New Way to Look at Coaching

Today is September 1st. In Russia, this is the first day of classes for anyone who goes to school, college, university or any other form or shape of an academic institution. So I felt that I had to write about personal growth and self-development, and one of the most effective individual development instruments, in my opinion, is coaching.

Many people when they are faced with a dilemma to define "coaching" resort to the sports analogy and it does hold water: no matter how talented you are, you need a wiser and older companion to ensure that you maximize your body potential and survive the turbulent waters of sports politics. Read the story of Coach K if you want a prototypical example.

I, however, would like to suggest that you look at coaching from a different perspective, and to do so I am presenting to you a picture of a coach... in its logistical meaning...

Now, without being moralistic or didactic, I let you figure out the analogy by yourselves, simply by answering the following questions:

• What is the primary function of a coach (carriage)?
• Who does all the work of getting the carriage from Point A to Point B?
• Who is guiding the carriage?
• Who makes the decisions of where the carriage is going?
• What are the roles and responsibilities of the main players here (the coachman, the horses, the person inside)?
• How do the external circumstances affect the dynamics of the relationships?
• Who loses most if anything goes wrong (e.g. a wheel falls off)?
• Who gets the most benefit out of a smooth journey?

I hope I've got your creative juices flowing!