Coaching
Bring the situation. Let’s work through your thinking.
Sometimes you know enough to make the call. You just need the space, and the right questions, to get there.
Good Instincts coaching is designed to strengthen your judgment, not create dependence on someone else giving you the answer.
An Instinct Session
The Instinct Session
Bring a real workplace situation. We will work through what you are noticing, what you may be assuming, what you do not know yet, the people and business context, your options, and what you are prepared to do next.
I am not going to make the decision for you. I am going to help you get confident enough to make it yourself.
- Length
- 60 minutes
Good fit
This may be for you if…
- Something at work is not sitting right.
- You have a difficult conversation coming.
- You are second-guessing a decision.
- You need to challenge or manage up to someone senior.
- You want to become a stronger HR business partner or people leader.
- You want someone to challenge your thinking, not just agree with you.
Situations people bring
- An employee’s behavior changed and you’re not sure what’s going on.
- Your boss is sitting on a decision and your work is stuck.
- You need to give feedback to someone more senior or more experienced than you.
- A manager wants to move fast on a people decision and something feels off.
- You inherited a team, or now lead people who used to be your peers.
- You know what you need to say. You’re less sure how to say it.
How it works
Before, during, and after.
Sessions are confidential. Keep the focus on you and your thinking. You don’t need to share names or identifying details about other employees.
Before
- Book a time that works for you.
- Jot down a few notes on the situation: what happened, who’s involved, and what’s in front of you now.
- Leave out names and details we don’t need. The situation is enough.
During
- You walk me through it. I’ll ask a lot of questions.
- We separate what you know from what you’re assuming.
- We zoom in on the people and zoom out to the bigger picture.
- We look at your options and what each one might lead to.
- You decide what you’re going to do next.
After
- A short written recap of the questions we worked through and the next step you chose.
- A clearer head, and a decision that’s yours.
What I will and won’t do
I will:
- Ask the questions you may not be asking yourself.
- Tell you where I’d push back.
- Help you prepare for the conversation you need to have.
- Help you get confident enough to make the call.
I won’t:
- Make the decision for you.
- Investigate a complaint or act on behalf of your organization.
- Give legal, medical, or mental-health advice.
- Just agree with you because that’s easier.
Longer-term coaching
Build your instincts over time.
For people who want more than a one-time situation review, developmental coaching can focus on judgment, communication, adaptability, strategic thinking, leadership, business partnership, and the patterns that show up across situations.
The situations change. The way you handle them tends not to, until you start noticing it. That’s what we work on.
What we might focus on
- Judgment. Making the call when the answer isn’t obvious, and knowing what would change your mind.
- Communication. Saying what needs to be said, clearly, in a way the other person can hear.
- Adaptability. Knowing your default, reading other people’s preferences, and adjusting your approach.
- Strategic thinking. Zooming out, connecting the dots, and anticipating what happens next.
- Leadership. Setting expectations, holding people accountable, and becoming someone people want to work for.
- Business partnership. For HR professionals especially: influencing leaders, owning decisions, and getting ahead of problems.
The point
I’m not trying to become the person you call every time something gets hard. The goal is for you to trust your own thinking more, and need me less.
Questions people ask
What should I bring?
A real situation you’re working through. It doesn’t need to be tidy. A few notes on what happened, who’s involved, what you’ve tried, and what decision is in front of you is plenty. If you’re not sure what the question even is, that’s fine too. Figuring that out is often the first thing we do.
Is this confidential?
Yes. What you share in a session stays between us. It also helps to keep it about you and your thinking: you don’t need to share names or identifying details about other employees, and I’d encourage you to leave out anything we don’t need to work through the situation.
Is this legal advice, an investigation, or therapy?
No. An Instinct Session is coaching. It’s designed to strengthen your thinking and your leadership. I won’t investigate a complaint, make an employee-relations decision for your organization, or give legal, medical, or mental-health advice. If your situation needs any of those, I’ll say so, and we can talk about who to bring in.
Will you tell me what to do?
Not exactly. I’ll ask a lot of questions, share where my brain goes, and push back where I see it differently. But I’m not going to make the decision for you. I’m going to help you get confident enough to make it yourself.
What happens after the session?
The intention is that you leave with a clear next step you chose. After the session, I’ll send a short written recap of the key questions we worked through and the next step you landed on, so you have it in front of you when you need it.
Can my company pay for it?
Yes. Many people use professional-development budgets for coaching, and invoices are available. Get in touch if you need anything specific for your organization’s approval process.
How is this different from an Instinct Session?
An Instinct Session focuses on one situation you’re working through right now. Developmental coaching looks across situations over time, so we can notice the patterns in how you think, communicate, and decide, and work on them deliberately.
Who is it for?
People leaders, HR professionals, and emerging leaders who want to grow their judgment and confidence on purpose, rather than waiting for years of experience to teach them the hard way.
How does it work?
We start with a conversation about what you want to get better at and what’s happening in your work right now. From there, we shape the focus, rhythm, and length together. Ask about coaching and we’ll find out whether it’s a good fit.
Bring me your version.
You already have more of the answer than you think. Let’s find it.
Book an Instinct SessionCoaching is educational and developmental. It is not legal advice, an investigation, therapy, or a substitute for your organization’s HR, legal, or employee-relations processes. Read the disclaimer.