Reflections from Coach-Seeking Impulse

Here are the lessons I learned.

• Coaching is just guided self-reflection. It will only work when someone is intellectually honest and willing to step out of their comfort zone to build up the context.
• The effectiveness depends on how relevant the coach and you are, given the context built up. So authenticity and communication efficiency matter.
• It is a constantly evolving process. Honesty and willingness to grow should be mutual.
• Be cautious about transference. Your intimate partner is the best coach and coach candidate.
• There is only a thin line between coach and mentor: is the person willing to go beyond reflection, and allow the specific cases where the roles are reversed, so as to be in a mutually empowering relationship.
• There is always a limit: either coaching becomes less important than practicing, or growth is just ahead of the rate of the practical world bounded by physics laws. The latter case is extremely rare across history, and those decisive minds are the glory of our species.
• Coaching and mentoring can happen from anywhere with anyone. It only depends on the openness and willingness of the mind, and it is a trust-building relationship.

Words (lessons) are cheap. Actions (practices) matter.