Problem Not the Problem: Relational Coach

What is it like to feel responsible for so much? At Level 2, the Relational Coach moves from what the coachee is doing to what she is experiencing. As the conversation unfolds, thetime-management problem begins to connect with something more personal: “I hate disappointing people,” and “I don’t want people to think I don’t care.” Michelle explores how relational safety allows a coachee to admit what she already knows about herself, and howequating availability with caring can quietly fill a calendar. She also names a developmental edge for Relational Coaches: some patterns look noble. Overworking can look committed, overfunctioning can look caring, and people pleasing can look generous. A person can genuinely care and still be paying acost for how they show it, and the coach’s job is to hold both without judgment or glorification. Have a question or a coaching moment you’d like Michelle to explore on the podcast? Email [email protected]. Want to build relationships where people feel safe telling you the truth? Join the Coaching Academy now and receive weekly resources between today and our January start. VisitCA.GrowBy1.com. Reflection Questions How often do I ask what a problem is like for someone, not only what they are doing about it? When have I admired a pattern in someone, like overworking or overgiving, that was also costing them? How could I hold both a person’s genuine care and the cost of how they express it, without judgment or glorification? Where in my own life might I equate availability with caring? What helps a coachee feel safe enough to say, “I know I do this, and I don’t know how to stop”?