme influenced your ways of working?

I spent a lot of time trying to resolve things with people trying to say, “this is what you need to do”. It's changed now, because what I've realized is people can figure things out for themselves, and so I go into a process where there's a conversation where we are able to navigate together whatever people are going through. And what I've realized is that it brings a huge potential out of people just by having a conversation where people can reflect, people can think about things in ways that they've never done. And find solutions for themselves.

And I think the other thing which I'm seeing in my work is (and this was really powerful in the coaching program), I used to be very cautious about how I access parts of things that have constituted trauma. What I've noticed now as a result of the coaching program, is that I've transformed my trauma, or my experience of negativity of those whole feelings, which I thought, “Ooh, I can't go there”, because that might trigger something. What that meant was that I was not able to bring myself into a space where I can talk or support somebody in a team that might be experiencing something which they find difficult to talk about. And what that has released within the team is people being able to be more open -to express issues which they find difficult. 

That transformative approach of “coaching with integrity,” Brene Brown talks about, where courage replaces comfort, it has been something that the coaching program has brought into my leadership.

Would you recommend this programme?

I highly recommend it to people. And the second thing I'll say about that, is being a coach and being on the coaching program - for me it goes beyond. Obviously it's a professional endeavour, but there is something that as coaches, you are in a very privileged position. And I say that because you are going to be talking to people that are going through real life situations, whether it's at work, and also things that are affecting their lives. And you are in a position where if you hold people with care, if you hold more with kindness, and you've got courage to be able to go through that coaching process with people, you can make a fundamental difference in how a person performs, not just at work, but how they live their life in total.

People have made life-changing decisions as a result of that, and so they come into the process thinking this is just about a work-related issue. They leave the process with a fundamental shift in terms of how they want to live their lives. So again, in terms of recommending this program, what I'm saying to people is that you're not just going to be a good coach, you're not just going to another coaching program where you get some relevant skills to make your team perform well or to make yourself a good leader. You go into this coaching program, aptly, described as head heart and soul, because you're going to have the opportunity to really help people to be better people in themselves.

And that's a privilege. That’s a joy. It's a good program to come on because you transform yourself, but you also have opportunity to transform lives.

Fidelis Chebe

More info on our Coaching with Head, Heart & Soul programme can be found HERE