My swimming coach was a really good swimmer. I admired her. But every time when I was in the water under her supervision it seemed I was doing everything wrong. Somehow I was not able to move my hands and my legs and breathe properly at the same time so the result was that I was choking, almost drowning. I had loved water and sea since my early childhood and I couldn’t believe that I would not be able to swim. I was always getting criticism and although I was trying hard all my efforts to improve were useless. I felt like a loser. So one day I simply didn’t turn up. I started swimming on my own instead, watching others swim and accepting water as an ally not an enemy. Today I’m not a perfect swimmer and I’ll probably never be but I can swim and I truly enjoy it.
So what makes a good coach – being good in your profession or being able to bring out the best from your clients? And who is the best client – the one who just follows the guidelines and achieves fast results or the one who follows his instincts and intuition and feels happy while improving every day his own way?
When I started my PR business, “public relations” was one of these awkward terms in English that might mean anything. I realized that people were different in learning and implementing. The courses I ran were very successful but something was missing. Following guidelines strictly didn’t necessary make students good. Everyone should find his own level of comfort. That’s what makes the best presenters or media people – being natural. Every human being is unique and needs a unique approach. Enter coaching.
Coaching is in its early age in Bulgaria. Most of the companies that incorporate coaching in their work are international following the experience of the company in other countries. The coaches usually are in-house, very rarely the services of external specialists are used. People are just starting to realize its potential and I see lots of similarities between PR some years ago and coaching in the way it attracts attention and grows. Moreover both disciplines are connected with communications. That’s why this early stage is very important for the development of the coaching community and the setting of professional standards. International associations and regulatory bodies play a vital role.
The International Coach Federation is represented in Bulgaria and we are taking the first steps towards establishing a Bulgarian coaching community as well as setting international professional standards. I believe working with international bodies is the right way to establish a code of practice of a new profession on the market.
We’ve certainly had our share of change in Bulgaria. 1989 was the year of big change and on 9 November this year it is the 20th anniversary of the fall of Berlin Wall. When a whole system like communism collapses it leaves a gap and uncertainty. It’s not possible to change overnight, every individual and society as a whole needs to go through the stages of change. Some slow, some faster. Some never found their way in the new system.
Nowadays everyone is talking about the “Crisis”. I think of it as a Global Change. And it’s not going to end with the financial crisis. It’s just one of the symptoms. The change is so fast it influences every business and every individual. Most people are already not able to keep up with developments in social and digital media are developing, for example.
So you can imagine what a stress it is being an executive manager or running a company in the Global Change. It is a lonely planet, especially now. I see it with my clients and in my business – everyone expects you to know all the answers and be able to lead the company through the crisis. It is a heady burden that you can’t share with anyone. You need someone to lead you through the change, to hold your hand and take the journey with you!
The Global Change is a big challenge for all of us. And I believe coaching is going to play a very important role for people both personally and professionally. It’s an exciting new era. I wish you all a safe journey!
Gergana Vassileva is an executive coach and managing partner at PR agency United Partners in Sofia, Bulgaria. Her clients have includedIBM, Diageo, ING, Philips, Abbott, Shell, Bulgarian Telecom and UNICEF. She is the director of the Bulgarian branch of London School of PR and a member of the Association for Coaching.