Journal of a Coach – "First day of School"
I had no idea, when I started coaching, that I was embarking on a journey that would transform my life.
A friend I had not seen for about 20 years told me about coaching: he had changed his job, and now he was a coach, which seemed to make him very happy. He was telling me how his clients’ lives changed as a result of coaching. Then he added, in passing, that he was going to start a new course. Without thinking too much, I asked the school contacts and signed up.
At the beginning of the course, when I was sitting in a circle, I had a sense of familiarity, although I did not know anyone else. It was like a meeting of ‘old souls’.
After a brief introduction of what coaching is and what is not, we were divided into triads to get started and the coaches were told not to say a word but to accompany the client, “coaching style”.
My client was telling the story, when suddenly in my mind arose the impossible question “why.” The customer replied immediately: “Yes, I know, you ask me why, but …”. I had heard my thoughts …
After the session, we gathered in the ‘big hora’ to share our experiences after our first coaching session. I also told myself the story with the client who heard my thoughts. “But you asked me why.”, My client said. “No, I did not ask.” I responded laughing. “Yes, I know I heard you,” he insisted. (“Did I ask?”). The facilitator intervened and asked the observer (how well the observer exists!), Who confirmed that no questions had been asked during the coaching session. “I was sure I heard the question …” the client mumbled.
Angela Cristea, Alumni and Certified Coach, One2Coach
