Coaching has changed my life, having been coached I know all too well the power of the craft and it has transformed my thinking giving me an understanding of introspection and respect for becoming a better listener.
My very first coach challenged me one day by asking a simple question... "Are you sure" I'd tell her what I was sure and she'd reply with “Are you sure?” I would say, “Yes.” And then she would say, “How can you be sure?” How can you be sure?
I pondered that until I eventually began to think I didn't know anything.
And that was the beginning of something remarkable. I got very inquisitive and curious about my mind and about being a better person and leader. At the time, I was a New Yorker living in New Mexico, and I was having to learn to slow down. Realizing that I didn't know one tenth of 1 percent of what I thought I knew opened me up to possibilities.
Are you sure? The fact is, you're not because nobody can be sure. More to the point, you don't WANT to be sure because that kills#curiosity. And curiosity is what leads us to learn—about ourselves, our industries, our lives, and the world. Clinging to certainty makes us rigid, closes us off to possibilities and new ideas. And that's no way to grow a#business.
Curiosity and asking powerful questions like "Are you sure?" are key in coaching leaders to excellence. When you are ready to be curious, explore possibilities, and ask yourself if you are sure.
About the author, Patrick Bennett is an Associate Certified Coach accredited by the International Coaching Federation and a Business Transformation Expert. He leads the Successful Consultants NY office and is passionate about helping people and organizations learn and manage through change specializing in jewelry, accessories and the luxury consumer products sector.