Leadership Revolution

CHAPTER 8Making New Choices

I've had a real breakthrough in my thinking, but I'm confused about my next move.

Coach: What's the issue?

I keep seeing different options, different angles, different possibilities.

Coach: That's a good sign—now it's time to make real decisions.

You can never be sure exactly when it will happen or what precisely will trigger it, but at some point in a coaching engagement, there's a transition that can feel confusing. It's after that breakthrough period, when the coachee's mind has opened up, and they're truly thinking about things differently. Their eyes are wide open and the third way—and fourth way, and fifth way—start to come more easily.

And now they're suddenly asking a new question: “What about … ?”

Actually, they can't stop. It's a series of questions. What about this option? What about that other idea? What about how it would work in a different situation?

And they're all good questions! The problem is that the coachee has opened up so much that they're not completely sure how to proceed—whether rethinking an ongoing effort or reacting to an unexpected challenge. It's crucial to build that ability to consider fresh perspectives and let go of the same old solutions. But it's even more crucial to figure out how to act—how to make it real.

I always think this point is the place for courage. It's risky to move beyond conventional thinking. Yet it's exactly when you're not quite sure which answer is the right answer—but you must decide—that ...