How Director of Engineering, Adam Steffes, Sees the Impact of BestPracticer Coaching at Strava
Adam Steffes, Director of Engineering, initially sought out professional coaching because he felt like he had reached a point in his career where he would benefit from an outside perspective on how he approaches his role. Since starting coaching with Rod Begbie, Senior Engineering Manager at Discord, he feels he’s grown from that outside perspective. Adam brings challenges to sessions that feel like abstract problems or situations that he isn’t sure exactly how to navigate. Rod provides him with both thought processes and practical tools to resolve these situations and make important decisions.
When Adam began the coaching relationship, he asked Rod to spot growth areas for him. He sees this as the main advantage of receiving coaching from someone more senior in his field. Since Rod has dealt with similar kinds of situations and learned from them, he’s able to proactively point out growth opportunities for Adam.
Coaching provides him with new ways of thinking about situations that he may have never considered without the presence of someone who’s willing to listen and ask questions that help him find the answers within himself. He appreciates the clean slate and confidential space where he can bring his toughest challenges to the focus of each session.
“Working with an outside coach means that you can have someone who can help you navigate different challenges or questions that you’re having. I’ve really valued the independent perspective and the ability to help me think through situations or a decision. I keep asking myself, why didn’t I seek out a professional coach a long time ago?” — Adam Steffes
Adam sees the impact of coaching first-hand through his reports who have coaches. He could tell that one of his reports started working with a coach because he saw her show up differently in situations that were challenging and uncomfortable. He noticed her growth, especially how she was taking really strong ownership and producing great results. He also appreciates how coaches can augment a manager’s support when managers have a lot on their plate.
“I’ve seen coaching be very transformative to individuals at Strava in how they show up and how they have really flourished as leaders. After working with a coach, I could tell that their confidence was increasing in situations that were challenging or ambiguous. Working with a coach removes some of the roadblocks so they are able to make progress in the areas where they were stuck quickly and produce better results.” — Adam Steffes
👋 If you’re interested in finding an experienced coach that’s a few steps ahead of you in your career, you can learn more here or contact us at hello@bestpracticer.com!
