It’s been fantastic to share insights around my profile, delivered by The GC Index®, with my coach.

According to The GC Index® I am an Implementer and therefore largely focus my attention on getting things done. Whilst I understand the importance of making things the very best that they can be (Polisher) I am naturally action-focused and get frustrated by over-analysing. Now however, I can appreciate other ways of doing things.

During my coaching sessions we talked about the importance of listening to other people’s opinions and valuing the way others think, using it as a way to boost team decisions and performance.

We also discussed how best to share ideas, communicate and offer opinions in a way that others can relate to. As someone with Game Changer tendencies such as an obsessive imagination, I have a need for creative expression.

Whilst I am relatively confident about sharing ideas, I have come up against some difficulties, particularly when there is one dominant leader present. My coach offered some practical advice and ways to frame my ideas, which I have been able to successfully use in group projects.

As part of the Game-Changing Impact programme I was involved in a Mastermind session, focusing on innovation and creativity.

This online session brought a small group of students, from different universities, together. All of us were asked to provide examples of when we have implemented an idea.

The conversation has quickly developed into how we work in a team and what are some of the challenges that we face in realising our ideas. One of the students brought up the frustration that he faced in terms of how slowly things seemed to be moving in his group.

He felt that others in the group did not care as much and seemed to take a lot longer to get things done. Throughout the session we were able to share different ways for him to overcome such obstacles as well as help him understand why others may take longer and do things differently.

We also talked about the need to define goals and then openly assign roles according to the available expertise and resources. I found the group work to be an incredibly powerful tool to help broaden my own mind and explore different ways of looking at things. It was interesting to see how my evaluation of situations differed in some ways to those of others.

It taught me just how valuable it can be to involve others in innovation and problem solving.

The coaching sessions have given me an opportunity to explore areas that I can develop as well as improve the way I work individually and in a team. In fact, I have even joined Toastmasters to improve my presentation skills further.

The ideas and insights provided by my coach boosted my confidence and I am excited about how quickly I have grown and the progress I have made.