I’ve led, planned, and been a part of my fair share of team building events – high ropes, interactive games, outdoor challenges. But is that the BEST place to develop teamwork?
There are times when I’m facing a tough situation – and a coach is not available. When that happens, I’ve honed a process to “coach myself” through the situation. I’ll share the process and the questions I ask myself in those specific situations.
For those who have lives that are fast paced, coaching can provide the gift of slowing down and reflecting. It is the gift that keeps on giving.
We all have blind spots about ourselves and our performance. There are things we can’t see, things that we are unaware of, and ways others see us that we are totally oblivious to. I believe this is true with even the most self aware individuals.
I recently had one of the leaders I coach push me right into my zone of discomfort. This person knew of my goal to complete a sprint triathlon and gently pushed me toward signing up for an upcoming one in our local area. And gently pushed again. And asked one more time if I was going to do it.
I’m a lucky duck – I am surrounded by friends, coaches and colleagues who help me think better.
The hard truth is that we’ve been taught to work on shoring up our weaknesses. The even harder truth is that, usually, this is energy misspent.
Many, many years ago (I think in 1989) I heard a speaker use a phrase that resonated and has stuck with me. Although I don’t remember any of his other remarks – he used the term “unconditional positive regard”.
Listening till your ears hurt is a great metaphor for the type of listening one does when engaged in important dialogues like coaching, mentoring, guiding, supporting, explaining, or teaching.
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