Meet Tamica Sears

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tamica Sears.

Tamica, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I’ve been an HR professional for about 20 years and I thought that coaching was a natural next step. While it was a great next step, there was nothing natural about it. I had to learn a brand new skill, which was challenging. I did a 6-month coaching course and learned how to effectively coach and be a better leader. Honestly, it changed my life. I’m a better mother, friend, and leader now because of the coaching skills I was fortunate enough to receive.

I started doing coaching internally at a missile defense company and was able to then get some external clients. From there, my business has had its ups and downs but I have continued to grow. I thought that Covid 19 would bring things to a screeching halt but I have actually been busier than I’ve ever been.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It is absolutely not been a smooth road. Like most industries, coaching has its downsides. Because it’s not a well-regulated industry, there are people who say that they coach but they’re actually not doing true coaching and they’re not providing a lot of value. This has, unfortunately, led some people to think that all coaches are like that.

We aren’t all like that! While there are weekend courses that people sometimes take to become a coach, there are also programs like the one that I took that allows coaches to become credentialed through the International Coaching Federation. While being credential doesn’t automatically mean that you are a great coach, it does mean that you’ve put in the time and effort to go through an accredited program and have hundreds of hours of coaching under your belt. Getting credentialed was a huge part of growing my business. As an executive coach, there are oftentimes companies that will only hire credential coaches. I am continuing that journey and am working on obtaining higher-level credentials.

One of the biggest things that I struggled with was pricing. What helped me was looking back at some of the clients that I served and figuring out the actual ROI of my coaching services. Once I determined that I was much more comfortable with charging people my full price. It’s incredibly important that everyone knows their value.

Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Sears Coaching does Executive Coaching, Leadership Development, and HR Consulting. The focus is on helping companies create cultures that allow their employees to thrive. This is typically done by helping leaders learn how to be more authentic and giving them tools to genuinely connect with their employees. One of the things that I am most proud of is that I help get rid of the stigma of working in a corporate environment. Helping organizations create and maintain psychological safety is important to me as it also drives diversity and inclusion.

I think the thing that sets me apart for most coaches is that I have a different philosophy when it comes to human resources and leadership. I believe that employees need to be the focus of organizations, not the customers and certainly not the leaders. When companies focus on their employees and their leaders are employee advocates, most compliance and customer issues go away.

What were you like growing up?
I have a pretty large family. I am the last of seven, my brother being the oldest and then a bunch of girls. I have a twin sister and as one can imagine, we are very close even though we have very opposite personalities. I tend to be fairly outspoken and love giving my opinion, which was really difficult for me to stop doing during coaching sessions, while my twin sister tends to be more reserved and keep her opinions to herself.

Growing up, I was fairly certain that I was going to be a news anchor. Liz Walker was a news anchor growing up and I looked up to her so much! This is one of the reasons why I know that representation matters greatly. Seeing someone sitting at the anchor desk on the news that looks like me let me know that one day, that could be me. Unfortunately, my dreams were dashed when I got the opportunity to be on television for the first time and couldn’t get one line correct!! That was my first lesson in making sure that I have a backup plan. I focused on my other love, photography, and wanted to be a photojournalist. In high school, I got a job working for one of my older sisters as a personnel clerk and somehow, I just fell in love with human resources.

Pricing:

• Special program for your audience: 6 month Executive Coaching program for 8k

Contact Info:

• Website: www.searscoaching.com
• Phone: 15203312156
• Email: tamica@searscoaching.com
• Facebook: Facebook.com/searscoaching
• Other: LinkedIn.com/in/tamicasears

Image Credit:
Jared Murray Photography

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