I recently attended an Executive Coaching Conference in New York. The conference theme was Internalizing and Scaling a Coaching Mindset for Organizational Impact. A colleague sent me an email about the conference late last year, and it looked like an incredible opportunity to learn and network. However, it was a bit pricey and required travel and time out of the office.  I visited the website several times and perused the schedule, the speakers, and the sponsors. I kept daydreaming about attending. I tried to tell myself that the cost was too high, the time out of the office too great, and I “shouldn’t” attend. After some of those thoughts dissipated, I asked myself what would happen if I didn’t go? What would I be missing? I started thinking about what I could learn and take back to my clients to help them create a culture of learning that includes coaching.

Whenever I have a dilemma like this, I take the time to stop and reflect. One question I ask myself is What will fill up my cup?  

Ultimately, I decided to invest in myself and attend the conference, and it was well worth it! The participants, speakers, and sponsors were as impressive as I had hoped. The attendees included a mix of HR leaders responsible for coaching in their organizations, internal and external executive coaches, and Learning & Development experts. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and learning about what they’re doing within their organizations.

The conference was amazing. Daniel Goleman, esteemed author and expert on Emotional Intelligence was a keynote speaker and was lovely to chat with after his speech. I spoke with people who are successfully internally coaching within their own organizations, which was validating. I discussed my coaching pilot and received input from several participants on how to scale it, sell it, and how to determine the ROI. 

Overall, I left the conference feeling more creative, inspired, heard, and supported than I have in a very long time. I gained some great perspectives on coaching, and I have new members in my coaching community across the country and across the globe. I am so glad I listened to that voice inside me that kept saying “Go!” My cup was filled. I will definitely return to this conference next year. In alignment with my belief in self-development, it’s important to me to invest in myself as a coach and business leader.  

How are you investing in yourself? What plans do you have to take yourself to the next level? Are you listening to that voice inside you saying “Go!”? Whether it’s a course, a new opportunity, or a stretch goal, what are you doing to push yourself? As Brené Brown says, “Choose courage over comfort.” 

Do you need help with a goal or with believing you’re worth it? Consider coaching! Set up a free consultation with me.