Jim Collins would have us believe that “Good is the enemy of great” but is it? Really?
Our recent Coaches Assembly took inspiration from Nancy Kline and her thought that…..
“The mind works best in the presence of a question”
Our focus fell on how we could best help our coachees to shape the question that they wanted to consider during a coaching session.
I find myself sharing the quote often [almost as often as Bev does! ] and the thing that strikes me about it in this very moment is more about what it doesn’t do, than what is does. It doesn’t require us to ensure that our question is smart, great, compelling or anything else. It just simply has to be a question.
It feels like some of our reflections and freshest thinking during our Coaches Assembly might have captured a sense of this. One thought shared was a fresh appreciation that a question can simply be ‘good enough’ ….. Good enough to start with, good enough for the person asking it of themselves, or just simply ‘good enough’.
Great might be our aim…..but when does the striving for more that ‘good enough’ become the thing that stops you from doing anything? When does it cause a ‘stuck-ness’ in you or the people around you that gets in the way?
How might ‘good enough’ truly become ‘good enough’?
Responses
Kate, your insight about the question is one that’s never occurred to me before, in the terms you describe it. You said, “It doesn’t require us to ensure that our question is smart, great, compelling or anything else. It just simply has to be a question.” YES 100% Maybe it’s because the question offer the coachee the chance to take responsibility and causes some ‘movement’ in their mind? Thanks for sharing your thinking, you still surprise me, even after more than 16years!
Happy to surprise ???? In a good way I hope! K x
Always in a good way! B x
That’s funny Bev – the exact same thing struck me as I read Kate’s post! Sometimes we sweat over the question but if it’s good enough, asked with kindness and as an invitation, then we shouldn’t be surprised that our wise and resourceful clients will be able to figure out where to take their thinking next.
Thanks Katie. The language you’ve used in your comment is really important to me. It indicates ‘intention’ – because it’s with “kindness” and it’s an “invitation.” And that unconditional positive regard for others, when you say, “our wise and resourceful clients.” I think who we are being matters…alot!