Page 45 of One Summer Weekend
Chapter Fourteen
‘Troy – I love your mantra, and what a fabulous session you did this morning. In case anyone here missed it, could you remind us what your style of life coaching involves?’
Was it Wanda or Di who’d simpered the question at the man now sitting to my right? And how in God’s name had I reached my seat without passing out? Maybe Ihadpassed out, and thiswas merely a nightmare from which I could awake at any time.
‘Hey, Wanda, I’m truly touched – thank you.’ He spread his hands – elegant, compelling hands that had once been as familiar to me as the sun and the moon. ‘Okay, so whenever I coach someone, I like to be a big part of their life, I call it total immersion. And together we push their boundaries, right? That leads to some amazingexperiences – for me as well as the coachee. There’s always a confidentiality agreement involved, so I can’t be too specific – but let me tell you about a time when …’
As he spoke, I forced myself to stop trembling and look at him. He was still, to the unjaundiced eye, powerfully attractive with his flawless tan, youthful face, perfect smile. All testament to the scale of his disposableincome; or rather that of Maria, his long-term partner – the woman I hadn’t even known about until she returned unexpectedly early from her two-month trip to Europe, tracked him down, and gave him an ultimatum …
I’d been haunted by that chapter of my life for three years – until last night. What I’d found with Jack had helped me towards closure. Except now, it seemed, there was one finalpage to be written – with the man beside me. I drank in every detail, observing the changes: his ever-so-slightly sagging jaw, the puckered skin of his neck – hints of an old age that could no longer be held at bay. Then my gaze lurched to his hands, and the trembling started all over again.
As if still attuned to my every thought, he paused in the middle of whatever he was saying and said,‘But maybe you should ask Aleesha. As a former coachee of mine, she has first-hand knowledge.’
Somebody laughed; it was a harsh laugh and I realised that it came from me. Because this suggestion was nothing more than a test: as he’d already indicated, the Troy Randall Travers style of life coaching required the coachee to sign a non-disclosure agreement.
And all the time Jack mustbe watching, and thinking – whatwashe thinking?
Try to breathe … swallow … takecontrol.
‘Alicia?’ This was Lionel, concern battling with curiosity in his voice.
I took a gulp of air and dragged my eyes towards Troy’s. ‘That’s correct. It was a very … formative experience that ultimately helped me to decide on a career in executive coaching—’
He pounced. ‘Odd decision,when you responded so well to total immersion. Care to elaborate?’
I shook my head. ‘As you know, I’m legally bound not to divulge any details.’
A flash of excessively white teeth. ‘So am I. All I’ll say is – what a waste!’ He dismissed me with an exaggerated shrug, and turned to the audience. ‘Hey, guys – even if you haven’t any direct experience of executive coaching, I’m sure youcan imagine how it goes: you sit in an office talking to a manager in a suit about how they’re gonna achieve their performance targets, with all the really interesting stuff strictly off limits. What does life coaching need to learn fromthat?’
A crescendo of laughter from the audience and, on the stage, from Wanda and Di – all seduced by his charisma. Only Lionel and I, it seemed, saw nothingfunny in his remarks. Oh, and Jack too; I glimpsed him at the back of the room – arms crossed, face like stone. If it hadn’t been for a need to prove myself tohim, I would have given up there and then.
But actually, it wasn’t just for Jack. There was also something inside of me that rebelled at being written off by Troy Randall Travers in such a cavalier fashion; a welling of professionaland personal pride that needed to find release.
‘That’s exactly what I’m here to explain,’ I said coolly, once the laughter had died down. ‘First, let’s look at some similarities. Executive coaching has the same purpose as life coaching – it’s just that the life in question is that of an organisation, rather than an individual. And I’m sure you can all appreciate that an organisation stillhas aims, still needs to deal with change. Which means that, yes, I often sit in an office talking to a manager in a suit.’
I shifted into a more comfortable position on my chair, then went on, ‘But that can involve “really interesting stuff” too. Because, with every coaching assignment, there’s an element of unpredictability.’ My voice faltered as I recalled that first meeting with Jackat Leo Components; I dragged myself together. ‘As for being in an office – well, increasingly, executive coaches are varying the environment in which they work. In fact, this time last weekend I was in the Lake District with my coachee– which helped us both to see things differently.’ A quick smile in Jack’s direction – seeking a response, but not lingering for one; I needed to focus on Troy.
I turned my head and met his gaze full on. His eyes were blue, like Jack’s, but without the green flecks; in fact, there was nothing to disturb their uniformity. How many times had I teasingly compared them to the Pacific Ocean … I bit my lip, rousing myself from an old spell. ‘To answer your question, however, there is something that the less’ – I was tempted to say ‘scrupulous’, but I resisted– ‘less structured forms of life coaching could learn from executive coaching.’
He addressed the audience, mouth sketching an incredulous grin. ‘Boy, this is gonna be worth hearing.’ Then he switched back to me, almost casual in his confidence. ‘Well, Aleesha, what couldIlearn fromyou?’
‘Professional ethics.’
The grin flickered. ‘Meaning?’
‘As we all know, some elements– accreditation, certification, compliance with data protection laws – are relatively straightforward to acquire. But what about the values-based ethics, the principles of honesty, integrity, transparency? What about the duty of care that every coach has – or should have – for their coachee? Talking purely hypothetically, let’s suppose that what starts out as a coaching relationship becomes farmore personal. Is that professional? Is that ethical? Where are the boundaries?’
The grin widened again, as if he was comfortable with the challenge. ‘In my style of life coaching, it’s the particular needs of the coachee that determine the boundaries. And then we push them, overcome them. That’s the whole freaking idea, Aleesha.’
Titters from the audience, but not the same wholeheartedlaughter as before; I pressed my point. ‘But where does morality come into it?’
‘Morality?’
‘Suppose your coachee wants to commit a crime – rob a bank, say, or murder their partner. Do you help to remove the boundaries so that the coachee can achieve their goal?’
‘That’s a ridiculous scenario, I would never take on anyone like that. If you remember, I arrange an initial interviewto talk through the coaching assignment, and it goes ahead only if we both agree.’
Oh yes, I remembered. The charismatic coach invited the starstruck student to dinner; a Peruvian restaurant, the conversation as spicily seductive as the food. By the end of the meal, the student believed she needed life coaching to ‘find herself’; for an unexpectedly affordable fee, she would have the TroyRandall Travers total immersion experience, his undivided attention for the next two months. Naturally, she ‘found herself’ – and a lot more besides.
