When I’m building a team, there’s an illustration I always come back to: part of whether or not you will ascend Mt. Everest will be the team. Does this person have the right experience to handle our gear? Does that person know enough about weather patterns? Do I have the right leadership qualities to carry our team through challenges along the way. Whatever you are ascending, it is you and the people around you, because no one climbs alone.
Effective (and honest) leaders will occasionally find themselves in a place where they need to grow in an area. Mondays have been scientifically proven to present at least one million challenges for the leader to face. (Not real science.) A shift in industry requires new strategies. A change in staffing requires new approaches to recruiting. If you woke up this morning, there will be a new challenge to learn and grow from.
Outside of precepts in His Word and the Holy Spirit, one of God’s greatest gifts to the world is people with a deep passion and skillset for helping others grow and multiply their impact. Because these type of people often go unknown – bet you don’t know who Tim Grover is, do you? – I’m excited to introduce you to Patrick Smith, one of the finest leadership coaches around. Patrick currently serves as Director of Training and Development for Christian Care Ministry, is a long-time friend and is my personal leadership coach! He’s the guy you hire when you’re a leader looking to take a team up a 29,032 foot mountain. We sat down to discuss his approach, what fuels his passion, and how he measures success.
Patrick, I used the word “coaching” a few times, how do you define that?
Dom, coaching is this amazing relationship where both people get curious about a challenge and they dig into the possibilities that exist in approaching a solution. It’s really about making meaningful changes that take you to the next level and what’s so amazing about it is that whether you are the coach or the client in the process, you learn something from the interaction and come away changed by it.
I believe that coaching is one of the most impactful methods of personal and professional growth. I often tell my clients that “coaching is not for the faint of heart.” What people get out of a coaching experience directly relates to the amount of time and effort that they put into it. When the coaching process works its magic, it’s all work and no magic! One of the most important things that a coaching client needs to do is be willing to change. It’s only through making meaningful changes that drive long-term results that a coaching client truly benefits from the process.
Some may have assumptions based on the title “Leadership & Career Coach.” Does success only come when you apply stuffy academic methodology, or is there a place for trial through open discussion?
Success doesn’t have to wait on anything! I definitely believe that it’s valuable to have academic knowledge to back up what you do, but it’s often best to learn things as you do them rather than simply listening to lectures or reading books about it. Ultimately, our success comes from what we do, not what we know and anyone can immediately begin doing things that make a positive impact on their lives and the lives of those around them.
Regardless of industry, what do you believe are core competencies for the world, post-COVID?
Regardless of how much the world has changed or continues to change, … I believe that everyone should actively seek to improve their interpersonal competencies. I am a big proponent of the ideas presented in Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (Bradberry and Greaves) where they identify the importance of developing our self-awareness and self-management as well as our social awareness and relationship management skills. What we have to realize is that we all get work done with, by, and for other people. This is true whether we work in a supporting operations function, frontline sales, finance, information technology, or some other function in a business. If people improve their ability to connect with one another, I firmly believe that we would all see a significant improvement in our work and home lives.
How do you define and measure success in coaching?
Success in a coaching relationship is defined exclusively by the client. They need to understand what their particular growth goals are and the coach should actively work to align with those goals. It’s important to note that success does not mean that everything works perfectly or that the first idea about something is always right. Dr. Carol Dweck’s concept of a “growth mindset” is essential for true success to be achieved. Success is creating forward motion and learning along the way. But again, determining what exactly constitutes “forward” is defined by the client.
What is your personal philosophy when it comes to coaching?
My philosophy in coaching is summarized in one word, which I used to name my business: momentum. In Physics, momentum refers to the motion of a physical object. Applied in a coaching context, we should be active and moving toward our goals and objectives. Another aspect of momentum is related to time, for us to be fully present in the moment where we are. We are not promised tomorrow so we have to do the best we can where we are with what is immediately in front of us. When you combine the two concepts, you have the heart of Momentum Coaching and Consulting – we should be actively engaged in moving toward a desired future while ensuring that we are present and giving the best we can, from moment to moment.
This has been so much fun, I hope those reading it are as encouraged as I was when we first talked about coaching sessions. I vividly remember feeling like the possibilities were endless, I was absolutely going to climb the mountain! If someone wanted to pursue coaching sessions or had follow up questions, how could they get in touch with you?
That would be amazing, I’m excited to help in any way I can! We can help with team optimization, leadership development, personal strategic planning, and career and executive coaching. Here’s my contact information:
Patrick Smith, CPTM, ACC
Chief Solutions Architect
Momentum Coaching and Consulting
321-614-4313
momentumcoaching@outlook.com
Dom Robin 