The Business Coaching Toolkit

CHAPTER THREE

Getting Things Done through Others

“One ping-pong ball!” the wild-haired street performer cried out to the crowd. He placed the ping-pong ball in his mouth, popped it up in the air, caught it in his mouth, popped it up in the air, and caught it in his mouth again. We clapped politely.

One of my favorite memories of growing up in the Bay Area is visiting San Francisco. Compared to my suburban sameness, the city pulsated with life, especially the stretch of real estate between Pier 39 and Ghirardelli Square.

One summer evening some friends and I joined thousands of other visitors to the wharf, cooling off in the evening breeze of the bay and enjoying various street performers: The Human Jukebox, The Living Statue, marionettes, magicians, and mimes. We stopped at one particular act crowded in a tiny square where a hundred or so people circled around a makeshift stage.

“Two ping-pong balls!” came the next proclamation. And as he had done previously, the performer put two ping-pong balls in his mouth, popped one in the air, and then the other, catching each in turn, popping them up and catching them again in his mouth two or three more times. We clapped enthusiastically.

“Three ping-pong balls!” he shouted to unbelieving ears. In went the orbs and up they went into the evening sky, landing one by one back in the mouth of the performer. Then back in the air, back in his mouth, back in the air, and back in his mouth again.

We clapped and cheered wildly.

“Now I will do the ...