As coaches we are consistently called to debunk the trap of being an expert. Of course being an expert is seductive; it strokes our egos.
But we are called to put our egos and expertise aside. We are here to honor our clients’ inherent wisdom, as it’s revealed through their emerging process; a dynamic, changing and shifting event.
We notice what is already trying to happen; the momentum that is present but momentarily thwarted within an organisation.
When we’re caught by our expertise, we lose our capacity to pay attention. We focus on past successes rather than what is happening under our very noses.
A process-oriented approach to coaching means learning to be at ease when we don’t know what will happen next. As well as following our client, we pay attention to what is happening within ourselves and within the larger systems we are part of. We begin to notice things that are new, that may be mysterious and unexpected.
In organisational dynamics terms, we are curious about the unfreezing of systems. As we observe the fluid processes within organisations, we support stuck or rigid practices to re-enter a state of flow.
Focus on the Emerging Flow
Much has been written about resistance to change within organisations and systems, but we are fascinated by the organic flow already at work. Sometimes if that flow is suppressed, potential and initiative can break out in forms that look problematic. Obstructed initiative is reflected in high staff attrition. Poor use of power results in conflict and protest.
Our ability to study these phenomena and understand what is happening in the background is fundamental to realizing organisational and social potential.
Process oriented coaches help leaders and teams to understand these dynamics. This equips our clients to support those processes already emerging or trying to emerge within their organization. When leaders are alert to their dynamic environment, transformation becomes possible.
Some questions to ask yourself:
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What is dynamic and alive at the moment in your organisation?
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What is dynamic in your own life?
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How does this affect you?
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Where is the flow frozen or stuck?
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What do you notice about the quality of the stuckness?
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Look closer… What is happening even within apparent stuckness?
