Metaphors

Michelangelo’s Statue
“One day Michelangelo was commissioned by a rich family to create a statue of exceptional beauty.

He searched long and hard for a suitable block of marble until, at last, in a side street, he found an abandoned and forgotten stone almost completely overgrown with weeds. Michelangelo had his workers bring the marble block to his workshop.

Thereupon he began to carve the statue of David from the stone. The work took him two whole years. After that it was another two years of grinding and polishing before the statue was ready.

When the statue was unveiled, many people came to admire the unique beauty of David. Michelangelo was asked how he had been able to produce such a wonderful statue. With a smile, the sculptor replied: “David was always there. All I had to do was remove the superfluous marble from around him.”

(from eagle-vision-communication)

Coaching and the Gardener
Coaching is like the job done by a gardener, who cultivates a variety of plants.

One plant loves bright sunshine; another, cool shade; one loves brooks; the other, dry mountain tops.

One grows best in sandy soil; the other, in rich loam.

Each must be cared for in its own way, or else will fail to reach its ultimate potential.

(‘Abdul’l-Bahà, from Norbert Glaab)

Coaching is like learning to ride a bike
Coaching is a lot like learning to ride a bicycle.

The coachee struggles to maintain his balance, and so any forward progress is in zizgags. The coach gives the initial push, makes training wheels available where necessary, and keeps checking the direction and ultimate destination.

He discusses alternative routes with the coachee and explores the reasoning behind the coachee’s decisions.

(Cooper Business Coaching)

107 powerful coaching questions

107 powerful coaching questions from David Clutterbuck Partnership

Megginson and Clutterbuck, in their book “Techniques for coaching and mentoring” (Oxford 2005, p168ff), have compiled one hundred and seven questions, which I present here.

Change – a key theme in coaching

I discovered this video at a conference in London this year. Some may find this excerpt from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” (Summer) a little “too much”; for others, using Vivaldi for publicity purposes may seem to have been an error of judgement. For me, though, it’s a well-made point, using pictures and sound.

Yet more definitions?

“In an increasingly complex, fast-paced business world which places ever-greater requirements on individuals and teams, it is becoming more and more important to achieve stability and physical and emotional well-being – which generates effective employee performance and corporate success.

Changes – for example in professional role, unusually difficult (leadership) situations and excessively challenging decisions – can lead to uncertainty and a questioning of tried and tested behavioural skills and resources. Or, put in more proactive terms: People are actively looking for new challenges and want to prepare themselves to deal with them in a professional way. That is where coaching comes in. (German Society for Personnel Management, DGP).