Let’s Talk Values
(about a 4.5-minute read)“The only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
[Steve Jobs]
I’ve decided to use my blogs and social media posts to introduce you to Spiegelbild’s brand values over the next few months.
These values — which are closely interwoven — are:
Creativity
Honesty
Excellence
Integrity
Relationships
Many articles talk about the importance of brand values from an enterprise’s perspective. But why should you, the customer or client pay attention to these values, and what do they tell you?
Spiegelbild’s values lie at the core of my own personal values. They define both my life and my business’s personality. This set of values tells you what I expect of myself and subsequently what you will experience as a client of my programs. And they set the guide rails for what Spiegelbild stands for and what I refuse to compromise on.
From a customer’s perspective you may want to pay attention to brand values as they help to distinguish similar businesses from one another. The brand values tell you what is special or unique about a brand that offers similar services to other brands in the same field. If your own personal values, and what you care about, are reflected by a brand’s set of values, chances are that you have found a good fit for what you are seeking.
Welcome back to Spiegelbild!
So, let’s talk a bit more about my first brand value: Creativity.
Everything started with creativity
Spiegelbild’s programs are creative in that they integrate traditional leadership and personal development coaching with working with horses as “co-coaches”.
I knew about the inherent benefits of being around horses, not only from reading studies about the benefits of equine-assisted interventions for human physical, emotional and mental health, but especially from my own experiences with my horses. To me, creativity goes hand in hand with curiosity, and I love to ask: “what if … ?”
In the context of Spiegelbild’s programs this led to exploring what could be possible by integrating a horse’s unique ability to sense the emotions, intentions and energy of beings around them (including humans) with leadership and personal development training. I was intrigued by how a horse’s immediate response to body language could be combined with traditional coaching methods to help people self-reflect, increase their emotional and social intelligence and develop their leadership skills.
My goal was to address missing elements, knowledge gaps and deficiencies in how we as a society view and teach leadership skills, and to support my clients to reach their full potential through a more experiential way of learning.
Creativity resulted in active “making”; in creating leadership coaching programs that “stand on the shoulders” of existing knowledge and evolve what already exists into something new and innovative— both with regards to the benefits of coaching and in terms of horse-assisted interventions.
[If you’d like to read more about the difference between equine-assisted therapy and coaching check out this blog.]
People are naturally creative and resourceful
I fundamentally believe that every person is naturally creative and resourceful. Coaching is not intended to “fix” people or “repair” what is broken or imperfect, but rather to strengthen and increase awareness for what is already there.
I approach each and every one of my clients as the expert who intuitively knows everything they need to know to succeed. Whether you seek coaching due to a certain career development, because you want to improve particular professional or personal skills, or are simply curious about your inherent potential: I use techniques such as asking (many) meaningful questions to tap into your vision, wisdom and intelligence to help you find your own answers and solutions.
Working with a horse as your “co-coach” adds an original and dynamic dimension to your coaching journey. Instead of using colour wheels, post-it notes or software supported self-assessments you “live your learning” by interacting with a sensitive being outside a boardroom.
Horses have been our partners for centuries even though we don’t share a common language. Or do we? By using body language, clear intentions, and different energy levels you will explore how to communicate non-verbally and the benefit this might have for your human-human interactions.
Horses instinctively respond to a person’s non-verbal signals. They surface subconscious behaviours and reveal to my clients aspects of themselves they may not be aware of. A horse’s way of communicating allows me to share observations and initiate reflective conversations with my clients, which in turn enhances their personal and professional development.
In other words, throughout my programs the horse will help you to explore the creativity and ability within yourself that you may — or may not — be aware of. If you view people as generally creative and resourceful, it’s likely you’ll find those qualities in yourself and in others.
The promise of creativity
Finally, I view creativity as a promise — to keep evolving; adapting to new challenges and circumstances; and asking: “what else?”
Coaching is a transformative journey that assists my clients to grow to their “new normal”. Coaching leads to gaining new perspectives, putting issues in different contexts, and making meaningful changes to one’s approach to opportunities and challenges.
By adhering to my value of creativity I commit myself to staying curious; to keep working on my programs; and not to settle in on a status quo with the risk of missing out on improving and adapting my programs as experience and new knowledge becomes available.
What I stand for
I hope I have given you relatable insight into why you as a customer should care about brand values, and what creativity means to Spiegelbild and me.
My brand values provide you with a reference framework to which you can hold me accountable. I firmly stand behind these values and will not compromise on any of them.
Ready to try something new?
If you are seeking coaching that is built upon the creative evolution of traditional programs; if creativity is an important value in your own life — whether personal or professional; if you’re curious about your own creative potential in shaping the next chapter of your life; and if you you’re ready to discover something new:
Book a free 30-minute discovery call by using this link. I’m looking forward to meeting you, and discussing how equine-assisted coaching can help you tap into your creative juices.
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