Barnabas File

One of the touchstones of professional life coaching is the ability to ask powerful questions.   One author defines powerful questions as “provocative inquiries that put a halt to evasion and confusion.”   (Kimsey-House, et al, Co-Active Coaching, 3 rd ed .).   One might say that these are questions that challenge the client to move to the next level in clarity, action, and discovery.   Such questions are very important in a process that seeks to help individuals become the best, most productive, and most fulfilled people that they can be. Christian Coaches Network International conducts regular continuing education seminars online on both the ICF core competencies and best practices related to coaching.   In a recent presentation, Janice Lavore-Fletcher of Christian Coaching Institute offered some interesting perspectives on asking powerful questions. One of the ideas I found particularly interesting was the difference between transactional question...

  “The squirrels are fighting in and about the oak tree whose roots extend to unseen places below me and whose branches extend toward the infinity of sky above me. Yes, the squirrels are raising a ruckus. But the Old Oak is unmoved but still growing, and I love Her Shade and the hope of Her Acorns.” My friend Brad Bull posted this on his Facebook page recently.  My response was to ask if this was a metaphor for some particular event.  He did not respond directly, so I will put my spin on it (with his permission to reproduce his comment). A lot of things have happened in our country over the past two months.     Some have grieved, some have rejoiced, some have forgiven, some have become angry.  Society and culture work that way.   We find our own ways to cope or make sense out of change, when things seem out of control.  None of us in complete control; if you think you are, I can recommen...

The name Genghis Khan brings to mind thundering hordes of Mongol horsemen, slashing and burning their way through civilized nations.   Most of us know little about the Mongol ruler.   In 1956, Howard Hughes made a movie about Genghis Khan called “The Conqueror” with John Wayne in the title role which was less than historical and is best forgotten. In Genghis Khan andthe Making of the Modern World, author Jack Weatherford illuminates the rather obscure origins of this 12 th and 13 th century leader.   According to Weatherford, “Whether measured by the total number of people defeated, the sum of the countries annexed, or by the total area occupied, Genghis Khan was the most successful conqueror in world history, and he redrew the boundaries of the world.”  Genghis Khan or Temujin, his original name, does have a bloody back story.   He murdered his own brother to allow himself to become leader of the family clan and did not hesitate to dispatch by...

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.”—Matthew 7:7, NIV Children are good at asking questions:   “Where is God?”   “Why are peaches fuzzy?”   “What are those green things on the bread?”   We are born with an innate desire to understand our world.   Properly focused, good questions provide new information and ideas and assure continuing growth.   Conversely, failing to ask questions stifles one’s growth. In Disciple Development Coaching©, the first step in the process is “Ask.”   The coach does the asking, but only as a surrogate for the client—the person being coached.   The asking that the coach does is not for his or her own acquisition of knowledge, but to encourage the client to reflect upon and understand personal strengths, values, and goals.   The coach wants the person being coached to have a conversation with himself or herself, perhaps putting into words so...

This summer I am facilitating an online “Coaching Practicum” class of very sharp, involved students.   We are doing much of the class in a participative, seminar-type approach with the students taking responsibility for certain topics.   They bring new and refreshing insights to the course and expand my knowledge in the process.  One student was assigned to present on SMART Goals last week.   SMART is an acronym for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.   We used this approach in Disciple Development Coaching© and the student had been using such goals since her college days including a time in a professional training setting.   In her research, however, she came up with an alternative called CLEAR Goals.   CLEAR stands for the following:  Collaborative—Does the goal encourage the person to work with others in order to accomplish the goal? Limited—Is the goal clearly limited in both scope and time? Emotional—Doe...