A colleague at work was overstretched (fearing burn out) and the response from the business was inadequate to his predicament. In the past I would’ve gladly offered my opinion about the situation. Instead, this time, I offered a coaching session, and booked some time in the diary.
In the end, my colleague didn’t need the coaching session: he had figured out what to do. Which is precisely what we would’ve aimed to have achieved in the coaching session.
I realised that, after learning about coaching, I had actually adapted my behaviour! I was now responding to what to the other person’s need was, and giving them time to find their own solution, rather than giving them what I thought would help – or even worse, making comments.
The offer to coach was greatly appreciated by my colleague! For me, it was quite a paradigm shift to react like this.
What’s more, the positive response (i.e. feedback loop) has surely embedded this adaption into my behaviour now.