"You
cannot teach a man anything:
you can only help him find
it within himself." |
~Galileo |
In thinking about the topic of this
month's newsletter, I have been reflecting
on the value of coaching. As some
of you may know, in addition to working
in my business, I have spent the last
year serving as an Internal Leadership
Coach inside a large organization
and helping to grow that department.
It has been such a valuable experience
for me, teaching me so much about
creating community and collaboration
(with my colleagues); about the eagerness
of human beings wanting to be and
do better; and mostly about the true
value of coaching.
All coaching was
voluntary and this reinforced the
idea that one must come to coaching
freely and ready to change. Those
that came to the coaching relationship
were ready to do the work that must
be done if you are really intent on
changing or looking at things differently.
Coaching can be a scary thing, especially
inside an organization where things
have a tendency to get very comfortable
and change (even when it is espoused
by the organization) is like pulling
all your wisdom teeth out with pliers,
without Novocain. Painful.
Impactful work was done when the client
informed those around him or her that
they were working with a coach. The
change was supported by those around
the client and even encouraged. When
a boss or team knew that the leader
was getting coaching, the coaching
produced amazing results. Support
was key as was the concept that when
people knew you were getting coached,
they were able to cheer you on and
be witness and support to the changes
one experiences.
The other thing that magically happened
is that those who were being coached
noticed their changes extending to
their personal lives. There was more
of a balance of their time, both inside
and outside of the business. They
made conscious choices of what their
priorities were, and therefore, of
where they spent their time and energies.
I can tell you with complete confidence
that not one of my clients decided
to spend more time at the office.
I think that anecdote about people
who are on their death bed never say, "Gee,
I wish I spent more time in the office" is
true.
I think one of the greatest
values of coaching is that it gives
one time for reflection and, therefore,
offers an opportunity to get different
perspectives. It's like having
a tour guide, except the place you
are touring is your own life.
So Coaching...valuable?
You betchya. Even if you don't
hire a coach, find someone in your
life who can be objective and has
no investment in your outcomes. This
will bring you much value in making
decisions and finding the answer to
that never ending question: "What's
next?"
"We could all use
a little coaching. When you're
playing the game, it's hard
to think of everything." |
~
Jim Rohn |
Step into leading and play a Bigger
Game in your life...don't
wait...model leadership...the
World needs us to do this.
Lead Strong!
Pat
The
Summer Day
By Mary Oliver
Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the
black bear?
Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper,
I mean--
the one who has flung herself out of
the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of
my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth
instead of up and down--
who is gazing around
with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she
lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes
her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats
away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know
how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the
grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be
idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me,
what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything
die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it
you plan to do
with your one wild and precious
life?
by Marshall Goldsmith
by
Jack Canfield
by
Mike Krzyzewski
