The Problem is Relational
I saw this post on LinkedIn and wanted to share it (a snippet, really) with you—
A leading Humanities professor friend of mine, Bill Egginton, put it this way: "Humans always and only exist as relations. The relations don’t bloom between previously pristine individuals; rather, the individuals spring forth from the relations themselves."
Among other implications, this all means that it doesn't make sense to speak of individuals or parts of organizations in isolation. The Sales department, for example, doesn't have a problem on its own. It has a problem in relation to Marketing. Engineering has a problem in relation to Product. And so on.
If you try to tackle problems in isolation, you are working on something that doesn't exist.
The problem is relational. So, too, must be the solution.
First, this post underscored the emphasis I’ve been making lately in my Agile Coach teaching and mentoring that coaching the system is far more impactful and vital than coaching the individual. In other words, grounding, observing, and staying present with the system (the client/person).
The second thing I’ve been emphasizing is the notion of building a relationship or connection with your clients. That, instead of focusing on coaching them, you focus on—
Building a relationship
In a right relationship
Establishing a connection
Building empathy and understanding
I know this is contrary to many of the tenets of coaching and consulting, but I’ve found that my most powerful coaching moments, with and for my clients, come when I’ve built firm foundations in these areas.
In other words, moving from—
Coach to Client
Coach to System
Coach to Team
Coach to Individual
To
Coach Human to Human
And building on that relationship.
Stay agile, my friends,
Bob.
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