Next Coach Training Cohort Forming Now

The focus of this blog is usually to bring a reminder or value add regarding coaching culture in real life. We try to share from different perspectives how coaching can be used in different arenas.

Today's post will be different. (If you have already taken coach training, could I ask that you forward this to someone who would benefit?)

This post is time-sensitive since our next coaching cohort registration closes soon! I feel compelled to share a little about what coach training actually is - who would be interested, what is included, what you can expect, how much it costs, and most importantly the timing involved.

Who would be interested?

     You! If you want to learn more about growing in your faith journey and helping others to grow in theirs, coach training could be your best next step. If you have relationships in your life where you would like to have more significant conversations, coach training will give you tools to upgrade your connections.

What...

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Working Genius and Coaching [Galvanizing]

Letter 4 in our Working Genius journey is G. 

In case you missed the first three they were W - Wonder, I - Invention, D - Discernment, and now we have G for Galvanizing.

Patrick Lencioni defines it as, "The natural gift of rallying, inspiring and organizing others to take action." Honestly, without good galvanizing, a project will most likely tank. 

Galvanizing is one of my frustrations. I really stink at it actually. It feels "un-coachy" like I would be telling people what to do. 

It's not like that at all though. 

Lencioni says every job is a 6 letter job. And every coaching session is a 6 letter journey!

Galvanizers are like fuel. They come in right on cue. First, an idea is posed. "What if...? Then, comes "How about...?" where the plan options are considered. Discernment is when the choice is made. It says, "What do you think?" and then finally we get some movement with, "Okay, let's do this!"

Galvanizing makes the difference between lagging energy and...

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Working Genius & Coaching [Intro]

I've been following Patrick Lencioni for years so when he came out with the Working Genius assessment in 2020 and said it was his "magnum opus", I paid attention. (If you don't know of him he literally wrote the book - actually a series of books - on business leadership and teamwork. His books have changed my life and the lives of many!

His newest work, Working Genius, is an assessment tool that helps people identify their God-given design. As people learn what makes them tick they can find their best placement on any team. A wise leader has people placed where they fit best and do what they love. 

Working Genius actually breaks down the process of any project into 6 categories. Lencioni says, "Every job is a 6 letter job." And then the premise of Working Genius is that each person has two letters that are their "genius", defined as something they love to do and do easily and without effort. Then there are two letters that are competences, you can do them,...

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Is Coaching Even Biblical? [Final]

We've been talking about coaching and the biblical model for growth. 

We started with how God wants to interact with people directly

Next we talked about adult learning, "Aha" moments and discipleship.

And finally, today, we will focus on how God made each of us differently. 

We are really big on this at Bridges, we even have an entire course on discovering your Destiny by Design!

1 Corinthians 12 is one place we see God sharing about our individual design.

There are different kinds of gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit.  There are different ways to serve but the same Lord to serve.  And there are different ways that God works through people but the same God. God works in all of us in everything we do. 

 

There are many more places in the Bible that talk about our individuality. Some of us are more evangelistic and some are more inclined to teach or to serve. Later in 1 Corinthians 12 people are compared...

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Is Coaching Even Biblical? [Part 1]

A pastor friend of mine recently told me that a mentor of his mentioned that he wasn't even sure coaching was biblical. I actually understand that question. 

Many people, pastors even, don't really know what coaching is.

And if I'm completely honest, I really wish there was a different word than coaching for that very reason. It gets confusing. Many people think coaching is telling others what to do in a kind, but direct, way. Coaching, as we align with at Bridges, is quite different.

(If you aren't sure how to define coaching please click here and maybe even here before reading on...)

Coaches help people learn to discern what God is prompting them to think and do. It's much easier to weigh in and tell people what you think they should do. Maybe you have been through a similar situation and you feel you should just spare them the difficulty and give them your solution. 

But what if...

What if God has a different plan for their journey? 

Of course, there...

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How NOT To Use Coaching As A Leader/Boss!

When coaching a client or a friend, it's important that the person being coached chooses the focus. They decide what goal they want to move forward toward and what their next steps will be.

Not so with business.

Well, not completely anyway.

Gone are the days when the "boss" tells people what to do and how to do it. No one wants to work there, but at times I have seen the pendulum swing completely the other way.

In some circles, there is a lack of clarity on how goals should be set and who should be setting them. Some leaders simply leave the work to the workers and "respect" what they choose to focus on. This is not coaching. Some would even call it distancing, or even neglect.

ENTER Patrick Lencioni and The Advantage. 

The concepts he promotes in this book are over-arching if you are a leader of anything really, maybe even just your own home or your own life. He proposes every leadership team take time to make a list of their core objectives. For a business that could...

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Ten Reasons Coaching Works Better Than Telling

People have stuff!

How you handle it makes all the difference!

Do you feel like you need to have answers for people?
Or maybe you actually do have answers but they don't seem to be listening.

Here are 10 reasons coaching works better than telling!

10) You don’t have to know everything for everyone.

Leaders who tell have to know what’s best for every situation and for each person to be effective. That’s a lot of stuff to know! (And what if you aren’t right?)

 

9) People love it when you focus on them.

Active listening is the highest form of loving someone. When the focus is on the other person there is a lot less pressure on the coach to solve issues. It is way easier to be curious, trust the Holy Spirit, and listen than to have to diagnose and prescribe.

 

8) Relationship trumps regimen every time.

God designed us to be in relationship with Him and others. When we reduce leadership to telling people what to do, we can easily “cookie...

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DON'T WORRY! God Always Offers a Plan [practical steps to reconnect]

I don't know about you, but I leak sometimes. 

I leak confidence. I leak hope. I lean into despair or worry... and it seems so legit, cuz the stuff is real and it hurts, or it is taking too long, or I don't know why "it" didn't turn out like I thought. 

What's wrong with me? I've seen God answer plenty of prayers. I've been the beneficiary of provision, healing, forgiveness, guidance, comfort and so much more, but when stuff comes up. I seem to forget all that.

When I was a child and first heard the stories of the Israelites being delivered from Egypt, going through the Red Sea on dry ground, and being provided for in so many miraculous ways but then crying out to God wondering where He was, and asking to go back to Egypt; I didn't get it. I thought they were short-sighted and ungrateful. 

Turns out they were just human.

Turns out I am too.

I guess the Apostle Paul was like that too. In Romans 7:15 he says, 

I do not understand the things I do. I do not do what...

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What (exactly) Is Coaching?

Coaching has become somewhat of a buzzword in ministry circles and in the business world. It's trendy to say you are "coaching" someone, or getting "coached". 

But what does "coaching" really mean?

First off let's be clear that no one owns any word and we all know words can mean more than one thing. In fact, we have all seen words grow to mean different things in our lifetimes. Over the last few years, our society has morphed the meaning of some of the following words:

Masked, Essential, Agenda, Woke, Lockdown, Triggered... 

Please stop for a moment and take a deep breath before we go on. 

No need to get wound up, I'm just trying to make a point that when someone thinks of "woke" they no longer simply think of when their alarm clock went off, or in many circles, the word "agenda" does not simply apply only to what you will be talking about in an upcoming meeting. 

It's similar, but not the same with the word "coaching".

Coaching always includes some sort of...

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Hey Guys! I did a thing!

Hi friends!

I did my first podcast

Meet Michelle Pavasars. Michelle and I met serendipitously as we sat next to each other at a wedding rehearsal dinner years ago. We got to talking, and to make a long story short, she has taken multiple coach training courses and now works for Bridges as the host of our Next Level Coach Training course.

Michelle is the Executive director of an organization called KINDLE that specifically targets, empowers, and serves second-chair leaders. We are so fortunate she loves coaching and does a little work for us on the side. She says keeping her fingers in the pie helps keep the coaching mindset active in her life and leadership.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on the podcast!

What would you think if we did a Coaching podcast? Is that something you would be interested in?

 

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