We take a lot of things seriously that we used not to – and rightly so. It’s not infrequent for a client in their 40s to come to coaching armed with a recent diagnosis which has given them reassurance that they are not alone and the hope of some ways of thinking and working which will be helpful. Coaching can work really well because it doesn’t pathologise – it recognises and builds on what is already present.
Today I found myself laughing with one of these clients from a place of deep despair at the rigidity and critical spirit of one of her colleagues. She is going to ask her 8 year old son to choose a favourite dinosaur which she will imagine she sees as she walks into her colleague’s office, which she does several times a day.