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Talent and Performance

Everything you wanted to know about coaching but were too afraid to ask! According to the International Coaching Federation (ICF), coaching is a partnership with clients ( individuals and teams ) in a thought-provoking, creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential. To accompany through coaching, the coach uses his/her skills and tools : he/she focuses on what the client says and does not say, to support self-expression and exploration; he/she facilitates the client's insights and learning using questions, silence, metaphors, analogies ... But why should we undertake a coaching path? Coaching leads first of all to an increase in our self-awareness . Thanks to it, you can become more aware of everything, potentially! Of your emotions , your thoughts and your behaviors , and how they combine with each other to create recurring patterns; of your needs, priorities, values and goals ; of your strengths and the skills to be nurtured . Thanks to coaching, each of us can discover new worlds and new ways (of exploring, thinking, doing ...). But coaching does not only increase self-awareness: it can also be a valid support in increasing awareness of others . Coaching can help us to fully understand their language , emotions, patterns... to evaluate the impact that our behaviors can have and to choose , consequently, what to do (and how to do it), to get closer to the impact we desire. How many times have we behaved in a way that was not aligned with the needs of others (listening little; giving little recognition; taking all the limelight...) and then felt frustrated because we did not receive their collaboration when we needed it? How many times have we remained still, waiting for others to do it, because "it was right this way", because "they had to think about it"..., ending up with nothing? Coaching offers us the opportunity to reflect before acting , to reflect on why we are not acting; to define constructive strategies; it supports us in recognizing and training ourselves to manage our emotions, to develop our communication skills, to create healthy and satisfying personal and professional relationships (and opportunities). This is how the coach, through questions, feedback and other tools, accompanies the client (individual and team) to transform awareness, learning and intuition into actions. Coaching releases power . Coaching releases potential. Coaching sets us free, … by emphasizing the present (the oft-cited “here and now”), accompanying us to find and keep the focus. Coaching uses the past as a life lesson : it does not pretend to resolve what has already happened, which is, in fact, past, gone, closed, on which we can no longer act .... Instead, it allows us to look at the past to draw useful learnings for our today, at the service of a conscious construction of our future . It helps us understand how to proceed one step at a time , verifying the effectiveness of our actions and the adequacy of our resources with respect to our objectives, thus allowing us, gradually, to reach our goal, or, to discover, one progress after another, new perspectives, new goals more relevant to us. Try to imagine being on board a high-speed train: sure, you will arrive at your destination quickly , but what will you notice along the way? Will you enjoy sightseeing? Will you discover any intermediate destinations that might be worth visiting? Will you have enough time to enjoy the journey? No. On a regional train , however, you may feel impatient . But you will have the opportunity to observe the many panoramas that follow one another; you will be able to see how they change, enjoying the inspiration of the multiplicity of scenarios and perspectives. You will be able to decide that, perhaps, an extra stop to explore, might be pleasant and be useful. You will be able to choose with greater clarity. But there is a catch. Before starting a coaching journey , it is necessary to agree on mutual responsibilities (a key theme in the coach's skills). As a coach I remember it every time: I can accompany you or your team to see that there is a door, to discover how to open it with the tools available, to check for obstacles and identify how to overcome them... but the final choice to open the door and cross the threshold is up to you alone. This, for me, is the beauty of coaching: promoting the autonomy of the client, creating Independence, because each of us has our own tools , we just need to want to discover them and put them into action!

Talent and Performance

Football for the visually impaired: What does it teach us about teamwork and talents? I became aware of visually impaired football through the Paralympic Games . It has fascinated me because it demonstrates how going beyond conventions, nurturing one's talents, and training a systematic vision can lead to extraordinary results! ⇒ In visually impaired football, the ball is equipped with a device that emits an acoustic signal. - The sound helps players locate the ball during the game. The ball is an appropriate tool because it is modified for the context ⇒ The goalkeeper is the only sighted player - He guides the team in organizing the defense and optimizing the field arrangement. Effective communication for the goalkeeper involves using his voice (giving directions such as "one step to the right" or "two steps back") and touch (orienting teammates with touches and movements) because voice and touch convey messages that players can understand and act on. Therefore, the goalkeeper must acquire information with his own abilities (including visual) and transfer it according to the means and receptive model of the team receiving the message. ⇒ The guide is an essential member of the team who remains off the field. - The guide directs the attackers through vocal cues and gives sound indications by beating on the posts behind the opposing goal to help the players locate the area within which to direct the ball to score. The guide, like the goalkeeper, communicates by leveraging the hearing and spatial sense of their teammates. What can we learn from Paralympic football? What can we bring to the management of our work and our private lives? I have learned that - it is essential to nurture our attitudes, talents, and senses to grasp the most useful information and achieve the team's goal - building a common language shared by all members is critical to being clear and understandable - each person has a role in a team, and it must be respected to achieve success. When everyone does their part and maintains their place, together they can accomplish goals that would otherwise be impossible. What have you learned?

Talent and Performance

Ready to cross? The midlife transition Transformation is a phenomenon that affects all ages of our lives, but it is in the age range between 40 and 60 years that it assumes a particular importance. In this period, in fact, many things can put our inner strength to the test: - The retirement age is approaching. - We feel like we have less strength and resources for the future. - It can be difficult to relate to organizations that hire younger employees, decreasing our potential for socializing. - It becomes harder to change jobs, as we become too experienced or not digitally native enough, making us more expensive. - Constant negotiations with teenage children can be frustrating. - The empty nest syndrome can leave us feeling lost. - Caregiving for elderly loved ones can be emotionally and energetically draining. If you are in the "midlife" age bracket, you certainly know that what you have read above are just some examples of the complexity and uncertainty that characterize this phase of life, where our balance can easily falter, causing us to lose focus, enthusiasm, and well-being. This can also make us less pleasant to others, as we may appear shy, pessimistic, bored, or aggressive, cynical, and pretentious. Midlife is a transition that happens anyway, even if we don't manage it. If we don't manage it and let ourselves be carried away by the current instead of taking control of our boat, the tangle of our thoughts and emotions, the exhaustion, and the sense of instability can overwhelm us. If we let that happen, we won't be able to see the opportunities that we can have even in this complicated transition. In addition to a good dose of uncertainty, midlife also brings with it tools and resources, uniquely strengthened by experience. And it is precisely the wisdom of experience, gained over the years, that can offer us the key to face new challenges with focus and determination. But how can we embrace it and use it to the fullest? This is where coaching comes into play! You are on one side of a large lake. You know you want to get to the other side. Inside of you, you also know that you can do it. You have already seen the other side of the lake. You just need someone to help you find what you need to cross the lake. This is how I see the transformative power of coaching, fundamental for midlife managers: an impartial guide who helps you - Explore solutions you haven't considered before - Expand your thinking and evaluate new opportunities and directions to take - Understand the obstacles you might encounter, see and refine the tools to overcome them effectively - Discover new perspectives of yourself - Regain the drive of inner motivation Aware of your tools and their wisdom, you can face any new challenge successfully and transform what seems like a confused moment, heralding the end of a journey, into an exciting new beginning.

Talent and Performance

Coaching helps talent shine When I started my coaching work, many asked me "What exactly do you do? What is a coach?" I gave various answers, trying to put into words a profession whose value, in my opinion, can only be fully understood in all its power with experience. The International Coach Federation (ICF), where I certified as a Professional Coach, defines coaching and ICF coach in this way: "Coaching is a partnership with clients through a creative process that inspires them to maximize their personal and professional potential." "An ICF coach agrees to use the ICF Key Competencies and commits to respecting and being responsible for the ICF Code of Conduct." I understood the deep meaning of coaching when I accompanied a blindfolded people through the streets of Milan without being able to speak to them, without being able to guide them. In fact, it was the blindfolded people who decided the path! These people had a goal: to walk and enjoy the stroll. I had a goal: to ensure that they could achieve their goal, accompanying them, returning signals in important, turning points - for example obstacles on their path. But I could not use my voice, nor push or pull them because the path was theirs. And they had their own tools (legs, arms, sense of smell…). I could only give their arm a gentle squeeze. The people I was accompanying sometimes did not take a road, despite my signal, and went straight towards a wall. But reaching the wall, my squeeze on their arm took on another meaning: it became meaningful because at that moment, they could experience the wall!. The harmony grew slowly, as did the trust (which, however, was an essential prerequisite of the exercise). It was an extraordinary experience. In the literal sense: out of the ordinary, almost magical. So, at that moment, I was the coach. The coach is the one who accompanies, facilitates the experimentation of new perspectives and opportunities but does not choose the path. The coach manages the process but does not decide the goals. The choices belong to the partner: choices about whether, what, when, and how. The partner has full responsibility and autonomy in their process. The coach asks questions, gives summaries, is the mirror of the coachee. It is a means through which the partners learn to know themselves better, to see the tools they have, to recognize obstacles, and to overcome them. When? Every time something is at stake: a challenge, an opportunity, the desire to achieve results in private or work life. Coaching is a service. Coaching makes talents shine that each person has within themselves: that's why I love my job. If you want to deepen your knowledge of the ethical code of coaches with ICF certification, click here: Code of Ethics If you want to deepen your knowledge of the key competencies of coaching, click here: Core Competencies

Talent and Performance

The Talent Up Model brings out the best in your talents. I founded my brand, Talent Up, to bring out the best in talents. Each person has incredible talents within them that need to be discovered, nurtured, and activated in order to achieve their goals, whether they be related to personal life, work, or both. We live in a volatile and ambiguous context where we do not even know what will happen tomorrow and we cannot make plans, which generates uncertainty. Sometimes, uncertainty becomes anxiety, which may arise when we are trying to sleep or watching the news, bombarding us with messages of crisis and speeches rich in "we will do this" and "it is necessary to commit to...," which remain suspended without being translated into actions that have a positive and tangible impact. And that is when our mind starts to wander like a monkey that we cannot catch. Do I want to dedicate more time to my personal life, relationships, and family, while maintaining adequate and respectful performance in the company where I work? Is it time to unleash my full potential? Is it time to try to build something that makes me as attractive as possible to the market? For each of these questions, you can have an answer! Actually, you already have the answer: you just need to be willing to face it, structure it, and take the first step. Once done, your talent will shine, regardless of anything else. It is normal to feel blocked, demotivated, and exhausted, but waiting is counterproductive. If you do not exercise your muscles, they will weaken to the point of atrophying, just like your skills, talents and ability to do and assert yourself. Why wait when you can choose to prepare yourself to live as well as possible and face what life offers you with more serenity? When I founded Talent Up, I thought of this, exactly. Why should we allow our talent to be overshadowed by indifference and acceptance (because "what would change, after all?”)? Our life is ours. We deserve to guide it, enjoy it, and live it as protagonists. The image I have chosen for this text, which represents my model, Talent Up (in its version dedicated to individuals). It is a model in which I have put all my experience as a manager and coach, which I usually use with companies, but which is also perfectly suited to individuals. It is both a strategic approach and a path that activates various tools combined in a unique way for each individual. When your talents shine, Satisfaction, Personality and Achievements (what you can read in the "crown" of the model) increase exponentially: you feel more "defined," no longer afraid to show your authenticity; you feel more satisfied because your voice resonates, and your new energy and focus help you achieve the results you want. But how do you move from the center of the model, talent, to the crown (Satisfaction, Personality, Achievements)? By using coaching, innovation, and counseling synergistically; by integrating multiple perspectives into a systemic vision, since the human being is a social creature, and relationships are the foundation of everything. What can we really build alone? And if we can do it, who will appreciate it? Who will talk to us about it? Who can inspire us to make what we have done even more beautiful and useful, thereby deriving complete satisfaction? Without relationships, you cannot sell to anyone. Without relationships, you cannot buy anything. Without relationships, you cannot learn anything. Do you want to you want to know more? Do yo want to boost your satisfaction? I am waiting for you at Talent Up to build together a present and future of opportunities, but the choice is yours: running shoes or slippers?