There has to be a way!
Through scrub and obscurity to success and clarity.
Coaches and leaders in Times of crisis
Years ago, on a walk from the coast up into the Estérel Massif, I took a path that got lost halfway up in dense undergrowth, the maquis.
My goal was clear, I wanted to get up there, but the path was gone.
That is a situation I am also familiar with from coaching processes.
To turn back would have been tantamount to abandoning my goal. So I found my way through and around all the obstacles. In the process, I met not only obstacles but also lovely plants.
Once I reached the top, I could enjoy my success and the great view.
Good coaches and leaders have in common that they unwaveringly believe that success is the end. As a result, the road to success inevitably leads through ambiguity and resistance, even in times of relative calm.
As we live in uncertain times, the maquis that coaches and leaders have to contend with on the way to the goal is particularly dense and incalculable.
The scrub that lies between now and success has become more extensive and possibly denser. And the number of thorny bushes has increased.
What can we do today so that leaders, in particular, remain convinced that it is worthwhile to penetrate ambiguities and to enjoy the exciting and surprising encounters there with the certainty of ending up in clarity?
A proven way to put this into practice is to tell the story of the beautiful discoveries made at significant risk. To keep recalling the success stories of our lives and our role models. That we retell them in imaginative action and keep them emotionally alive.
Next to literature and theatre, coaching is the appropriate place to do this.
Today, more than yesterday, leaders need independent support to help them remember their own resources.
By the way, the same applies to coaches!