Coaching Reflections : Creating Awareness
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes 1 secondI plan to bring in here in this fortnightly column Thoughts , Learning , Observations on different aspects of coaching — some of my own & some via interactions / reflections with my colleagues & friends . In effect , it’s the essence of what I understand — made available to wider audience
Today , I start with thoughts on Awareness — something very core to a coaching process
- Acting without being aware is like taking medication without diagnosing medical condition .
- Awareness is knowing (i) Who you are , (ii) Where are you currently (iii) What do you want to do in life , (iv) How would you like to go about it
- It’s delving deeper into self , beyond the superficiality of understanding . It’s being in closer touch with self – much like the ‘ consciousness ‘ concept in spirituality
- Awareness is not restricted to physicality or the external elements ; it is importantly more holistic . Ancient Vedic concept of awareness is “ I’m aware when I’m not thinking “ as against conventional Western concept of “ I think , therefore I’m “
- Process of meditation / any related mechanism to bring in awareness is like allowing the pot filled with muddy water time for sedimentation , whereby the dust settles down separating from water , leaving it clam & clear .
- Since solution is where the problem is ; Coaching process helps client to seek a solution within . For him / her to do this requires self awareness for the client . A coach is better prepared to help client’s process of self awareness , provided he’s progressed adequately on his own ‘ self awareness ‘
- A coach can help client’s self awareness process via :
- Effacing himself from the situation ….. not imposing own view point , experience , judgment or perspective . In fact a Coach will need to work form the Client’s context
- Not offering ‘ Advice ‘ . Advising not only assumes a pre supposed context ( which may be wrong ) but also has a ‘ Superior – Inferior ‘ level of equation . It can make the client overtly conscious of his / her ‘ shortcomings ‘ which may create guilt feel & get client stuck in the past than moving forward . In a way , ‘Advising ‘ approach in coaching can be inadvertently negative .
- Give feedback – like showing a mirror .. neither adding nor deleting any thing form reality nor adding any value judgment / interpretation colour . A good feedback can help a client get useful insights & a different perspective
- Ask potent questions … it’s like digging ( efficiently ) with a sharper tool till you reach a fresh water spring in the ground
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