Doing Your Life's WorkWritten by Angie Dixon
Most people want to do their life’s work. Some people are able to separate work completely from life and be happy doing anything, but this is not norm. I once knew a man who managed things for a living. He’d managed a restaurant for several years, seen an ad in paper, and become manager of a print shop. He didn’t particularly like job, but he didn’t hate it. And I will never forget what he said, when trying to convince me I could do a better job with my attitude. “It’s just a job. It’s not your life. You have a job so you can afford to have a life when you go home. You come in here, you act like you’re having a good time, you do work, then you go home and play.” Well, that may have been fine for him, and I know other people who have their fulfillment outside their jobs—for instance, an apartment complex manager whose real passions are cooking and gardening. She likes her job fine, she’s been there 20 years, but it’s just a job.
| | The Magic of HearingWritten by Angie Dixon
I’m working on a coach training certification, and one of “proficiencies” I’m expected to have mastered is “engages in provocative conversations.” Now, that really got me thinking. What’s a provocative conversation?Well, word “provocative” means that conversation provokes something—hopefully a reaction from client which helps take them to another level. The ideal response to provocation is for client to realize something they didn’t know or find a solution they didn’t have before call. When I think about what is required to reach that provocation, I see that first thing is not just that I’m listening—I’m always listening. The first thing is that I’m HEARING what client has to say. Because if I’m listening with one ear but thinking about my response with other ear, so to speak, I’m not hearing, and if I’m not hearing, I’m not responding to my client, I’m reacting.
|
