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liralenWhenever I think of corporate coaching, I think of pom-poms and cheerleaders and ex-psychologists giving pats on the back or listening to people who can't really sue them the way they could when they were practicing. I think of mirrors and retired army-colonels telling you to get out there and do it... so something equally bewilderingly irrelevant to my most pressing needs.
When my HR person told me to speak to the Director of Technical Marketing about what it means to take on that role, I didn't really know what to expect when he said that he'd be willing to coach me.
What I got in my first session was a one-hour shotgun blast to every preconceived notion I had about the role. Except instead of just blowing everything into smithereens, it was like someone taking a shotgun to a dozen pieces of colored glass and blowing them into a stained-glass window.
I'd been thinking about the job as a bunch of tasks. Lots of things I'd seen TM folks DOING, that made sense to me on their own merit. But what he gave me was not just Why, but the specifics behind each what, how they reinforced each other, and solid, practical reasons they all had to be there. None of which I'll be posting anywhere soon, as it's probably some kind of business advantage of some sort, but, good God. It's a little bit like being handed, whole, the Meaning of Life, and trying to not just comprehend it but applying it to everything I do, everyone I talk to, and every aspect of my job; and having it ALL fit and not only make sense, but give real meaning behind what I've been half-assedly trying to do without knowing WHY.
Now I know WHY.
And if this is what coaching is all about, I'm all for it, man. I'm all for it.
When my HR person told me to speak to the Director of Technical Marketing about what it means to take on that role, I didn't really know what to expect when he said that he'd be willing to coach me.
What I got in my first session was a one-hour shotgun blast to every preconceived notion I had about the role. Except instead of just blowing everything into smithereens, it was like someone taking a shotgun to a dozen pieces of colored glass and blowing them into a stained-glass window.
I'd been thinking about the job as a bunch of tasks. Lots of things I'd seen TM folks DOING, that made sense to me on their own merit. But what he gave me was not just Why, but the specifics behind each what, how they reinforced each other, and solid, practical reasons they all had to be there. None of which I'll be posting anywhere soon, as it's probably some kind of business advantage of some sort, but, good God. It's a little bit like being handed, whole, the Meaning of Life, and trying to not just comprehend it but applying it to everything I do, everyone I talk to, and every aspect of my job; and having it ALL fit and not only make sense, but give real meaning behind what I've been half-assedly trying to do without knowing WHY.
Now I know WHY.
And if this is what coaching is all about, I'm all for it, man. I'm all for it.
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no subject
Date: 2004-05-14 09:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-05-15 07:07 pm (UTC)