*Goals Magic System* FREE GIFT Home Marketing for Coaches and Consultants Resources Wealth Coach Relationships Write a Book Bus Networking Alicia Fortinberry Anca Ramsden Charmaine Saunders Dale Beaumont David Wood Evelyn Lundström Francesco Gilio Hans Jakobi Jeff Bean Jenny Cartwright Julie Marie Zaoui Leigh St John Lorraine Pirihi Loran Able Mandi Rafsendjani Margaret Munoz Nicola Cairncross Patsy Rowe Peta Heskell Rick Otton Rod Moore Sandra Quiggin Silvia Wright-Davies Wendy Buckingham 10 Super Coaches How to Write a Book	Coaching Case Study – Coaching a Would-Be NASA Astronaut (Jan 2007) Sandra Quiggin – HDA Executive and Personal Coach http://www.freewebs.com/sandraquigginlifecoaching/ Tel 0064 21 106 7395 Didi is an American coaching client of mine, with whom I have been working with for the past 6 months. She was referred to me by another client. Didi is a 38-year-old Lieutenant Colonel in the US Air Force. At our initial consultation she gave me a detailed account of her background, career and aspirations. With such a high flier it is difficult to put into just a few lines her achievements to date. To give you an idea of her talents; she has attended weapon school, she has worked for NASA and she has flown jets for a private company. She juggles a lifestyle full of her work commitments, her passion for flying and kayaking, and family life. It is not all smooth sailing. At times stress rears its head - work/life balance can be difficult to maintain, and in the work place her skills as a leader can be put to the test. As one might expect from a high achiever, she came to me with a number of personal goals: 1. To be an astronaut! 2. To buy property 3. To have a healthier and slimmer figure 4. To release the fear that stops her performing as well as she might when kayaking 5. To be a combat fighter pilot In addition, other issues have been raised, such as leadership skills refinement and dealing with apparent conflict of priorities between demands of home and work life. The coaching programme we have been following has therefore been varied and tailor-made to cater for the above requirements. Coaching modules to date have included: Anger / Stress management – anticipating stressful situations, so there is no build-up and subsequent outbursts. Practical options which are suited for Didi have been found during the coaching process. Some methods were met with resistance, but we persevered and tried and tested a few to find which worked for Didi. Conflict Resolution – role-playing has proved to be a useful and fun tool. Communication skills have been honed resulting in an improved sense of the team. Work / Life Balance – this is also linked into the healthy lifestyle modules. By concentrating on this area of Didi’s life, we are avoiding burn-out and instead enjoying the results in the form of a content, productive and committed employee and top boss. Healthy Lifestyle and Eating Plan – keeping a food and exercise diary for a week was our starting point. It was interesting to note that one of the reasons for this goal was to attain a better body image and therefore have more confidence when she goes for astronaut selection in July 2007. Personal Development Programme – including understanding specifically the root cause of fear and putting into place strategies to overcome fear. This has included pushing Didi out of her comfort zone. Specific tasks have been set and done such as performing an Eskimo roll in the most difficult of rapids when kayaking. Such new behavioural patterns are now becoming beneficial habits. The coaching format is results-orientated and practical. The weekly telephone session includes: • Exercises • Setting of new tasks with specific deadlines • Discussion of obstacles and or fears • Review of progress As an outcomes-focused coach, Didi and I have just completed our 6-month review. In this Didi went through each goal and stated how working with a coach had helped. For each goal we drew a line with our starting point being our initial consultation and the end point being the specific goal. Didi placed herself where she feels she is. Goals 2 and 4 have been achieved. One comment during this feedback was that she would have succeeded in buying the property without the help of a coach (as one might hope from a high-flier!), but that she has made huge strides with my help to overcoming her fears. Regarding Goal No. 1 we are moving in the right direction. At my insistence she is back in touch with her old colleagues at NASA. She has done some research and found out to our delight, that they are taking a new batch of astronauts in 2007 so we have the July deadline to work to. This week her task is to set a date to visit Houston so she has her finger on the pulse before the year is out. It is unlikely that your goal is to go to space and back. Perhaps it is to lose a few kilos; change job...Whatever your project is, Sandra Quiggin attends to it with the same detail, dedication and enthusiasm. Contact details: Sandra Quiggin http://www.freewebs.com/sandraquigginlifecoaching Tel 0064 21 106 7395 http://www.freewebs.com/sandraquigginlifecoaching