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GAME PLANNING FOR SUCCESS:A passion for life coaching

Finding time to help others with their personal and professional lives.

BY SONDRA HOFFMAN, CLC, COE, CPC, CMPE, LHRM

Several years ago, I found myself assessing my life’s goals, desires and true passions.

While an extremely passionate ophthalmic professional for more than 30 years, I found myself called to the life coach arena. I set about to become certified and in 2004, I received my certification as a life coach.

I received certification through the Coach Training Alliance; a process that included 12 months of lectures, course work, and hands-on experience.

We all coach doctors and employees, and I felt I could offer more. I began my life coach practice, Positive Transitions, shortly after certification and found it to be exceptionally rewarding. I spent a great many hours coaching abused women, women transitioning back into the workplace after being stay-at-home moms, and men who were seeking a career change.

The beauty of life coaching is that much of it can be done remotely; over the phone, in the evenings, on the weekends, and on the whim of clients, most of whom I have never personally met. It fits well into my lifestyle.

As life coaches, we must disclose that we are not therapists or counselors. We function more as thinking partners, allowing others the opportunity to look at their life situations in a different way, which brings a significant “Ah ha” moment.

For example, I worked with a mother who desired to transition back into the work place, but she struggled with leaving her children to the care of others. Through our work together, her “Ah ha” moment came when she realized she would have the ability to provide so much more to her family. She could have the best of both worlds, fulfilling herself both personally and professionally.

Being spiritually based, intuitive, empathetic and able to “read” people and situations well have paved the way for me to transition easily into the role of life coach.

While I would like to spend more time as a life coach outside of work, the hours we spend as ophthalmic administrators often preclude us from pursuing other passions. I do, however, practice the art most days at the office.

What does this look like in the work place? It’s simply the art of active listening.

I take the time to meet with and match my employees with the right job, to find out where their passions lie, and place them in the most suitable position. Our best employees are those who are truly engaged in their work. I train my managers to coach “up” their staff, to enable them to learn as much as possible, thereby promoting themselves throughout the practice.

You don’t have to be a certified life coach to master these skills and apply them to your workplace. You simply have to listen, observe, and practice your field from the heart. OP

	BIOGRAPHY
	Ms. Hoffman is the chief executive officer of Florida Eye Clinic in Altamonte Springs, FL, and life coach at Positive Transitions, Inc. She is the immediate past president of the American Society of Ophthalmic Administrators.