Arete Coach 1176 Laura Gordon "Footprints of Impact: Exploring the Art of Coaching Through the Metaphor of Leaving Tracks"
- S1E1176
- 1:16:30
- May 7th 2024
Welcome to the Arete Coach Podcast, hosted by Severin Sorensen, with an episode that explores: "Footprints of Impact: Exploring the Art of Coaching Through the Metaphor of Leaving Tracks." In this episode, we are honored to have Laura Gordon, a UK Best Practice Vistage Chair. Laura has been in the coaching industry for 14 years and a Vistage Chair for over 10 years. She was awarded the 2023 Phil Meddings Award, the highest accolade in Vistage UK and Ireland, as well as the Rookie of the Year Award for Chairs in 2015 and the Chair Excellence Award every year since.
In an engaging conversation, Laura shares her inspiring journey from her early career as a lawyer and business owner to becoming a passionate executive coach. Her diverse background includes roles as the director of an innovative economic development initiative driven by the Scottish government and as the director of an international education services company. Laura's commitment to personal growth and helping others is evident in her numerous certifications, including Positive Intelligence, Inclusive Leadership, NLP, and clinical hypnotherapy. She has also served on various boards, such as the Glasgow and Edinburgh Chambers of Commerce and the Institute of Directors. Throughout the episode, Laura emphasizes the importance of asking powerful questions, challenging clients to achieve growth, and creating a legacy that positively impacts the lives of others. Her insights perfectly align with the Arete Coach Podcast's exploration of excellence in executive coaching.
Several core themes echo in this conversation related to excellence in executive coaching and personal growth.
The power of asking challenging questions: Laura emphasizes the importance of asking powerful, thought-provoking questions that push clients out of their comfort zones and encourage them to explore new perspectives. She discusses the courage required to ask difficult questions and how this skill has developed throughout her coaching career.
Embracing change and trying new things: Throughout her professional journey, Laura has embraced change and experimented with different careers and roles. She encourages others to adopt a similar mindset, as it leads to personal growth and the discovery of new passions. Laura also highlights the value of stepping out of one's comfort zone and trying new approaches in coaching to keep the experience interesting and engaging for both the coach and the client.
The importance of being intentional and making choices: Drawing from the works of Viktor Frankl and the movie "Groundhog Day," Laura discusses the significance of being intentional in one's actions and making conscious choices, even when external circumstances are beyond one's control. She emphasizes that personal growth and change stem from within and that individuals have the power to shape their own lives and experiences.
Creating a legacy and making a positive impact: Laura stresses the importance of leaving a positive legacy and making a difference in the lives of others. She quotes Ruth Bader Ginsburg, saying, "Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks," encouraging listeners to consider the impact of their actions on their clients, communities, and the world at large.
Continuous learning and personal development: Throughout the episode, Laura shares her passion for continuous learning and personal growth. She has pursued numerous certifications and has served on various boards to expand her knowledge and skills. Laura's commitment to self-improvement and staying updated with the latest developments in coaching underscores the importance of lifelong learning in the field.
The Arete Coach Podcast seeks to explore the art and science of executive coaching. You can find out more about this podcast at aretecoach.io.
This episode was produced on April 26, 2024.
Copyright © 2024 by Arete Coach™ LLC. All rights reserved.
Arete Coach: Exploring the Art and Science of Executive Coaching
“Arete Coach Podcast" Explores the "Art and Science" of Executive Coaching hosted by Severin Sorensen. The “Arete Coach Podcast" is for executive coaches and anyone considering becoming an executive coach. The podcast is especially valuable to executive coaches who are lifetime learners with deep curiosity about the "art and science" of coaching. In this podcast, the ‘art of coaching’ is explored through engaging interviews with leading executive coaches from diverse backgrounds sharing their individual coaching journeys, learnings, methods, best questions, and situational approaches to executive coaching. Beyond best practices, the podcast will regularly mine research on the ‘science of coaching’ and explores ongoing scientific discoveries and studies looking for what works and why, with an aim to improve the core body of knowledge for executive coaches and the industry. Severin Sorensen has provided over 7,500 hours of paid executive coaching sessions and he holds the following coaching certifications: ICF/ACSTH Certified Executive Coach (CEC), Certified Organizational Development Coach (CODC), Certified Life Coach (CLC); and the IAC: Coach Masteries Practioner. Severin Sorensen has an M.Phil in Economics at King's College, Cambridge University, and undergraduate degrees in Economics and Political Science from the University of Utah.
The Arete Coach Podcast is the copyright of Arete Coach LLC.
Severin Sorensen is host of the Arete Coach Podcast, where he interviews executive coaches and researchers with the aims to celebrate and explore the art and science of executive coaching today.
Severin is a senior executive coach, serial entrepreneur and lifetime learner with a passionate curiosity about people and businesses. Severin is the CEO of ePraxis LLC, a premier level retained search firm that provides executive headhunting, talent selection, and executive coaching. (www.epraxis.com)
Severin is a certified coach with an IAC Masteries Practitioner designation and 800+ hours of ICF/ACSTH and other advanced training in Executive Coaching, Organizational Development, EOS, Life Coaching, Emotional Intelligence (EQ), and Positive Intelligence (PQ). Severin has over 7,500+ hours of paid executive coaching working with high performing executives, owners, and operators of public and private companies throughout North America.Severin's coaching clients include boards of directors, CEOs, Presidents, GMs, COO, CFO, CTO, VP Engineering, VP Talent, and many other positions.
Severin lives in Park City , Utah and his virtual coach practice includes clients throughout the Americas.
From 2010-2018 Severin was a Vistage Chair where he coached three CEO and Key executive groups. In 2011, Severin received the "Rookie of the Year Chair Award" from Vistage. Since 2013, Severin has added international speaking for Vistage, CEO conferences, executive peer groups, and corporations on the topic of identifying and hiring difference making top talent.
In terms of the types of clients coached, Severin has coached new CEOs (with less than 2 years experience), large company executives (e.g., Managing Director of Rio Tinto), numerous high-growth entrepreneurs operating INC 5000 businesses, multi-generational family owned businesses, and primary-equity business owners who are still actively managing their companies. Severin has experience coaching both private and public company executives and their executive teams.
Severin's own coaching practice is tool based, using diagnostics, surveys, and Socratic questioning to get to root issues. You can learn more about Severin at epraxis.com (insights), LinkedIn, Quora, and Twitter. If you think you might be a good fit for executive coaching with Severin, he is happy to give you a free test drive coaching session to see if this would be good for you and your team. You can book a free test-drive 30 min coaching huddle at: calendly.com/epraxis.