Barnabas File

At some point, I discovered that you learn more by teaching than by being a student in a course. For four years, colleague Beth Kennett and I have taught an Introduction to Coaching class as part of Summit Coach Training from Pinnacle .  In teaching, I have rediscovered at least ten concepts that I think every coach should remember.   1.   1.  The client is central.     Coaching is really all about the client. The client sets the agenda, and the coach provides the process.     If you have any concerns about what to ask or how to proceed, ask yourself, “Does this serve the client?” 2.       Coaching is really a partnership.     It is a collaborative activity.     Bob Dale spoke about coach and client as “thought partners.”     It is a partnership that fosters creativity on the part of client and learning on the part of the coach. 3.       You are not a “fixer.” ...

As we begin a new year, perhaps it is a good time to reflect on what we are about and what difference it makes in the coming year. Do you consider your profession a job, a career, or a calling?   In  Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection , the authors [i] cite a 1997 study of workplace attitudes by psychologists Amy Wrzesniewski, Clark McCauley, Paul Rozin, and Barry Schwartz that showed that people view their work as either a job, a career, or a calling.   A job is focused on financial rewards and necessity. Jobs are means to the end of enjoying life outside of work. You quit when you find better pay.    A career is focused on professional advancement. Those of us with careers feel pride in our professional accomplishments and elevated social standing. You quit when the promotions stop, or you retire.    A calling is focused on fulfilling work. You feel called to do socially or morally valuable work. You keep at it...

A rule of life provides a framework or pattern for a group of believers to walk alongside and encourage each other to pursue those practices that lead to spiritual health and faithful service.     Here are few things to consider as your faith community works together to articulate a rule of life.   First, the process requires spiritual preparation and discernment.  Believers become more focused and aligned as they spend time in prayer individually and corporately.  One approach would be to ask those who are developing a rule of life to set aside a specific time every day to pray using Romans 12:1-2 as a guide:   I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters,   by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual   worship.     Do not be conformed to this world,   but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will o...

The first real “job” for which I was paid was as a math tutor.     Considering that I failed Calculus in college, this is rather ironic.     I was a junior in high school and my math teacher recommended me as a tutor for an eighth grader.    The parents paid me ten dollars a session.   As I began working with this young man, I realized pretty quickly that he already knew what he was supposed to do.  He understood the calculations and was probably a better math student than I was!  The key was focus.  He needed someone who would just sit with him, respond to his work, and provide encouragement.  I did not need to be an expert; I just needed to be there.   I find myself in the same situation very often as a leadership coach.  As I talk with a client, I discover that not only does the person have the best knowledge of the situation we are discussing, but he or she has some ideas about how to address i...

Life Coaching or Personal Development Coaching can take many forms.     At one point,     I was involved in a conversation with a colleague about coaching seminary students around their financial habits.     One of the things we discussed was whether a person needs to be a financial expert to coach someone about finances.     We agreed that helping a person to break old habits or, perhaps more proactively, develop new habits or behaviors was the key to financial coaching rather than financial expertise.       Developing new habits is not easy. Some suggest that, on the average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic — 66 days to be exact . More realistically, how long it takes a new habit to form can vary widely depending on the behavior, the person, and the circumstances. In a study by researcher Phillippa Lally, a key finding was that it took anywhere from 18 days to 254 days for people to form a ne...

Despite its growing popularity and effectiveness, the purpose and philosophy of coaching—or as it is often called, life coaching--remains a mystery to many.   I have been doing professional life coaching for 15 years and I find that I still have opportunities to introduce and explain the concept to people.  Just about everyone understands athletic coaching either from observing a sports coach in action or serving as a volunteer coach.  Life coaching is a bit different.  Three basic ideas will help you understand how life coaching works.    First, the person being coached is the focus of coaching.  The coach is thoroughly engaged in the coaching conversation, but the conversation is all about the client.  When we engage in a normal conversation with a friend or colleague, we expect that each person will have their fair share of the time—not simply reacting but sharing their own ideas and experiences and carrying their part of th...