So I'm having this discussion with another, more experienced connected coach in the PLP network. We were talking about the Olympics and what that had to demonstrate about trust and relationship building in terms of high performing teams, essentially. And out of that, came more wonderings that I have around connected coaching that I think might be worth bookmarking here.
As I'm trying to assess where my own strengths lie and what new ones I need to develop, what I'm finding on a very practical level is that I have this
impulse to "tell" and to share my own experiences. It's so much trickier
to put all that aside (well, as much as anyone can ever really
put their experiences aside...I mean it's part of who you are) and ask
some good questions that allow the other person to reflect on their own
experiences, needs, wants, desires in terms of their learning journey.
Lani is teaching the course I'm taking, and she and Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach (who attended our
class last week) are both so masterful at the art of appreciative
inquiry. It's a little daunting, but I'm determined to get better at it.
Maybe I need to design
a little graphic to keep on my computer screen...something that reminds
me to ? not !
Marsha brought forward the notion of repacking and transferring former experiences and expertise I've gained to a new medium...the thing is, I've lived in this
medium for a lot of years. I'm really comfortable with the affordances
and constraints of technology, and I engaged in appreciative inquiry
with my students when I was in the classroom, but now that I'm working
with adult learners it's almost as if I've forgotten everything I ever
knew about strength-based learning! It may be because I know that adults
are very solution-focused...or maybe that's just an excuse?
I guess my biggest wonders right now are, in terms of connected
coaching, if there's a place for modelling self-reflection and
sharing experiences or is it critically important to keep the focus on
the other learners? Isn't part of being a learner first and being
co-learners sharing? And how important is it for a connected coach to
maintain the stance of a coach more than a co-learner? I do know what my own opinion is about these things at the moment, but as I learn more will I change my thinking?
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Finding my Way in Wayfinding: A Self-Reflection
I've long been wanting to ponder/reflect/write about the connection between standards and dispositions for connected coaches (as put forward by Powerful Learning Practice) but couldn't quite manage to find the time. Now that it's a class assignment I'm finding the time. :) Or at least, this will be a start in making some of those connections.
In terms of Appreciative Strength-based Facilitation, this aspect of wayfinding is perhaps the one that resonates most strongly with me philosophically and yet the very thing that I have the most difficulty practicing. And I've yet to discover the reason(s) for that! It's such a conundrum. A riddle, wrapped inside a mystery, inside an enigma, even. ;)
Where I think the challenge lies is really just a lack of practice. It may be as simple as I haven't created enough time/opportunity to engage in coaching others. I've committed most of my available time to learning, reading, reflecting and discussing with my co-learners and my colleagues rather than "doing". And more than anything else, coaching/wayfinding is an active practice. I do believe that in time it will actually become a way of being...it's not something that I have to go to a certain place to seek out and it's not necessary to have a job that relates to coaching...wayfinding opportunities abound in the world, personally and professionally.
In terms of the connected coaching standards linked to appreciative strength-based facilitation that exhort coaches to:
It's not all gloom and doom though. In terms of the Connected Professional Knowledge standard we're looking at, I'm fortunate to have worked with many amazing people over the course of my career from whom I've learned many strategies and activities to assist in creating a connection to the content and context, to myself and to the learning community. And going back to what I stated earlier about "committing most of my available time to learning, reading, reflecting and discussing with my co-learners and my colleagues" -- in terms of the standard in Professional Expertise of 'collectively reviewing and analyzing with an open mind and without judgement many perspectives on coaching' surprisingly...that's something I've been very engaged in prior to and during this course. Hey! I think I just unearthed a strength there that I previously viewed as a weakness. Too funny...because really...almost everything can be appreciated and lifted up as a strength on which to build, if you only look at it the right way. Sure, you may have to turn it on its head at times, but it's all about perspective. And that may be the most important and surprising thing I've learned about connected coaching so far.
In terms of Appreciative Strength-based Facilitation, this aspect of wayfinding is perhaps the one that resonates most strongly with me philosophically and yet the very thing that I have the most difficulty practicing. And I've yet to discover the reason(s) for that! It's such a conundrum. A riddle, wrapped inside a mystery, inside an enigma, even. ;)
Where I think the challenge lies is really just a lack of practice. It may be as simple as I haven't created enough time/opportunity to engage in coaching others. I've committed most of my available time to learning, reading, reflecting and discussing with my co-learners and my colleagues rather than "doing". And more than anything else, coaching/wayfinding is an active practice. I do believe that in time it will actually become a way of being...it's not something that I have to go to a certain place to seek out and it's not necessary to have a job that relates to coaching...wayfinding opportunities abound in the world, personally and professionally.
In terms of the connected coaching standards linked to appreciative strength-based facilitation that exhort coaches to:
- Persevere in exploring ideas and concepts, rethinking, revising, and continual repacking and unpacking as they build upon and assist in uncovering strengths of those they coach.
- Engage in discussions on difficult or messy topics from an appreciative inquiry perspective to increase confidence and self efficacy.
It's not all gloom and doom though. In terms of the Connected Professional Knowledge standard we're looking at, I'm fortunate to have worked with many amazing people over the course of my career from whom I've learned many strategies and activities to assist in creating a connection to the content and context, to myself and to the learning community. And going back to what I stated earlier about "committing most of my available time to learning, reading, reflecting and discussing with my co-learners and my colleagues" -- in terms of the standard in Professional Expertise of 'collectively reviewing and analyzing with an open mind and without judgement many perspectives on coaching' surprisingly...that's something I've been very engaged in prior to and during this course. Hey! I think I just unearthed a strength there that I previously viewed as a weakness. Too funny...because really...almost everything can be appreciated and lifted up as a strength on which to build, if you only look at it the right way. Sure, you may have to turn it on its head at times, but it's all about perspective. And that may be the most important and surprising thing I've learned about connected coaching so far.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Balancing Act
It's kind of an ongoing process...this thinking about balance. A recurring
theme in my life as I explore the tipping point, and try to discover the secret to maintaining balance. Right now,
after a serious car accident at high speeds, I am learning to walk again after a badly broken
right ankle. I can walk unassisted now, two months later, but haven't yet
regained my normal gait. Part of my recovery process involves "walking a
tightrope" which is actually a line painted on the floor and other
exercises to regain my body sense and balance during physio.
As I regain my physical balance so I can return to a balanced gait with a full range of motion, I've found I'm also having to work on regaining my mental/emotional equilibrium. I'm scared to drive...it was a bad accident, caused by someone else's inattention. There wasn't anything I could have done to change the outcome. So now, while the actual driving process came back to me just like riding a bike...I'm hypervigilent when I drive anywhere, and anxious. As a result, I'm reluctant to drive at all, and only for short, familiar distances. That's something I need to come to terms with. I need to seek out that sweet spot, that balance where I recognize that I am doing all I can personally do (driving defensively, obeying the rules of the road etc) to ensure my personal safety and that I can't control anything else. I'm not there yet.
In terms of connected coaching in online spaces, I think there's also a balance to be found, particularly in terms of taking an appreciative inquiry stance in working with teams of educators. I believe that listening actively--hearing what lies behind the words--is an important part of a connected coach's toolkit. There's a place of stillness from where a coach needs to hear, and truly appreciate, what the other is communicating.
I wonder if perhaps for those of us with strong personalities/opinions/ways of being, whether we are introverted or extroverted, it can sometimes be difficult to put aside our own agendas and be mindful that "it's the group's group". I think that is a part of finding the balance...knowing that it's not about one's own agenda, yet at the same time knowing that as a coach, you have a definite role, along with skills and competencies, to assist in the growing and moving forward of the collaborative work. It's knowing how to be a part of something and at the same time, not being inextricably bound to it. Although it's early days in terms of my coursework, these are the thoughts I'm currently playing with.
As I regain my physical balance so I can return to a balanced gait with a full range of motion, I've found I'm also having to work on regaining my mental/emotional equilibrium. I'm scared to drive...it was a bad accident, caused by someone else's inattention. There wasn't anything I could have done to change the outcome. So now, while the actual driving process came back to me just like riding a bike...I'm hypervigilent when I drive anywhere, and anxious. As a result, I'm reluctant to drive at all, and only for short, familiar distances. That's something I need to come to terms with. I need to seek out that sweet spot, that balance where I recognize that I am doing all I can personally do (driving defensively, obeying the rules of the road etc) to ensure my personal safety and that I can't control anything else. I'm not there yet.
In terms of connected coaching in online spaces, I think there's also a balance to be found, particularly in terms of taking an appreciative inquiry stance in working with teams of educators. I believe that listening actively--hearing what lies behind the words--is an important part of a connected coach's toolkit. There's a place of stillness from where a coach needs to hear, and truly appreciate, what the other is communicating.
I wonder if perhaps for those of us with strong personalities/opinions/ways of being, whether we are introverted or extroverted, it can sometimes be difficult to put aside our own agendas and be mindful that "it's the group's group". I think that is a part of finding the balance...knowing that it's not about one's own agenda, yet at the same time knowing that as a coach, you have a definite role, along with skills and competencies, to assist in the growing and moving forward of the collaborative work. It's knowing how to be a part of something and at the same time, not being inextricably bound to it. Although it's early days in terms of my coursework, these are the thoughts I'm currently playing with.
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