… is a reasonable working theory given no other information to contradict that premise. After all, even with a scientific brain, you know that water always finds a level, and the oceans don’t run away, they are fairly static (except the tide) so therefore the world must be flat?
I can’t remember who first said to me ‘you don’t know what you don’t know’ but how right that is. I mean, how could you know, what you don’t know…and all too often, just a little bit of knowledge is very dangerous. So to be clear, I am not a member of the Flat Earth Society, thankfully, I have sought and/or been provided with knowledge, that means I know that the earth is an ellipsoid. But that’s the point, if someone had not given me that knowledge, or I had not actively sought it out, how would I know any different?
In my leadership coaching sessions I get to explore some great areas of knowledge, and lack of it. And whilst sharing my knowledge and experience is very rewarding, by helping others learn and develop, equally, in these sessions, I get to learn a lot more about my clients, their businesses/sectors, and also more about myself. All of which I can plough back into later sessions, making every coaching opportunity I have, even greater in value.
By the time I am introduced to a client for Leadership coaching, there is already some level of self-awareness – I have not yet had the dubious pleasure of having a client who was forced into a coaching session. The coaching varies from people who just love being coached (those craving self-development), to others who have specific areas where they are lacking in knowledge/experience, to one of my favourites, where I have been approached with ‘I think I am doing a good job, but think I may be able to do things better’. Exploring the current state, discussing possible future states and putting in place roadmaps can really make a difference. When that all comes from the client, with a little bit of gentle guidance from me, and a sprinkling of real world experiences, it is incredibly powerful for driving the kind of change that can totally transform a business. When I say transform, I mean huge top and bottom line growth, improved customer satisfaction (delivery and quality metrics) as well as improving the workplace for all employees.
However, the journey has to start with the recognition that we don’t know it all, none of us do, and even if we are doing a good job today, who is to say that we can’t be doing a much better one tomorrow and into the future. I met with a small business owner a few months ago, to discuss undertaking a transformation project for him, and we got onto the subject of Executive Coaching. It became a very one-way conversation when he asked if I thought he would benefit from coaching – he answered his own question and then went on to discuss what coaching him might look like. It was enlightening for him and for me, to discuss the topic in that way.
Whilst I have supported many areas; from setting strategic plans, to helping improve team dynamics, selling off a business or part thereof, dealing with redundancies etc. one of the most interesting areas is when you come across a widely discussed but poorly communicated topic such as Lean. Due to many miscommunications, many people I come across think of Lean as reducing heads, or otherwise trimming down an organisation, whereas the reality, is often the inverse. Operating efficiently, leads to growth, not a reduction in size. I have often used the Lean approach to maintain or grow the physical size of an organisation to whilst also growing the top and bottom lines of a business, the Holy Grail of success – more for less and a better customer experience too.