A lot of the power of coaching comes from asking questions – questions that open up possibilities, that allow you to explore hidden dreams, that reveal how you’re stopping yourself, that help you make the connection between what you want – or think you want – and your inner purpose and values.
Coaching myself is probably the hardest part of the job but again it is questions that help to clear away the clutter and get to the point of what you need to do. One of the things I’m enjoying about reading other blogs is stumbling across great questions and challenges that slow you down and really get you thinking. (I don’t know about you but I can often feel them rumbling away in the back of my mind, waiting to turn into something to write something to do).
One of my most recent – and valuable – finds has been the treasure chest of material at Managing with Aloha and Talking Story with Say Leadership Coaching, two blogs written by Rosa Say around her work to bring Hawaiian values to the world of business. There’s a coaching theme for each month, built around a particular value. The theme for June is K?lia i ka nu‘u, translated by Rosa as "strive to reach the summit" – to be the best that you can be, to push ahead and reach the highest point. Her challenge to us is not to take a break in June – but instead to go for the break through.
The article really got me thinking – about things we strive for, about the amazing things that people can and do achieve, but also about times we stop perhaps, before we have reached the summit. And formulated a question that keeps on running through my head. A question for you – and one that I need to answer for myself too.
Is June the month to make the break through?
My goodness Joanna, how did you know? Coaching myself is the break through I need! You are so right about it being the hardest to do; far easier to turn our sights to others and pat ourselves on the back for how much we are helping THEM.
We also think of break throughs as such large hurdles, when in fact the smaller ones are just as significant because they serve to open up more capacity for us. To stick with the mountain-climbing imagery of kulia i ka nu’u, experienced trekkers would surely advise us to conquer the smaller peaks before the higher altitude of a Mount Everest would humble us back to our knees!
Rosa/Joanna, I agree.
I look at every month as a breakthrough month to achieve my small goals on the way to my big goals.
Hi Rosa and Emma
Thanks both of you for sharing your experiences of working towards goals.
I am still curious about the difference between the foothills and the big mountains – do we need to approach them in a different way in order to reach the summit?
I’d love to hear from other readers too about your approach to goals big and small and the tactics you use for achieving them…
Joanna