Layers
Getting to the heart of the matter
As we begin, my very earnest, very successful mid-career coachee looks uneasy. He started his business alone a few years ago and it’s growing steadily. In the past year he’s even added a small team. I take an extra beat, and then, as I frequently do, I ask, “What do you want to work on today?” He looks out the window for a moment and then returns his gaze to me. “I guess you could help me with my time management.”
I smile back. I confess my brain lights up! Like you, I am not without opinions, beliefs, convictions, and tips about time management! I could just launch with that stuff! But then I coach myself for a moment: He probably knows all of that stuff too. What’s the layer beneath his request? What could I do to help this good man’s brain to light up too?
Unlike consultants and counselors, the job of a good coach isn’t usually to download information, or to direct, tell, prop up, or rescue. It’s never, “I know and you don’t.” And yet, in the experience of a solid and safe coaching partnership, people learn. I think of coaching as, “Highly customized, just-in-time, adult learning.”
I decide to ask him some questions to which I know he has to answer in the affirmative: “Did you graduate at the top of your class? Are you building a terrific new business? Hired some good people? A good husband? A father whose children delight him?” He nods and begins to smile shyly. So, I ask a second time, “What do you want to work on today?”
He pauses, finds a little extra courage, and then goes down a layer. It looks to me that his brain is beginning to light up. He leans forward and says softly, “Maybe we can talk about how I could delegate more to my team. I’ve been a one-man show for a long time. Maybe they could do more than I’ve asked of them so far.”
Hmm. I breathe again. Our hour together is about to become more useful.
Like my coachee in this story, the people who come to SeattleCoach are usually already fantastic at something. Coaching helps them to identify and deploy their personal strengths and values. They explore the layers of their growing edges, opportunities and challenges.
Some join us to grow as leaders who know how to coach, or even to become professionally certified coaches. I’ve noticed that as they begin our training, many feel a little bit like a beginner again—in a good way! So, my friend, if any of this resonates, be in touch. Our next professional coach training cohort begins in September. For more information, click right here and we’ll set up a conversation.
