It has been eight years since I coached my first client as an external coach, and I still remember the mix of excitement and nervousness I felt in that first session. Since then, I’ve discovered how much I enjoy coaching leaders especially those who are onboarding into a new role or preparing for a more challenging one. There is something deeply rewarding about “walking alongside” someone and seeing them grow into a more aware, confident version of themselves.
One of the first definitions of a coach I learned was “a thinking partner.” I often use this phrase when I explain coaching to someone who is about to enter a coaching program for the first time. At the beginning, it can sound abstract, but after that first session, something usually clicks: they realize that coaching is not about giving advice (although I still get asked “What is your advice?” from time to time) but about having a safe space to think out loud, explore ideas and feelings, and clarify what they really want from the conversation.
Over the years, I’ve noticed that most of my clients bring their concerns into three broad areas.
1. Building or strengthening a specific skill
Many coaching conversations start with very concrete needs. A client might want to prepare for an important presentation to senior leaders, rehearse a difficult performance conversation, address recurring conflict, or manage stress and burnout while juggling high expectations and limited time.
These sessions are often very practical: we role‑play, refine key messages, explore possible reactions, and practice how they want to show up. What I enjoy most is seeing the shift in their confidence.
I recall helping a manager, aspiring for promotion to Director, prepare for a presentation he was going to make to visiting leaders from their head office. We talked about his preparations and the key messages he wanted to convey, and he came out of our session with a clear game plan.
2. Navigating a new or changing environment
Another common theme is transition. Leaders come into coaching when they are newly hired, promoted, or suddenly responsible for a much bigger team. They worry about how to establish trust, build credibility quickly, and lead people who may not know them yet—or may even be skeptical of them.
They also talk about leading through organizational changes—restructures, new strategies, or periods of uncertainty. Being a thinking partner here means helping them make sense of what is happening and become aware of how their behavior influences the feelings and actions of the people around them. This awareness helps them choose responses aligned with their values rather than driven purely by urgency or pressure.
One Division Head I coached felt anxious about the “chaos” she was experiencing as her organization went through a digital transformation. In our conversations, she realized that her anxiety came from a strong need for control, and that what she needed was to learn how to navigate the changes even when she could not control every detail.
3. Solving a work problem or project
A third area is problem‑solving. Clients bring real work challenges into the coaching session: identifying a process improvement, figuring out how to move a stalled project forward, or understanding why a team is not performing as expected. On the surface, these topics may sound technical, but the conversation often reveals deeper issues around how they are leading themselves and their project teams.
In these sessions, my role is to ask questions and share observations that help them see patterns, recognize blind spots, assumptions and limiting beliefs, consider alternatives, and weigh trade‑offs more clearly. Often, they already have several ideas; coaching helps them sort through those ideas, challenge assumptions, and commit to a way forward that feels realistic and meaningful.
A Business Unit Head once came to coaching because a project was falling behind schedule, and he was blaming his project team for the delays. As we talked, he realized that his lack of engagement with the team—focusing mainly on output and not enough on connection and support—was a major factor behind the delay. That insight led him to take different actions to connect with his team as a whole as well as individually.
Across these different topics—skills, transitions, and problem‑solving—one lesson stands out for me: leaders rarely lack intelligence or effort; they often lack space. Space to pause, reflect, clarify their own thinking and feelings without being judged.
Having a thinking partner gives them that space. I have seen leaders come into a session feeling stuck and leave with a clearer sense of direction, because they were able to find confidence in their own answers. This is one of the reasons I continue to find coaching deeply fulfilling.
I’ve also had a number of memorable coaching sessions where the conversation was about who the leader is becoming as it is about what they are doing. We talk about decisions, plans, and actions, but we also talk about values, fears, hopes, and the kind of leader they want to be remembered as. I look forward to having more of these conversations.
Why this work is meaningful to me
Looking back on my coaching journey so far, I am grateful for every leader who has trusted me enough to be their thinking partner. Each conversation reminds me why I chose this path: to help people see more clearly, decide more intentionally, and lead more courageously. Knowing that I played a small part in their growth is what makes this work truly meaningful for me.
If you are a leader navigating a new role, a complex challenge, or simply feeling the weight of responsibility, you do not have to process everything alone. Sometimes, having an unbiased thinking partner is exactly what you need to move forward with more clarity, confidence, and peace of mind—and it would be my privilege to be that partner for you.
