Why did you employ the services of an executive coaching organisation?

Executive coaching is an important facet of the SA Mint’s strategy. Many blue chip companies have realised that to fully unlock the potential of its leaders they require a coach and/ or a mentor. At first I did not understand what executive coaching entailed but after some research and meetings with my appointed coach from Change Partners, I realised that executive coaching would help me to take stock of my life and work in order to find the right balance between the two so that I can focus on my goals and actually start to achieve them.

How has the coaching been accommodated in your organisation?

It worked perfectly because everyone right from CEO level down received coaching, so we were all in this process together.

How did you make time for coaching?

As a company, as well as personally, we agreed that our session with our coach was a standing appointment that was never changed or moved. I was committed to this and as a result I worked my diary around my sessions. You have to be committed to this process otherwise you will never find the time to meet with your coach.

Do you think it is important for companies to provide coaching opportunities for their executives?

Yes definitely. If I look back to before I started coaching, I have become far more focused. I found that after my sessions I always felt more confident with my decisions and goals and with what I needed to do to achieve them. My coach was my sounding board to bounce ideas off. I t was great to speak to someone with a different perspective. A key part of your coach's role is to help you to look at your world from fresh viewpoints, and to stretch your capacity for lateral thinking about what may be possible. This combination of envisioning and target-setting is vital. As well as defining priorities, it establishes clear 'milestones' and helps sustain momentum throughout.

Why is it beneficial for company for its executives to be coached?

You can definitely see a change in the work ethic of those being coached. I saw staff members were far more open to ideas, they approached relationships at work differently and they are much more focused and motivated to meet their targets.

Why Change Partners?

Having the right coach is critical. In order for you to deliver on your goals hinges on having the right relationship with your coach. You have to feel comfortable and trust your coach implicitly. After a number of meetings with the coaches from Change Partners we agreed they were the perfect company to coach the leaders in our organisation.

What are the most significant lessons you have learnt from the coaching experience?

I have learnt to look at life more holistically in that I need to balance my work life and personal life. I am a mother of three children as well as a wife and it is important for me to be able to fulfil all those roles successfully as well as perform successfully at work. I have a goal and that goal is to become the General Manager at SA Mint, and I now know what I have to do to achieve those goals. Coaching helped me focus on my goals, challenged me to push harder and put the steps in place to meet my expectations. This whole experience helped both my professional and personal development.

Would you recommend coaching to women??

Yes definitely. One of working women’s greatest challenges in life is finding the right balance between work and home life. I feel women are under great pressure to be the perfect wife, mother and career women. Coaching helps you put things into perspective, helps you see the bigger picture holistically and the coaches give you the tools to prioritise and take charge of your life – so that you can balance your work and personal life better.

Change Partners is South Africa’s foremost executive coaching organisation. Founded in 1998 it was the first practice in South Africa to focus exclusively on leadership development and coaching of business leaders. Our focus is exclusively senior business leaders, as we believe the foundation of the coaching processes is an effective, open dialogue between equals. All Change Partners coaches have successful business careers in their own right and they bring this wisdom to the coaching experience.

SSource: Zoliswa Mashinini; Financial Director at SA Mint


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