What are the results and benefits you are enjoying/have enjoyed from working together?

The greatest benefit I have gained from working with Gita is my ability to look at any potential conflict or concern with greater perspective.  When confronted with a situation, I immediately hear Gita in my ear walking me through the steps to healthy resolution – what’s in your control here?  Who can be helpful in this situation? What’s the best that can happen, what’s the worst?  Those key questions have given me the ability to assess and make decisions without expending emotion that may derail an actual potential solution.

What does your life look and feel like now that we’ve worked together? What’s changed for you?

The word ‘even’ comes to mind.  I don’t find the word balance helpful as there is constant shifting, but I find that when a potential conflict arises, I am no longer greeting that potential problem with an emotional response but a more solution focused system which is a huge change for me.  This change has also benefited my work with my colleagues in keeping emotional responses to a minimum and therefore allowing the needs of the work to take the main focus.

What are the 3 most significant improvements in your life thanks to our work together?

1.  A focus on time for myself – a commitment to the gym and giving myself and my team permission to focus on their own personal/mental health alongside and as part of their daily work life
2. Less emotion, more movement towards a solution when conflict is presented – so much better equipped to help my colleagues through conflict as well and not dwell on the negative
3. A better way to line manage, and speak openly when managing up – I am also finding that with my staff, I am multiplying and not diminishing.

What did your life look like before working with me? What did it feel like to struggle in this way?

More stress – certainly in workplace conflict, more competitive with colleagues, whereas now I find myself more collaborative and not bringing in emotion or competition

This was hard.  I tended to not let go of situations and would find myself ruminating over situations over and over again.  Now as I am able to move through and avoid this competitive conflict I find that my overall stress levels are much more even.

Though I couldn’t identify it at the time, I was also exhibiting much diminishing behavior unknowingly.  This was a very hard realisation for me, as it was always very easy for me to just take problems on (much to my own detriment) as opposed to coaching members of my team to persist in their work.  I am so pleased that I now have the tools to have changed this behaviour.

What was different about the coaching that really worked for you? What really surprised/delighted you about the coaching you received?

What really worked was the constant reminders about what I could control and what I couldn’t.  That mantra has helped me let go of so many situations.  Before coaching I used to focus on a world where others needed to change and if that person only did x, y and z I could a, b, c.  I now see that is not how it happens.  I can now approach a situation understanding what is in my control and what I can do (or encourage my colleagues to focus on what they can do when presented with conflict) and let go of that which we cannot.  What really surprised me is that it works.  Placing situations very squarely in this is or is not in my control or what in this situation is in my control has led me to very efficient and successful triage.  Further, running through who can be helpful and putting scenarios in the what’s the worst that can happen, what’s the best that can happen has also given me such a much better perspective.

Take me to the moment when you realised that the coaching was working.

When I was able to coach my staff using these tools. Seeing them identify what they can and can’t control and then play through various scenarios and have that lightbulb moment for themselves was incredibly impactful.  It also allowed me to break my own diminishing behaviour patterns.

What did you do to make these amazing results happen?

In many cases, I took immediate actions after sessions.  I do ask a lot more questions with my team now which is helpful to us all.  I am allowing them to take more ownership of their work as well, which I hope is more gratifying for them. 

Is there anything you’d like people to know about working with me?

Gitanjali is a wonderful coach. Not only is she warm and fun, but she will call you on your BS!

Before we started working together there was more stress, through workplace conflict and competition with colleagues. I would tend not to let go of situations and would ruminate over and over again. I would always take problems on. I now have the ability to look at potential conflict or concern with greater perspective. I now have a focus on time for myself. I have less emotion and more movement towards solutions. And I am a better line manager and with my staff, I am multiplying and not diminishing.

The mirror that Gitanjali provides, while challenging, is the best way to break your bad habits and move forward. I am so grateful that she consistently held that mirror up for me!