by Whitney Hopler, Communications Manager
When Marti Taylor participated in the Leadership Coaching for Organizational Well-Being (LCOWB) program from late 2016 to early 2017, she discovered people who helped change her life for the better. “The power of the relationships was very significant for me – not only with the faculty, but also with my colleagues,” says Taylor, a Senior Leadership and Development Specialist for the leading engineering, construction, and project management company Bechtel Corporation. “I’m grateful that those relationships will be some of the closest and most unique relationships I’ll have for the rest of my life.”
During the cohort, Taylor recalls, “every time we got together as a team, there were always conversations that were inspiring for me and helped me both personally and professionally.”
Relationships play a major role in the dynamics that lead to success on the job and beyond – and skilled leadership coaches know how to build strong relationships. “It’s great knowing how to lean in and listen – to hear what someone is really saying, to care, understand, and choose a response that is in service to the individual,” says Taylor. “That brings so much positive change in relationship dynamics and teamwork.”
Bechtel so appreciated what Taylor learned in the program that the company gave her the opportunity she sought to start a new project shortly afterward. She moved across the country to Colorado, to work on the project she created within Bechtel. Now Taylor is developing leadership development programs for several layers of the project, providing leadership coaching at all levels, and incorporating well-being practices throughout training offerings.
“I have such clarity of purpose now” after completing the LCOWB program, Taylor says. “The program made incredibly positive shifts in my life possible. It taught me what makes me tick, what motivates me, and what I want to do for the rest of my life. Because of this program I’m empowered to tune into my values and act on them in ways that really resonate with what’s important to me.”
Taylor decided to apply for the LCOWB program because she was looking for a way to learn coaching from a well-being perspective. “I had been a coaching client on a number of occasions, so I knew the value of it, and I was hoping to learn how to become a coach to help others with their well-being,” she recalls. The well-being focus of the program especially attracted her, she says, because she wanted to empower people to overcome teamwork problems. “Earlier in my career, I was definitely noticing dysfunctional behaviors and disrespectful comments at work. I wanted to learn how to help people function well in teams together.”
Every part of the LCOWB program proved to be valuable, says Taylor, but the biofeedback session with Dr. Pam Patterson was especially useful. Taylor later got a biofeedback machine of her own to use on a regular basis.
Using what she has learned so directly in her job now is gratifying, Taylor says. “The investment is well worth it for people. Coaches are catalysts for positive change and productive experiences in our workplaces.”
Apply to join the next cohort here