Faith Walk: September
As the seasons change and months seemingly fly by, I will share a monthly blog on what I just walked through. This will be a part of my monthly “Faith Walk” series.
We are well into fall, my favorite season. I sadly haven’t enjoyed any warm apple cider or cinnamon donuts yet but there’s still time :-). One benefit of being in a region where you experience the four seasons is that you can visibly take in the earth’s response to that change. One of my favorite observations is the color change on the trees. I love to see the varying hues that are representative of “fall”. The greens, reds, oranges and yellows, coalesce into a beautiful masterpiece. A natural gift that can be overlooked if those who have access to bear witness, don’t pause and take in.
September started with a culmination of a coaching effort I was a part of through Good Shepherd Services. Good Shepherd launched a Career Coaching Initiative for 300+ staff who were laid off in May. I stumbled across the opportunity through my network on LinkedIn; I am so grateful that I did. A professor that I never had the opportunity to work with or study alongside posted the initiative on behalf of a fellow alum. In some ways, one could say this opportunity fell into my lap. For anyone who frequents LinkedIn, sifting through the pertinent information can feel like you’re navigating a maze. As someone who never quite excelled at finding my way through to the end of the maze, I am grateful I navigated this initiative alongside my clients.
My clients ranged in age, experience (personal and professional), titles and coaching agendas. Two things they all had in common were they were all Black women that when asked shared “I was drawn to you”. I was and still am very honored by the latter point.
You see, sowing into this opportunity to conduct pro-bono coaching for a workforce that was either directly or indirectly impacted by layoffs, was very much an altruistic one. I chose to serve a cause greater than myself and my immediate needs. Even when scheduling conflicts due to family issues, health or work threw a last minute wrench in our plans, both my clients and I rose to the occasion to commit to the journey.
The women I worked with came to our coaching journey with varying issues and questions in mind:
I want to grow in my confidence. How can I get more comfortable speaking up for myself?
What do I do now that I have to manage a team and my manager of 20+ years is no longer here to support me?
My family and I are considering a relocation. What should I do when I love what I do? What does this mean for my career?
I’m ready for a change in position: leadership and issue area. How do I position myself for that?
I am finishing up my degree this fall. How can I move up in the organization?
I am humbled yet proud of their individual and collective work towards better. At times it felt like the impossible or as one of my clients parenthetically told me, “buckle up Imani because this is going to be a ride!”. Through it all, they ended their engagements with me more positioned to self-advocate, be agile in an uncertain time, put systems in place to commit to a growth plan, own their voices and secure greater opportunities. As their coach, I have also been changed for the better. They helped me grow in my persistence, my leadership, agility and comfortability with change, my aptitude for service and finding the joy of the little things.
One of my podcast guests, Indrani Goradia spoke of planting seeds for a tree that you may not sit under. I am grateful that I planted seeds into the GSS initiative, the lives of my clients and that they reciprocally sowed into me. We may not witness the array of hues of its growth, yet every good tree will bear good fruit.
Faith Factoid: Matthew 7:17-20