Curiosity led me here...

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Nelson Almanzar, One of Thousands of Leadership Coaches on Noomii.

Many people have asked me, “Nelson, what led you into coaching people for a living?”

The truth: It kind of happened by accident. When I stepped away from my software business a couple of years ago, I didn’t know what was next. I mean, I kinda knew, but I wasn’t 100% solid.

One idea was to go into consulting to provide design thinking and innovation strategy for small businesses. It was the logical next step for a career move. I’d spent the majority of my career building my expertise here- and succeeding by conventional standards- though something in me knew:

If I am to reach a new level of success, something needed to be different.

Tony Robbins is famous for saying, “Successful people ask better questions and as a result, they get better answers.” And I agree: Allow a person to look for answers and new opportunities, and they can change their life.

So I would entertain questions like, “What does the next level of success look like?” “What can I do differently?” “How have my most successful friends reached new levels of success?”

It’s interesting: I kept meeting coaches that year. Each time, I found myself drawn to how they would ask great questions. I decided to invest in my growth, and I hired a career coach to gain clarity on what would come next.

My coach had a keen ability to ask the most powerful questions at the perfect time. Questions I’d never considered before. Questions that prompted me to open up space to look for answers and new ways of seeing situations. The questions were thought-provoking, challenging, and expansive.

I knew if I was going to help entrepreneurs and professionals create innovation and growth in their business by thinking outside the box, it would be useful to have powerful questioning skills.

My questioning led me to enroll and gain my coaching credentials in one of the top coaching schools in the world, the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (IPEC).

As my training began, I discovered the thrill of coaching. While I simply went in with curiosity, I experienced true passion: to be connected to someone’s success journey; to be in the presence of someone’s genius thinking; to be a catalyst for growth. I thought, “wow, I can do this for a living?”

So that’s how I stepped into my coaching practice, “Walk With Nelson."

Now, I partner with innovative individuals and startup teams to help them to assess their current approach, explore new ways of thinking, and create thought patterns that empower them to take forward steps to new levels of success.

The formula is simple and applicable to any ambitious leader interested to learn and grow: ask better questions and get better answers.

So a powerful question to you today: Where is curiosity leading you in 2021?

I’d enjoy hearing your answers, catching up, and discovering more questions to lead you forward in this new year of uncharted opportunity.

Nelson Almanzar