Doctors celebrate the value of having a Professional Coach
Being in a room where doctors are openly celebrating the value of having a professional coach is a novel experience for me. We had the pleasure in March of attending the Creative Careers in Medicine Conference. A gathering of medical creatives and curiosos.1
The speakers were inspiring and really showcased a breadth and depth of what medics can turn their attention to, if they look up and out. The diverse focus of this group of doctors was impressive.
One thing that was starkly different to the other medical conferences we have attended in the past year, was the prevailing attitude to coaching. One of openness, of taking it for granted that coaching helps doctors clarify, pursue and achieve their goals. A welcome sign of coaching in medicine maturing.
Our most often asked question is what is coaching and when would a doctor need it? At the CCIM24 conference there was a subtle and important difference in the question, which was, doctors asking their peers what’s it like to have a professional coach?… because so many of them have or were already working with a professional coach and they were happy to talk about it. There was no hiding your coach in a corner there!
To be fair this group of doctors might be outliers, pioneers, deeply curious and creative, willing to experiment beyond the train tracks laid down by medical culture. Empowered, confident and accountable in their own agency. The early adopters of coaching perhaps.
Were they always naturally curious and creative, or did coaching play a role in their expansive view of the world? Which came first?
- If you are not already connected to CCIM you might like to check them out. Membership is free. ↩︎
The doctors’ enthusiasm for coaching was infectious.
One thing was clear, these doctors celebrated and valued their coaches and the process of coaching, sharing openly about the impact of working with a professional coach on their work and their lives. They described the work they had done with their coach as an essential ingredient in their progress and development.
The doctors’ enthusiasm for coaching was infectious. Having someone in your corner who is candid, believes in you, is focused entirely on your goals and future, and who has specifically learnt how to hold the space effectively, in order to facilitate your thinking differently, empowering you to take action, is a powerful process. And these doctors knew all about it from lived experience.
These doctors were describing how their behaviour had changed as a result of the work they had done with their coach. Work they said they did not believe would have happened at the same pace or maybe at all, on their own. They were specifically celebrating and valuing, the impact coaching had had on their lives.
Medical doctors choose professional coaching for three key reasons
- Career Development/Transition: leveling up
- Work-life integration: correcting balance & burnout
- Colleagues: responding to conflict, confusion, expectation in their lives.
The doctors at CCIM24 were mostly in category one, seeking to level up and expand out. You can too, we’ve helped hundreds of doctors do just that.
Start by booking a call or sending me an email and let’s talk about how you or your team can experience the value and impact of professional coaching.