HILL AIR FORCE BASE – Through the Office of Personnel Management, the International Coaching Federation recently graduated a new coach who is offering his time and skills to help fellow members at Hill AFB.
Adam Sandbek, with the 75th Air Base Wing Safety office, completed 136 training hours of live coaching sessions, preparing him for this coaching role that helps make better military leaders.
“OPM offers this training because they have determined coaching is an effective tool in leadership development,” he said. “Self-reflection, emotional inquiry, values clarification, and awareness all contribute to a more complete military and civilian leader.”
The typical coaching arrangement consists of six sessions of up to an hour, where the coach listens to a client and reflects on what is already within that person.
“I’m not a therapist, mentor, trainer or even a safety professional when I’m in the coaching role,” Sandbek said. “My job is to be a reflective mirror, evoking awareness and listening to my clients in a way they have never been listened-to before. Amazingly, that is usually enough to create real change.”
While still in training himself, Sandbek helped people set and achieve goals and also hone professional development tools.
Sandbek said what he’s doing aligns with the Air Force’s Excellence in All We Do core value.
“Helping todays and tomorrows leaders access the fullness of their creative capabilities is one of the highest goals of coaching and drives us all toward a plane of excellence, he said”
In his quest to help others become a better leader, Sandbek said he gained unexpected benefits that's made him a better person.
“I’ve become a better listener, a better co-worker and improved not only my professional relationships, but my personal ones as well,” he said. “Honestly, my marriage is better, my family life is better and my friendships are more authentic as a result of this program.”
For more information about getting set up with a coach or to learn about opportunities to become a coach, email Sandbek at adam.sandbek.2@us.af.mil, or follow the Air Force’s official path available at https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Coaching/.
“I love this program,” he said. “This is my greatest personal achievement of the past 10 years. I am not stepping away from my safety duties, but I hope to coach for the rest of my life. I believe that the tools I have learned will stay sharp with use, and I intend to never let them dull.”