“The intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society the honors the servant and has forgotten the gift” – Albert Einstein

Over the years, I have participated in the DSWA Coach Excellence Schools a number of times and each time I learned and adopted a new practice that has supported my development in the coaching space. In revisiting the course this time, I realized that recently, I have become a victim of my rational mind. The Coach School Certification course with Nicki Keohohou has been timely in revealing to me the forgotten ‘sacred gift’ of intuition.

When you look up the definition of coaching online there are many views. Fundamentally, they all suggest that coaching is the art of supporting a person in moving from where they are now towards the place they want to go. That may be a goal, a different perspective or a whole new way of being.

For me, the course content has been a great reminder that to be a successful coach, intuition is a must if you want to effectively facilitate this forward journey for your client. In some cases, a client is clear on what they want to do, and they have the supporting behaviors in place to achieve their goal. But this is not always the case. A great coach will sense a limiting belief (or behavior) and explore that with the client so that it can be noticed and addressed by the client before they decide on their intended actions. The revelation of such beliefs is often felt through the coach’s intuition before they are truly revealed in the client’s language. If this aspect of coaching is done well, then the actions the client chooses to take are more likely to succeed. And if ignored, there may be an impact on the success of the client and ultimately the effectiveness of the coach.

I am reminded of the NLP presupposition that “Behind every behavior there is a positive intention.” This presupposition speaks to the belief that all behaviors have a purpose. This behavior could show up in different ways, that is – resourceful behavior or unresourceful behavior. We all have core needs (6 core needs) and these may drive our actions or behaviors in unconscious ways. For example: Behavior could be driven by the anticipation of joy, or the avoidance of pain, or indeed be driven by fear. Therefore, to understand the intention behind the client’s goal or action, can only serve to support a coach in facilitating a conversation that enables the client to choose the most resourceful behavior and action. That in turn, will set them up for success in their journey towards their intended outcome. A fabulous reminder for the coach that when the client’s intention seems unclear, intuition plays an important role in uncovering if the client’s motivation is resourceful or unresourceful.

In summary, the importance of intuition in the coaching space was a pivotal moment for me during the Coach School Certification course. I could see that my heart and head had fallen out of alignment, and I was perhaps coaching from a head space and ignoring the intuitive messages I felt in my heart. So, I have positioned Habit 5 of Steven Covey’s Habits – “Seek first to understand”, front and center on my desk. (Franklin Covey – The Seven Habits coach). By placing a heart at the end of this habit, it serves as a reminder to me that intuition sits in listening with the heart to what is and is not being said, whilst I seek to understand my client’s intention. By re-aligning heart and head, I can learn to get back in touch with my intuition and be a more effective coach. Thanks Coach School and Nicki!

Written By:
Julie-Ann Hogan
Business coach, Sales Leader and Teacher

With a heart to serve and a joy in witnessing people discover their greatness, Julie-Ann (or Jules as she is known to her friends and colleagues) has enjoyed coaching and developing successful Sales teams for the past 24 years. Experienced in leading teams in the cutthroat world of Telecommunications and more recently, in direct sales, Jules has established a reputation of developing passionate teams who are clear on their vision and strategic in their success. Most notably, Jules’ was instrumental in establishing a vast community of passionate salespeople across Australia and New Zealand for the Thermomix business. The result of which was to achieve the number 1 distributor country for sales within the global Thermomix business. Described as calm, clear, and approachable, Jules prefers and advocates the Coach approach in leading her teams and experiences great joy in leading others to do the same.