Group Process

I work with a group of exceptional coaches on a major project with global implications. It feels like a big deal!

And the most challenging part is not that we are connected by phones from cities across North America and in different time zones or that we are doing detailed work by virtual committee. The challenging part is that we are all showing up on the calls with great intention from which we cannot hide. We want this project to succeed. We want to have our individual voices heard. We want to listen carefully to one another. We want to offer our varying skills and expertise. We want to produce a favorable outcome. We want to conduct our project using the tools we all know as coaches. We want to walk our talk!

This group asks for opinions and then listens. This group challenges ideas when they are unclear or too small. This group keeps itself on task and on time. This group holds its members accountable for the commitments each makes. This group respectfully disagrees. This group celebrates. This group values knowledge and experience and creates a welcoming space for your contribution. We build on one another’s ideas. We clarify confusion. This group holds our collective goal with skillfulness and honor.

Like the flow of a river, at times unpredictable and fierce and others calming and wide open, our group process has moved from our head water starting point to a place that, at the moment, is unclear. And we’re on our way!

What does your group process look like? Which voices do you hear and honor and which do you marginalize? How do you hold one another accountable? How do you celebrate?

How do you walk your talk?

This Moment

My nephew is graduating from high school tonight. What an exciting event and a tremendous rite of passage. Sam, you are a star!

And what I am thinking about are the moments in our lives that point us to limitless possibility. For an individual it might be taking your first steps or graduating high school. For a couple it might be getting married or moving to a new state. For an organization it might be securing a large donation or adopting a strategic plan. There is a strong sense of power fueled by a bit of fear and uncertainty. These moments suggest the slate is empty, anything is possible. Anything can happen.

Remember a defining moment of limitless possibility. What unfolded? What was it like to be in that place? What can you take from that moment and bring forward to today’s opportunities? What’s it like to take the freshness and awe of that moment (as you recall it) and combine it with the wisdom you have today? What’s possible now?

What is the limitless possibility you have in this moment?

Monday Morning!

What are you looking forward to this week?

Make it a great one...