“We’ll, there’s another one out there now,” my friend quipped. We were meeting for coffee and, as so many of us do, she was killing time while our orders came up by scrolling through her emails on her cellphone. She explained that she had just received an email announcing yet another new coaching practice in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area. She grumbled about the number of coaches in the market as well as the many coaching types. There are life coaches, career coaches, business coaches, executive coaches, and so many more! But what makes a coach, regardless of their specialty, really great?
In my mind, it’s questioning. And in a beautiful, spontaneous chain of events, I was gifted with three articles, sent by friends and professional contacts, all about the power of using questions to solve problems and ignite the imagination.
- The One Thing, https://www.the1thing.com/
Spoiler alert! The “focusing” question to direct any change in behavior is this: What’s the one thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?
So simple! But not very easy!
- Coaching for Change, https://hbr.org/2019/09/coaching-for-change
The authors of this Harvard Business Review piece beautifully describe the coaching philosophy that best aligns with mine: I don’t tell anyone what to do or how to do it, but use questions to help my clients find the best way to reach their goals.
- Yale University welcome speech, https://president.yale.edu/speeches-writings/speeches/culture-curiosity
In this address, Yale President Peter Salovey encourages students to be curious. Take note as you read this one: it’s powerful! When was the last time you learned something new from someone with a different view than you? When was the last time you changed your mind or admitted you were wrong?
Wishing you a week filled with good questions and eye-opening answers!
-Holly
