3D Coaching

3D Juggling 434: Chilli and Rice

Jane writes: "I was coaching a participant on our Coaching for Excellence programme last week when she suddenly realised that if she responded differently to a specific situation that keeps recurring, she was likely to get a different outcome. This opened up all sorts of possibilities for her, and led to rehearsal of a conversation that she needed to have instead of the one that usually happens.

Of course it is one thing to know what you need to do differently, and quite another thing to actually do it. Habits or patterns of behaviour can be difficult to break, and their familiarity can be strangely comforting even if we don’t like the results. This reminded me of an evening a few weeks ago when I cooked a meal for Claire and Lynn. I know that Claire needs to avoid gluten and had decided to cook chilli and rice (not forgetting to provide tortilla chips and sour cream). Fortunately we were all in my kitchen when I was preparing our meal, as when I reached into my cupboard for an ingredient Claire was able to ask whether it was ordinary flour. It was. Although I had planned to use cornflour, I had automatically slipped into my normal routine and done what I always do when making chilli. I am very grateful that Claire was noticing what I was doing and was able to gently challenge me. As a result the meal was a success (well, they both ate it!).

As a coach I need to help clients reflect on their behaviour and notice patterns of behaviour that might not be helpful. I also need help to recognise my own habits as a coach and what I might do differently to better serve my clients. Who do you use to help you to notice your habits?"

Love this? Do us a favour and send it to five people. Who thinks like you? You could send it to someone who likes chilli!

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