Ride the elephant…

Prof David Clutterbuck's comment on a story I am working

on. “You can persuade an elephant to move by goading it from behind or tempting it from the front. Pushing or pulling will not work! When you create a symbiosis or partnership with the elephant, however, you can ride its back and gently encourage it.”

For leaders and team’s this comment is a reminder that responsibility to change and grow is yours – the coach/team coach/consultant is not there to solve your problems for you. You need to do the work to change and grow yourself.

For coaches/team coaches/consultants it is a reminder that our role is to partner with our clients. And our effectiveness is completely dependent on their willingness to experiment and do the work.

Thanks for your support and wisdom David.

(I took this pic btw at an elephant sanctuary in Nepal - circa 2008)

If you or your team would benefit from partnership and encouragement please get in touch. I would love to hear your story.

#teamcoaching#coaching#leadershipdevelopment

After all, I did ask…

I’ve been asking many of my peers for feedback on my work recently. Some of it has been hard to swallow – particularly when it relates to content, I have been working on for almost a year (my baby!) Of course, it's great hearing positive comments and a lot harder to process the critical ones. However, I have digested, taken onboard what resonates, and the result is much better. I can’t complain about the feedback - after all, I did ask!

If you, or your team, want to improve results – ask for feedback. The trick is establishing methods to both give and receive feedback in a way that feels safe for everyone. If you would like to work on techniques that work for you, please get in touch.

#feedback#coaching#teamcoaching

Indirect route...

Just back from a long week-end in my childhood hometown – an experience that always elicits fond memories, of farming and beaches.

The distance between where I came from to where I am now might not seem far – it’s literally 300km! But less obvious are the many thousands and thousands of km it took to get here. It was not a direct route! And I don't just mean physical km, I mean experience km, growth km, tenacity km, hard work km, success km, and failure km.

If you, or your team, would like to understand more about your past route and how that informs your future route, please get in touch - I would love to help you explore.

#teamcoaching#coaching#indirectroute