Some of my clients are really not sure where to start when they come for coaching. They’ve had some priorities set or they’ve had a performance issue highlighted. Maybe they are just in a state of being overwhelmed.
The best way I’ve found to come to the starting point is to ask, ‘What are you taking home with you when you leave work?’ I’ve known people develop back problems from the amount they carry home each night – before the laptop meant you could carry limitless work home. But that’s not what I’m talking about. It’s what you’re taking home in your head that matters.
It could be that you’re finding a particular person difficult to handle, or it could be that there’s something in your new role that you don’t feel equal to, maybe you can’t decide which direction to take the company in, or maybe you’re worried about something else entirely.
It will be that issue that you want to offload on your partner in the evening or that is still churning around in your head while you’re reading bedtime stories to your kids or maybe even the thing that stops you getting to sleep at night or wakes you up at 3am.
I’m not someone who says that your work has to be confined to the hours of 9 to 5. I know lots of business owners who work around other commitments.
The problem comes when your work follows you home, when it stalks you at night.
In coaching sessions with me the subject matter is nearly always firmly focused on the workplace. Working together you unpick problems that have seemed impossible to solve, you discover new ways of approaching old issues, you gain new perspective, you put practical strategies and tactics in place.
What this means is that you feel able and confident at work, you stop putting off difficult things, you stop dreading certain tasks, you prioritise and stick to your priorities, so your colleagues enjoy working with someone who is clear, focussed, able and productive.
The great thing for you is that you can leave work at work, it’s either sorted or you know what you’re going to do to sort it. You don’t just stop work, you finish it. So, after work you can really get stuck in to enjoying what you’re doing whether that’s going out with friends or staying in with your partner or really listening to your kids.
So, if you’re filling up a virtual backpack when you leave work, think again, get in touch to find out how to be truly effective at work and really relaxed at home. Come on a free diagnostic call or email me and we can work out what is holding you back and see how I might be able to help you with it.