LESSONS IN COACHING FROM THE WIZARD OF OZ
I love the fact that everyone I meet is unique, in the way they think, the way they express who they are and how they relate to the world. I have learned as a coach to become fascinated by that difference and how it plays out in the decision making and actions the person chooses to take. Being able to work with that difference as a coach means not taking anything for granted but being awake to that old maxim ‘the map is not the territory’ the stories we tell about ourselves and to ourselves are often not the real story – which lies underneath and obscured from view. So, if I am not taking anything for granted as a coach, if I am alert to the different ways my client might frame their life experiences then surely, every coaching interaction is new, and I will need to start from scratch each time?
Well, yes and no.
Whilst I firmly believe in the glorious diversity of humankind, the kinds of issues that these unique individuals bring to work on in a coaching and mentoring relationship tend to fall into certain categories. To me, knowing that there are issues and questions that most of us will encounter at some stage on our life’s journey is reassuring and normalising. For me, these core questions are often what does actually lie underneath the stories we tell.
I have found this to be true irrespective of one’s position in life. In my work in leadership development, I have often been struck by themes of questions and issues that leaders carry and how regular and frequently occurring these can be. The context is different, but the questions are the same.
It strikes me that these categories of questions and issues are human and inescapable – and they are most helpfully pointed out to us in The Wizard of Oz.
They are as follows (with a simultaneous translation for you):
· If I only had a brain – developing the skills, knowledge and ability I need for what I am facing now and what I will face in the future
· If I only had a heart – connecting with others – having difficult conversations whilst staying in relationship and learning to understand the perspectives of those around me.
· If I only had the nerve – to put myself forward for promotion, to leave my job, to have the difficult conversations mentioned earlier
· ‘There’s no place like home’ – returning to what makes you feel passionate, purposeful and alive.
What I love about L. Frank Baum’s story is that the journey each character takes towards these aspirations is really one of self-discovery and a realisation that they had some of what they were longing for all along, living quietly and unacknowledged within them.
Our role as coaches is to facilitate this journey. To help create space to make sense, to uncover and to discover previously unacknowledged resources, previously undervalued personal power and agency. To help the person become more of who they are and to be that person at work and at home.
This is what I love about working with others on their questions; it is what is so exciting about coaching.
Glyn Fussell
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