“Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.” (Rudyard Kipling) If you have been following this blog on twitter you will have noticed a variety of quotes being posted throughout each day. It’s something that I’ve had numerous comments about. Quotes are yet another thing that can be at the coaches disposal … Read more
I keep a notebook where I jot down ideas for future blog posts. Sometimes I refer to it for inspiration for that weeks post, while other times it can go weeks before I glance at it again. Glancing at it recently I noticed I had written: “Why is a coach like Santa?” Apart from sounding … Read more
At various times in the last month I’ve seen numerous individuals comment on Twitter and in person that now they know that it’s nearly Christmas because “x” has just happened or because they have done “y” they are feeling very festive. There have been a number of different scenarios described, for some it was seeing … Read more
“The power of Thought, the magic of the mind!” (Lord Byron) A few coaching sessions ago, after the use of a carefully chosen comment, one of my clients accused me of performing magic. Now this isn’t the first time I’ve been accused of doing magic, being a witch or generally possessing supernatural skills during a … Read more
“It is a greater compliment to be trusted than to be loved.” (George MacDonald) The subject of trust was mentioned in a comment by Dave Doran to my recent post “How to ask hard questions.” When trust exists in a coaching relationship I find that it makes a massive difference and I thought it deserved … Read more
W. H. Auden said, “To ask the hard question is simple.” Do you agree? As a coach have you ever found a question difficult to ask? Personally I’ve found that one of two things is going on if I, or another coach is thinking that a potential question is hard or difficult to ask. 1) … Read more
I’ve had several conversations recently with individuals that have revolved around coaching “real people.” Now if you, like me, have been known to take someone’s language literally that can conjure all sorts of mental images appropriate for the run up to Halloween of coaching seasons with zombies! However, what they actually mean is coaching someone … Read more
The above quote is from the band The Feeling. It was a comment said during an interview following a small live show where they had “tried out” some new songs in front of a live audience. They went on to explain that with the live feedback from the audience they can make immediate adjustments to … Read more