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Small, hidden wonders.
You first have to poke at them with your nose.

The German Armed Forces gave me this insight during a field exercise. The command „Lie down!“ gave me an immediate radical change of perspective and pushed my nose onto a wonderful plant world over which I had previously trampled carelessly.

Military training areas are usually characterized by barren soil on which a multiform, small-growing, and little-noticed vegetation thrives. I had to lie on my belly with my nose in the dirt to appreciate this. I also discovered many a beautiful insects.

It is similar to coaching. We are fixated on „the enemy“ rather than on the problem. We see interesting connections and concentrate on leading our clients to solutions.

Depending on our theoretical orientation and training, we focus on a relatively narrow section of our client’s reality. There we know our way around; there, we know what to do.

However, due to the focus that every qualified training inevitably brings, we also risk overlooking the „background“.

On the other hand, the human being we work with is a biological system that lives in a complex environment without which it cannot be thought of. Maturana calls this „his niche.“

In an ecological system, everything interacts with everything else. Developments in one subsystem affect the whole system. Nor can I dispense with parts without the entire system changing. Therein lies the great danger of the current extinction of species.

In dealing with people, in coaching, it is no different. In order not to perceive essential connections and avoid unwanted side effects, it is necessary to develop a feeling for the multiformity of looking at the #system-human.

I am convinced that the ability to grasp overall systems intuitively and to initiate developments with sufficient probability for correctness can be learned and trained.

For this, it is necessary to temporarily free oneself from one’s convictions and be interested in and appreciate other views.

Diane Wood and Dr Antje Heyer from Sinnreich Wendland will co-host a workshop on this topic, L-I-A-M, with me from Friday, September 15, to Sunday, September 17. The link to it will follow in the comments.

As one of the few active coaches with over 50 years of experience, I offer all my competencies.