Ohmigod, do I love coaching.
Today I had lunch with Michael Bungay Stainer, who last night was named “Canada’s Best Coach.” Readers of my ezine will recognize Michael as the creator of what I call “the $54 coach,” a beautifully designed and brilliantly conceived book (but so much more than a book) that is like having a coach in your back pocket titled Get Unstuck and Get Going.
And what does that have to do with loving coaching? Well, for one thing, if I were not a coach, I would not have had lunch with Michael today. And if I were not a coach, I would not have had the pure pleasure of witnessing Cheryl Richardson’s continuing evolution as a human being, a writer, a teacher. Cheryl is one of those people I could find it easy to dismiss. She’s gorgeous, a best-selling author, and a popular icon of coaching. (Maybe for you that doesn’t add up to dismissibility, but I have a bitchy, envious streak that loves to minimize the accomplishments of others. Thank God Julia Cameron set me straight, pointing out in The Artist’s Way that envy is a signal that I want something someone else has, does, or is being. The sensible response to that signal is to check in and see if I truly do want it, and if so, to begin building the character, capacity, and ability to go achieve or attain it.
This afternoon I had the pleasure of visiting with Alida Schuyler, who is doing important work building a Recovery Coaching program that equips coaches and chemical dependency professionals with the skills, understanding, and insights they need to help clients create great lives in sobriety.
This evening I spent 30 minutes or so with Cindy Reinhardt, a coach whom I believe will be instrumental in transforming the face and the soul of politics.
It’s not only that I get to hang with these amazing people, but that each of them walks their talk, living as coaches and being coached, intentionally committed to becoming ever more vibrant, aware, and compassionate human beings. What’s not to like?
