E01 | Wayfinding: Leadership Rediscovered

What if leadership coaching isn't a perk — it's a necessity? In this first episode of Reclaiming a World That Works, hosts Christal Duncan and Carol Vickers explore why coaching has become essential for every leader, introduce the concept of Wayfinding, and share how real transformation starts not by remaking who you are — but by returning to it.

In this episode:
Why leadership coaching belongs at every level, not just the C-suite
The difference between fixing what's wrong vs. building on what's right
What Wayfinding coaching is and how it works
Measurable outcomes real coaching produces

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

And that I think reflects for me on the importance that leadership coaching is actually about bringing people really full circle, recognizing who they are, what their capabilities are, really, as your coach did, reflecting back on what is most important for them and then supporting and sustaining that to move forward and upward. Yep. Because we need absolutely in this world right now, need leaders who are willing to have a strong voice and be vocal and be challenging.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Welcome to Reclaiming a World That Works. We are so excited to finally launch this iteration of what we're bringing to the world, and excited that you are here today to join us. My name is Crystal Duncan.

SPEAKER_02 1:01

And I'm Carol Vickers. And we are absolutely thrilled to be bringing you our new thoughts, our new ideas, something that we believe is going to make a difference in the world.

SPEAKER_00 1:12

So, Carol, a quick introduction of both of us and how how we ended up here as coaches, because coaching is something that is everybody interprets it differently. So you and I, in particular, are leadership and executive coaches, and we work with a lot with leaders in different contexts and industries around the world. So why don't you why don't we start with you actually just sharing with us quickly how you came to be sitting in this conversation right now? Yes.

SPEAKER_02 1:45

I had a leadership coach, which is what I what turned me on to the possibility of what a coach can do when I was running a small business. And then I had an opportunity to be trained as a coach. And that actually was the place where I really felt that I had come home. I walked into the training, we started to have some questions and conversations, and I thought, oh, it's like my whole body relaxed. This is where I belong. But the piece that really inspired me as I became a coach was also to share that knowledge and to be able to introduce other people to the concept of coaching. And so I've also been a coach educator since early, early days of my own training because I wanted to expand it. How do we get more people doing this in the world? Which of course brought us together and brought whole human together because of the connections that I was able to make through that process.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

Yeah. And same for a different story, but I've been a social entrepreneur for years. And I have worked with as a in various leadership capacities and played various roles right from the C-suite right on through. And when you start up, when you're in a startup mode of something, you actually are everything in that business. I came to coaching because I too had a coach in my leadership role in a nonprofit that I had started, a global nonprofit. And through the course of that coaching, I discovered that number one, I was actually no longer, I no longer, it wasn't a fit for me anymore. And I turned to learning about how to become a professional coach, which is part of where our conversation is going today. But what that did and that shift, that conversation, the reason it shifted wasn't because things were so terrible that they were like it wasn't a remedial conversation. It was actually because I started to realize that there were things alive in me, values alive in me that were calling me to something more. And the ability to create space and have a structured conversation with someone around that shifted everything for me, completely shifted my life and put me on an incredible, a credit, incredibly different and amazing trajectory.

SPEAKER_02 3:59

Those kind of realizations are remarkable. They do happen in coaching conversations where people get a chance for perhaps for the very first time, hear the stories they're telling, to have the questions asked of them that no one ever asks, and to see something in their life that they just it was invisible until that moment. Yeah. How you're describing it.

SPEAKER_00 4:21

Yeah. Yeah. So today we are talking about why leadership coaching is no longer optional. And that's a bit of a hot take in terms of it, it can sound rather judgmental, but we have a reason. Not only we have a reason, but there's a lot of evidence to prove why we believe this to be true and what it can offer people when they start to see things through this perspective. Carol, can you help us understand, help our listeners understand what is leadership coaching? How would you define it?

SPEAKER_02 4:53

It's a bit of an It's a bit of a topic and could go on for a long time. However, how it has been seen in the world is something of a perk for those senior leaders. Yeah. It's been seen as something that you get if you get to that corner office space, you get your own personal coach. However, what we've really realizing in our conversations with people who are working, doesn't matter what level they're working at, that this idea of having someone who supports them in their journey forward is actually absolutely critical because the leaders that we're going to see making a difference in the world aren't necessarily the ones who are in the C-suite right now. I had a conversation with my son last night, and one of the things we were saying is I said, it's your generation that is going to be leading right away. I said, Oh no, look around. There's still a lot of people in the C-suites that are maybe a little past their due date. And that is, I think it reflects for me on the importance that leadership coaching is actually about bringing people really full circle, recognizing who they are, what their capabilities are, really, as your coach did, reflecting back on what is most important for them, and then supporting and sustaining that to move forward and upward. Yep. Because we need absolutely in this world right now, need leaders who are willing to have a strong voice and be vocal and be challenging to the system as it is. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 6:33

Yeah, that's good. And in the spirit of coaching and what coaching provides, we have decided that we want to bookend all of our conversations with a question that we want to offer our viewers and our listeners. And so today's question that we want to invite you to consider as we're having this conversation and even as you're going about your day, wherever this conversation finds you, here's a question for you. Think about a moment when you felt most alive as a leader, when you were grounded, you were effective, and you were fully yourself. And as you think about it, what was true about you in that moment?

SPEAKER_02 7:21

Such a beautiful question. Yeah. And I listened to it as you were asking it for myself. What happens for me when I get a question like that is it settles somewhere in my body. And I totally really think about it from a very somatic place. What what were the sensations? What was I experiencing? Then the answer comes from somewhere else. Because chances are, as you reflect on that question, that it wasn't about the best sales event that happened. It wasn't about the winning the most expensive contract. I suspect that for most leaders, it was a conversation that they had with someone. Yeah. It was a moment when they were able to shift for someone else the possibility of their life or their career.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

Yeah. That that was what I thought of. Like I th I actually thought about I have a lot of moments like that. I'm blessed maybe to have had a lot of experiences where I've been able to, and because I recognize it because of my coaching as well. But that's exactly the first place that I went was I thought about conversations when I was really showing up as myself. And what that feels like for me, it feels, and we use this word when we describe like our workshops. We talk about our core alignment workshops that we do with teams and leadership teams, and that the whole the way that that everything is braided into the whole experience. It's not just a one-day thing. We work with the leaders throughout, but it's a core alignment. And I think of it almost like when a when something is, if you pull, if we're to pull a string like this almost on your body, and it just feels like everything just comes alive. Like in yoga, when you like slide your shoulder blades down your back, and you feel like, oh, that's what it feels like to sit up straight. And this is what it feels like for my body to be in good posture. That's what I think of when I think of that moment, that it feels like, oh yeah, the all the elements of me are coming together in a cohesive thread, maybe, or the cohesion, the cohesive threads of who I am are able to show up in that conversation. So now that also does sound very esoteric. So we're we're not going to stay in that esoteric space because people truly want to understand what it is about coaching. We said earlier in the conversation that coaching is not leadership coaching is not about a perk. It's actually a necessary element for leaders. What I'm curious, what have you seen in you, you're a master certified coach. We are, we've both been, we're both coached through under, we've had amazing coach training with schools that are accredited with the International Coaching Federation. But what are some things that you're you've seen that that I would say support that idea that leadership coaching is beyond a perk. It's essential.

SPEAKER_02 10:22

What we recognize in the world today is that everyone is so bombarded by information, by speed of activity, by all of the things that we're responsible for. What the leadership coaching can do, must do, to be honest, is allow people a little bit of breathing room. Because when you're moving from one meeting to another, as we often do, and I take a look at some of my clients' calendars, they are blocked from the moment they get up to the moment they go to bed. And one of the things that I hear over and over again in the with the clients that I have conversations with is I'm so glad to have these moments. Sometimes it's 20 minutes and sometimes it's the luxury of an hour. We get into conversations that allow them to shift perspective and to be able to see things from a different direction. And that is absolutely critical right now because otherwise we're all running towards the same edge. If we don't pause and slow down and take the opportunity to be able to think in a different way, we cannot lead in a different way. We cannot be in the world in a different way as a parent, as a partner, as a human being. So it isn't that it is a nice to have, it's a must-have. Yeah. For anyone who holds responsibility in the world, which frankly is every single one of us.

SPEAKER_00 11:48

Yeah, sure. Yeah. And it's when we think about it from that perspective, that it is about perspective and it's about the what we decide it's going to be. So that when, for example, when we think that something, when we've determined that something is a problem, we're thinking about everything from the center of that problem and that we've centralized that problem as the thing that needs to be solved.

SPEAKER_02 12:12

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 12:12

But when we think about something, a situation that arises as just that, a situation that arises, then we can loosen up all the energy and the tension around it when we start to look at it in different perspectives. And one of the metaphors that I always use with our clients and in our wayfinding calls, and we'll talk about that in a second. But when I was a kid, my mom had she had a prism that was one of those little like the suction cup things, and it was on the window in the kitchen. Yes. And our cat used to chase it across the wall, kind of thing. Rainbows. Yes. The rainbows, right? The prism would refract. The sun would come through the kitchen window and would refract on the light on the other side of the on the wall, on the other side of the kitchen. But the interesting thing about it is not only did it refract, but because prisms have all these different angles, basically facets, it would, as the sun would move throughout the day, the refraction would move across the wall. Yes. And therefore, you're getting a different element of from a different facet of that prism going through. And it depending on the strength of the sun, the refraction would be bigger or vibrant or less vibrant, like all of the things that you can think of that are a part of that. And the ability to hold a conversation with someone with something that concerns us. And it doesn't need to be bad. It doesn't, coaching isn't about like remediation and I mean it's about what's possible. Yes. Not what's wrong. Everything is who we are. Yeah, not what's wrong. Yeah. Now things that are not that don't fit and that are not right do come to the surface. Yes. But not because we're like thinking and obsessing over what's wrong. They come to the surface because we're looking at what's working. And so therefore, that's the facet that we're looking at, and everything else starts to be revealed in light of that.

SPEAKER_02 14:10

It's so true. It's when you pose a question like you did, what happens for us literally somatically is we start to relax and be able to be in that moment rather than the stress and the strain. So that is what allows that shift in the perspective to be able to see the light through a different angle is possible when we pose a question that allows us to remember that. Yes. Because reclaiming it, as we used in the title, is really what this is about. This isn't about altering someone's uh whole DNA, but looking at who they really are, yeah, and how to build and support that as it comes out in their leadership. Because that's the other thing that leadership coaching has often in the past has emphasized is you need to change. It's not about you learning a new way, building a new way of being, become the leader that you should be. But the way that we are approaching it and the way that we invite people to imagine themselves is not new. It's actually building back to who they are, remembering who they are and what those strengths and wonderful abilities are that they can bring to this current moment.

SPEAKER_00 15:34

Yeah. Oh, I love that because there's we could talk for years and years about this. It's very that really resonates. It resonates with me because I get to do it all the time. It also resonates with me because as an Indigenous woman, I am also in um some really amazing circles where we talk about reclamation and what does it look like? What does rec, what does reconciliation look like? Well, that's a question in Canada right now, but also reconciling with ourselves about who we are and what do we really want? Who am I as a how am I showing up as a human?

SPEAKER_02 16:10

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 16:11

Because at the core of who we are, these beings, it's having a human experience. And but the the sometimes honestly the traumas of life can really get in the way of us understanding and being able to remember our humanity. And it's when we come back to that humanity and the essence of what we bring to the world that we really do it, we start to see the path more clearly in front of us.

SPEAKER_02 16:40

And really that's exactly why we began wondering what else could we call this? We're calling it leadership coaching. Because now that leadership coaching gets painted with a certain brush. Yeah. So we came upon the word wayfinding. Yeah. And it fits exactly with what you're saying. Exactly. Because this isn't about your coach coming in and remaking you, it's about your coaches walking with you to find the destination that you want. So the whole idea, the whole concept of wayfinding and the whole way of looking at leadership in the world is that there is a path. Yeah. And that we're going to walk it together. Yeah. And that it will be easy to discover once we get on that path and move forward.

SPEAKER_00 17:27

Yeah. So you did actually refer to wayfinding. We have been, we created the wayfinding coaching experience and we call it a five, five, five-session arc, I think is the word that we use for it. And it's five sessions that people have with us. And that first session is three coaches with one individual. That's magical for a lot of reasons. And then they meet with each single coach. And then we I like to think of it like an arc, and then we touch down at the end. And if they want to continue, then we start another arc, or maybe they move on. But it is one thing for us to be able to say this is an experience that is going to what's really going to transform your leadership. We we've seen it, we know that. But it's one thing for us to say that. But true change and true chant transformation, and when things shift, there are measurable things that happen. Oh, yes. And coaching is often perceived as something that is soft around the edges, and it's like you just have to understand, and it is intuitive, but there are truly measurable things that can happen through leadership coaching.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

Oh, no question. Yeah. And that's another piece. Re working with the reality of the world, there are lots of ways that people support leaders in an organization. And leadership development, professional development is part of the budget line for many HR departments. What is vital is that those actions, those programs actually do make a difference. And if they don't, it's just another, it's not another budget line. Doesn't make a difference for someone. What we've seen is that there are measurable results, that we can have a conversation with someone at the beginning of a coaching arc, and that we can ask them the same questions at the end, and they will have completely different answers because they have gone through an experience where they actually know themselves and know their own capacity in a different way.

SPEAKER_00 19:30

Yeah. Yeah. And those some of those ways that we've seen is everything from decision making. That's one of the things that we've noticed in with people is they as they learn really to align with their values and through intentional coaching around their leadership, everything from their decision making, understanding themselves and how they communicate so that they can actually understand how other people are communicating to them and perceiving their communication. There's a lot of measurable things that happen. We're coming to the end of this conversation, but I'm I am curious, as I always am, if you were, if someone was honestly thinking about if they what leadership coaching would provide for them, what would you want them, what would you want them to know?

SPEAKER_02 20:16

It's going to be different for every coach is going to bring a different approach. And there is a lot that is important about a fit. So one of the invitations that I would have for anyone who's considering leadership coaching for themselves or for in their organization is to look at what is offered in a way that is measurable, but also to look at who the coaches are. Yeah. Because an approach that is cookie-cutter is not going to make a difference. And that's one of the reasons why, and we can go into this in another conversation, is that we support training for coaches. Yes, exactly. Are looking at how not only can we coach individuals and build up wayfinding journeys for multiple people in the world, but how might we multiply that so that there are other people who have the opportunity? Because one of the significant things that happened in my life as a leader was becoming a coach.

SPEAKER_00 21:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:17

So it shifted my whole way of being around how I operate with other human beings. And because of that, there is the evidence that organizations are successful. Yeah. That coaching culture. And it you there's a lot of language about this right now out there, but that coaching culture can get defined in a way that is that is not just measurable, but exists in a way that people experience it within the organization.

SPEAKER_00 21:48

Yeah. Yeah, that it is it's almost tangible in an organization. And there's evidence of it. Okay, so there are three things that we want to invite people to consider if something in this conversation is has spotted. something in them number one if you are wondering about really about your level of clarity as a leader you can head on over to wholehuman.global and you can take what we've called our whole human clarity diagnostic. It will take you two minutes. You'll right there on the spot you can get some really valuable feedback and according to whatever your your results are it's a funny word but whatever the output is for you at that point in time, you're going to get some very specific help from us that is that will help you start to maybe turn the dial to get more clarity on your coaching in the areas that you recognize that maybe you need some on. Number two, if you are someone is maybe interested in learning about what becoming a professional coach can do. And if it's maybe something that's tweaked your either tweaked your curiosity or you've been looking for somewhere to get that Carol can you talk about the program that we are launching? I'm pretty excited about it.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

We are delighted to be able to offer a coach training program that is fundamentally based on all of the core competencies from the International Coaching Federation, but goes beyond that. It's called whole human coach training. And the reason that we are looking at it and similarly as we began our own organization here is that a coach training also needs to fit for all of who you are. So what we're looking at is building coaches that fit this same way of being in the world so that they're not learning a cookie cutter coaching methodology, that they are also capable of having conversations that are going to be transformational in the world. So we're looking at an accredited level two coach training program that will provide you with all of the education that you need to be a certified coach. Then as a certified whole human coach you can launch yourself into the world in a lot of different ways. But it is a program that is founded on not only those core competencies but our core principles of what it is to be a whole human.

SPEAKER_00 24:08

Yeah. Yeah and people can find that at wholehumancoachtraining com. So you can check out that URL and find out more about the program there. And finally we want to invite you to like and subscribe to this channel if you're not already subscribed and be a part of of helping to make playing we all get to play a role we're part of this beautiful braid of as Robin Kilmer Wall would say the braids that we're building together but we're all part of this tapestry that can help to actually shape the future together shape a future that we want for the generation for ourselves and for the generations coming behind us. So thanks for joining us today and we will see you on our next episode of Reclaiming a World That Works.

SPEAKER_02 24:59

Bye for now