(Blank stare) “I have no idea…”
When you’ve been facing a challenge for any meaningful length of time, that’s often your response when you’re asked what you want to try next.
In a coaching conversation, it’s also the reaction when a coach jumps too quickly from identifying goals to choosing actions or next steps.
One of the most crucial parts of a coaching conversation is the exploration phase. It helps open up creative parts of the brain so you can find ideas you haven’t considered.
Here are a few questions you can ask yourself next time you’re having trouble thinking outside the box you’ve been living in:
❓Who might I collaborate with?
❓What might (a business leader you respect) do?
❓What would I try if I were guaranteed not to fail?
❓What might (your favorite comedian) say about this?
❓What might a recent graduate or brand new employee do?
❓What might (someone from a completely different industry) do?
❓What would I try if the most immediate impediment were removed?
❓What would people mock me for trying? What part of that idea could be helpful?
❓What is the conventional wisdom here? What would the opposite approach look like?
❓What is the most insignificant change I could make that could have a noticeable impact?
❓What am I most afraid to try? How might I avoid the worst consequences of doing it anyway?
These same questions can be helpful when you’re coaching someone else to decide how they’re going to change their own patterns of action.
And you can reach out to me at https://stevedwire.com/connect to find out if my coaching can help you with the next stage of growth in your life or career.
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