I was blown away by this comment of his and realized that regardless of our current state of proficiency, there will always be someone better than us.
I wrapped up a strategy call with my speaking coach today. You might ask why someone who is a member of the National Speakers Association and has performed over 2,500 live speaking events would need a speaking coach. Shouldn’t I have figured out what I’m supposed to be doing by now?
As I was thinking about the exchange of information following my coaching call, I was struck by an important revelation: My coach could see the “big picture” that I could not as she did not have any of the automated thinking that was instilled into me by my constant involvement in activities. She was able to look at a situation with fresh eyes and then, tapping into her years of experience, offer insight and guidance that would allow me to distill thoughts and strategies into productive actions.
Another revelation came when she revealed an insight she had received from her coach. That took me by surprise. My coach, my guru, my know-it-all genius had a coach? You bet. She recognized that the same biases that I had about my business occurred in her business; she practiced what she preached. My guess is that her coach has a coach and so forth. (Makes you wonder if there’s a top coach.)
I talk a lot about the power of mentors and while I don’t usually refer to coaches and mentors interchangeably, there is a significant correlation between the value and insight they provide. Regardless of where you are in your personal life or business career, you can be a coach or mentor to someone else, and at the same time, you should have a coach or mentor assisting you with your life. You might find either a student or mentor in the most unlikely of places.
I will never forget a comment my good friend Ken Webb made one time. Ken is an amazing guitar player who has overcome all sorts of physical limitations and still plays the guitar at a level that I cannot possibly imagine. We were talking about guitar playing one day when he narrated:
“I was out in San Francisco and was walking around downtown when I stumbled across a man who, by all external appearances, was very down on his luck. He was sitting in front of a storefront, playing an old beat up guitar. I stopped to listen and watch him play, and the only thought I had the whole time was: ‘I wish I could play as well as that guy.’”
I was blown away by this comment of his and realized that regardless of our current state of proficiency, there will always be someone better than us. At the same time, if we are lucky, we can find someone who is willing to share, to mentor, and to coach us in increasing our skill.
Find a coach, be a coach, and lead your students to achieve all that their God-given talents allow.
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