My Signature Offer and Coaching Niche
I was born and grew up in Taiwan. I came to the US for graduate school and started my research and consulting career in Washington DC helping the public sector understand the media environment and usage in Asia. In the middle of my career, I had the chance to move to Beijing and worked in global consulting firms helping US technology companies better understand consumers in China. Then I moved back to the San Francisco Bay Area and have been in the corporate and finance industry for almost 9 years.
As I have worked in different sectors, and different countries with different cultures, I have gone through various challenges and am hoping to leverage my coaching skills to help those who are facing crossroads in their career to find their path with the confidence they need.
For my coaching practice, I want to focus on career development and leadership, especially for those who have been in a career for several years and are looking forward to growing in various directions. In particular, I would like to work with those who have different cultural and linguistic backgrounds and help them find their space and voice in the workplace.
Models Review
FlipIt
I appreciate FlipIt very much. I think the pictures really help my client and myself get closer to our feelings, articulate how we feel, and clarify what we think. This approach is very similar to how we usually conduct our qualitative research by applying projective techniques to research participants, as some situations are hard to articulate. I applied different types of pictures from human beings, scenery, animals, and artwork in my research and was very impressed with the outputs. The words in value and feelings in FlipIt also help narrow down the focus and drill down to what really matters.
I also appreciate the framework that starts from finding it and feeling it followed by framing it and flipping it. The framework provides 8 different angles to investigate the issue on the table. When I tried this with my peer, I learned that it offered my client different ways of thinking about the same issue and we could choose more than one to discuss and explore. When we flipped each angle, it provided several new perspectives for clients to consider their next steps moving forward.
This tool has helped me think carefully about reframing whenever I coach. It gives me a mindset that we can always see the same thing in a different way and gain the insights that help us unstuck and move forward.
The GROW Model
This is the model my current company has encouraged people managers to apply when they coach their direct reports. I have used this model to work with my direct reports and it has worked very well.
This usually ties to our annual goal-setting and quarterly review conversations. As we set up our goals every year and review the progress on a regular basis, this provides us the opportunity in my weekly meetings with my direct reports to identify the gaps/options and partner together to design the solutions as a team.
I have borrowed the concept of GROW into my own coaching model by discovering where the clients want to go (Goal) and where they are (Reality) so that I can help them identify the options (Option) and design the path forward (Will).
The STEPPA Model
This model has six phases: Subject, Target Identification, Emotion, Perception, Plan/Pace, and Action. I appreciate this model incorporates emotions into the equation as emotions play a significant role when we face challenges. How we manage or even leverage our emotions is the key to success.
I have applied this in coaching one of my direct reports in the last year as she has gone through several significant challenges in her personal life which brought a major negative impact on her performance at work. I have worked closely with our HR teams and made every possible arrangement to support her emotionally and mentally.
Although this may be the most challenging coaching, mentoring, and managing experience for me, I realized I learned tremendously by coaching the person, not the story. There were too many sad stories every time in our 1:1 meeting and I had to force myself to focus on the person, not the stories to be grounded.
During the same time, I happened to read Emotional Agility by Susan David. This book inspired me quite a lot by seeing emotions as intelligence for humans to survive rather than a burden that we tend to avoid. It changed my perspectives and attitudes toward emotions. The insights from Susan David are three steps. The first is to label our emotions. The second is to go to emotions and go through emotions. The third is to create boundaries. I think each step is critical for me to be emotionally mature and to guide my clients as a coach.
I have grown a lot as a coach who integrates emotions into coaching by riding the emotional roller coaster with my direct report in the last year. This experience will help me coach others who need emotional support or guidance through coaching.
My Coaching Model-Discover, Assess, Respond and Elevate (DARE)
After reviewing a few models, I decided to focus on DARE, discover, assess, respond, and elevate. At each stage, I want to uncover clients’ values, unmet needs, and shifts in perspectives.
Discover:
- What does this career mean to you?
- What do you value the most?
- What energizes you? What drains you?
Assess
- What has been going well? What have not?
- How is your career aligned with your values?
- What are the gaps?
Respond
- What would you like to focus on?
- How would you address the changes?
Elevate
- What would you do to make this happen?
- What resources and support do you need?
- How can you get these?
- How would you keep this going?
Visual Metaphor
Discover: This is the start of the climb, where individuals understand the terrain, gather the necessary tools, and plan their journey. They are discovering their strengths, weaknesses, and interests.
Assess: This is the initial climb, where individuals assess their abilities and potential challenges. They understand their current position and what they need to overcome to progress.
Respond: This is the stage where individuals face difficulties and challenges. They respond by adapting their strategy, leveraging their strengths, and addressing their weaknesses.
Elevate: This is the summit, where individuals have grown, learned, and achieved. They elevate their careers to new heights, reaching their full potential.
In essence, my DARE philosophy is like being a mountain climber, guiding my clients on their journey to the peak of their careers.
Conclusion
I have tried this model in my peer coaching even if it is not necessarily career-related. This principle applies to situations where my clients want to achieve a higher goal in life or career. It helps me guide my conversation with my clients to identify the gaps and opportunities. It also helps my clients design their action plans moving forward.