ExecuQuest’s Roots

Written By Christina Quirk

Like many ideas - good, bad, or otherwise - ‘ExecuQuest Coaching’ first came to mind in one of those thinking places, like either the commute or the shower. You know, the thinking places. I imagine mowing the lawn is another. Which explains my father quite clearly, now that I think about it.

Anyway, the idea of training to become an Executive Coach was not new; my coach training began in 2019 at American University’s Leadership Coaching for Organizational Performance program. A few months later, COVID hit, and starting a coaching firm became less and less feasible.

I spent the next several years with an incredible company supporting the Department of Defense. I didn’t do any defending myself, but I got to know the defenders whom I served in an HR capacity. I was able to develop the company’s internal leadership development training with my incredible mentor, whose permission I do not yet have to call by name online. I have a feeling he’s going to come up a lot throughout the rest of my career and beyond.

That little company raised me, trained me, and walked me to the starting line of ExecuQuest Coaching.

The spark that rekindled the coaching flame was the drive home from a girl’s weekend away - just Ghost and me. We stayed in a tiny cabin out in the woods and just…breathed…for two days. On the way home, I could feel myself physically shrinking, tensing. I felt the proverbial weight settle back on my shoulders. It took me a while to figure out why. It wasn’t the thought of going home, I missed my husband and my awesome step kiddo. It wasn’t the Sunday Scaries, I loved my job, my team.

It was the overwhelming sensation of not having the time or space to think one damn thought all the way through.

According to the International Coaching Federation (ICF), coaching is "partnering with clients in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential". Coaching presumes that the client is a creative, whole being with the ability to solve their own problems.

If that’s the case, why hire a coach? Or become one?

Because coaching dedicates that time and space for you to:

  • think

  • explore

  • analyze

  • understand

  • question

  • pivot

  • decide

  • try

  • change your mind

  • try again

  • again

  • again

All with a sounding board that’s going to help you get out of your own way.

I think the ICF did a very nice job with their definition of coaching. It hasn’t been updated since it was written. Doesn’t need to be updated.

My own definition is still under construction, but the one thing I’ve been coming back to since LCOP at American University is:

Helping people get out of their own way.

Not very eloquent.

But I don’t want the crux of it to get lost in cute, Pinterest-worthy inspirational quotes.

Working with a coach will let you get out of your own way. One fascinating thing about coaching is that the process is the same regardless of the context. Life coaching, ADHD coaching, leadership coaching, you name it, it’s all the same process, art, and/or science, depending on who you ask. I landed on executive coaching because of my background in HR and organizational development.

So there you have it: ExecuQuest Coaching’s origin story. If you’re reading this during my trainee era, come back and check in down the road! In the words of Ziggy Stardust, “I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I can promise it won’t be boring.”

Til next time,

Chris

Christina Quirk