Every one of us has a culture and belongs to a particular group that has shaped his or her upbringing, development, and growth. To undo such influence on a person does not happen easily. It takes conscious effort to do that. In fact, one does not completely change from who they are but rather adjust to the new circumstances in their life. Hence, I believe that one’s culture and way of being is dynamic. It informs and is informed by the changing situations in which a person finds himself or herself. In coaching, we appreciate and acknowledge this phenomenon in ourselves as coaches and in our clients. We always look forward to exploring this uniqueness in every one of us. That is what we refer to as a perspective. We do this because we believe that where you belong defines who you are or at least lays the foundation for who you are to become. We do not want to coach you away from your identity but let our coaching be integrated into it. It is not your choice to belong to your culture. You are born into it. You may deny it, but you cannot shrug it off. Your way of being will give you away. Such a denial of your own identity, culture, and way of being will put a strain on your personal and professional development journey.
“Our subconscious functions according to our associate memory. It is always with us. When triggered, our responses are largely in line with our subconscious. We take our whole life’s journey with us into every situation we face”, from Key Takeaways, Module 8 (Self-Awareness 2), Droplet 3, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Development Programme, by Mygrow. So, our subconscious mind stores our way of being and brings it up at a time we may not even be expecting it to show up.
Developing our self-awareness and self-knowledge, including reconciling with our own identities, culture and traditional practices is critical in the development of our coaching relationships.
This chapter is highlighting the fact that both the coach and coachee must work on themselves as a prerequisite for a successful coaching journey. This exercise starts with acknowledging the fact that you are your culture, but your culture is not static. It is evolving and you must be aware of such evolution and the circumstances you find yourself in to be able to progress successfully in life through coaching intervention.
As part of this chapter of my book, Mentorship and Coaching Philosophy! The Perspective! I investigate the African Story Telling as a Coaching Tool. The Africans are known to have transferred knowledge and information from generation to generation through storytelling. This historical practice was never considered to be a mentoring or coaching tool. But when I look at it closely, having experienced it as I grew up in the Sekhukhune District, Limpopo Province, in South Africa, this is a powerful tool used to manage and transfer knowledge. I grew up listening to different kinds of stories, and fairy tales seated around the fire almost every evening, especially during winter times. The growth because of assimilating and participating in this practice is core to my perspective which I am now integrating into my coaching practice. More about this tradition and how it can inform the coaching practice later in this chapter. Make sure to get yourself a copy of the book. I am “enroute” to publishing this practitioner book on Mentorship and Coaching! Click on the link below to Pre-Order your Copy on Amazon Kindle! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09Y4299TL
Mentorship and Coaching Philosophy! The Perspective! is a practical book for the students and practitioners of mentorship and coaching based on my personal and professional anecdotes, experience and insights. It is my contribution to the profession, one of the many books to follow on the series, MENTORS AND COACHES PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, on Amazon’s Kindle ebooks platform. #coaching #mentoring #learning #growth
