Q: What are the benefits of working with a coach who has interests in social and ecological responsibility?
A: First, many clients with an interest in promoting a healthier and more sustainable world prefer to utilize businesses who are also doing their best to “walk their talk” in this area. This ensures that the money you’re investing in your coaching experience isn’t supporting a lifestyle that runs completely contrary to your own values.
Secondly, some individuals find it easier to relate to a coach who has common areas of interest, even though the sharing of such expertise isn’t the primary focus of coaching (that would be more akin to mentoring or traditional consulting). Where a client indicates a desire for knowledge in an area of common interest, I’m happy to share whatever information or expertise I can provide.
Thirdly, I work most energetically with those who identify as “idealists,” as their own desires usually include items falling under the broad umbrella of “creating a healthy and sustainable world.” This ties directly into my own life purpose. Because you fit my “favorite client profile,” you’ll receive more focused attention and energy than you might from a coach without specific interests in this area.
Q: If the coaching process is driven by the client’s values, wants, purpose and vision, then how do you weave social responsibility into your life coaching? After all, isn’t social responsibility subject to each of our own sets of priorities? How do you avoid “tainting” the process with your own values?
A: I believe that each person has their own unique definition of social responsibility, along with a particular area or areas that are most important to them–for one person this might be a desire to improve environmental sustainability, for another it might be a passion to strengthen relations among different race or cultural groups, and for another it might be a desire to convey ideas of peace through art. One of the tasks of the coaching process is to clarify your own unique set of priorities; the specific areas may or may not overlap with my own. Coaching, after all, is more about a developmental process that works across a range of interests; it’s not about conveying expertise in specific areas. I’m very open and transparent about my own values and priorities so that my clients are aware of my own biases and areas of experience–after all, no human being, coach or otherwise, is completely unbiased.
Q: Related to the above, how do you deal with political party affiliations in working with current and aspiring public sector leaders?
A: First, the short answer: As you can probably tell from my website, I am what most people call “progressive,” and I work most enthusiastically with others who fit that category, be they current/aspiring public leaders or otherwise. I’ve recently voted for members of a few different political parties, and am personally wary of the sweeping assumptions sometimes attached to such labels. Now for the more extensive answer:
In popular debate, political party affiliations are frequently tied to positions (beliefs as to what a solution should be) across a range of issues. While traditional conversation frequently remains at this relatively superficial level, coaching calls into play one’s deeper values which drive action and decision making, independent of such labels as party affiliation–for example, a desire to preserve human life. Through developing a more solid understanding of one’s underlying values, leaders can move forward with more integrity and groundedness through the maze of political labels, sweeping categorizations, and political pressures. In other words, political party affiliations don’t impact the coaching process, but profound differences in values might–for example, I would probably have difficulty working with a client who had absolutely no concern for the environment or human equality. I will provide notice of this if I sense there are factors that may impede the productivity and value of the coaching process, and invite you to do the same.
Q: I want to improve my own life while also improving the world, leaving a legacy, etc., but I don’t seem to have nearly the level of commitment to social responsibility that you seem to have. Will working with you feel uncomfortable?
A: I openly admit that I’m very far from perfect, and still inadvertently do many things that are socially irresponsible in some way. Additionally, I like the term “baby steps,” and I do not suggest specific levels of “social responsibility” for my clients–it depends entirely upon how such activities fit into the desired balance of one’s life. While the coaching process incorporates some structured exercises, it is ultimately driven by what YOU want. There are many, many aspects to social responsibility, and each individual will have different levels of commitment to such ideals. After all, one of the reasons for improving the world is so that others may enjoy a higher quality of life; it would thus be paradoxical to completely sacrifice our own enjoyment and all “selfish” pleasures in the name of such a cause. In some cases, a coaching client may want to increase their efforts in certain areas of social responsibility, and in other cases, an inventory of their current reality may actually suggest a need to decrease their involvement in such areas–i.e., they may be martyring themselves.
Q: Do you coach clients who aren’t vegetarian or vegan?
A: Yes. While I do hold a special place in my heart for others who are vegetarian and vegan, these expressions of my values represent only a part of who I am. The same holds true for anyone else, vegetarian/vegan or not. Actually, it was just a few years ago that I started clarifying my own values enough to make this lifestyle shift. I enjoy life coaching anyone whose wishes to use their own talents to make the world a better place, and we each have our own ways of going about that. If a client expresses goals that relate to vegetarianism or veganism, then I would support them on working on such goals as they define them. If a client does not express any interest in this area, then that’s not something we would focus upon.
Relatedly, if someone is seeking nutritional or medical advice, I would recommend that they consult additional resources (literature or experts in this area) alongside coaching. The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and Thomas M. Campbell, Becoming Vegan by Brenda Davis and Vesanto Melina, and A Basic Course in Vegetarian and Vegan Nutrition by George Eisman are good starting points.
