I’m so excited to be joining Meg’n and Becky with Mantis in 2014 as part of expanded coaching offerings to include organizational leadership coaching as well as coaching from the male perspective!

My day job is with the government where I am a program manager and coach with a large agency.  As with all of you who work within organizations, I have experienced the good, the bad, and the ugly when it comes to communication, conflict, and leadership.   Sometimes I’m at the top of my game, walking my talk as I lead my team, and communicating well even during times of conflict.  At other times, inspiration is lacking and I retreat into my shell, feeling as though I’m just getting by.  During these highs and lows, I have been fortunate to receive coaching from two different professional coaches, one within my organization and another via phone in North Carolina.  These coaches have challenged me to take responsibility for myself and my actions during near-constant organizational change.

Experiencing the power of coaching in the workplace and coaches who cared about my professional and personal success was so meaningful to me that I decided to become a coach myself!  I have been trained through a program approved by the International Coach Federation and volunteer as a coach in my workplace.  I particularly enjoy working with clients in my organization’s leadership development program, providing one-on-one, confidential coaching.  I am eager to expand my coaching practice to work with you and other clients outside of the government.

My role as a coach is both Socratic, in terms of asking lots of questions to prompt discovery of personal values and goals, and existential, in the sense that I challenge you to exercise individual freedom and responsibility for designing and taking action (you can probably tell I love philosophy).  That is such a key to coaching, something that distinguishes it from a conversation with a friend – there is accountability and forward movement.  For example, if I am debriefing a client on 360 feedback they received from their peers, customers, and managers, we reflect on the feedback – which has inherent value in gauging one’s self-perception in light of the perceptions of others – and we choose one or two or three key actions to go out and try in the real world.

I enjoy coaching a variety of leaders from the executive to the individual just beginning a career to the seasoned professional ready for change.  In addition to organizational leadership coaching, I have years of experience in men’s group work and provide personal coaching for both men and women motivated to make authentic life changes.  Please contact me at mantiscoaching@gmail.com. I look forward to both supporting and challenging you in your professional and personal goals.