I was recently reviewing some pre-work from a new executive coaching client prior to our first meeting. One of the questions in the pre-work is “What are your expectations of me as a coach?”
His response: “Sounding bored.”
Now of course we all realize he meant “sounding board”–he’s looking for someone to bounce ideas off of, so to speak. But there’s something about the irony of a coach who sounds “bored” that made me chuckle.
This was good for me to read for two reasons:
- On those days when I’m meeting with coaching clients back-to-back-to-back-to-back that I don’t come off as bored! I need to make sure I’m fully there and engaged, which generally isn’t a problem–just a good reminder. That may be a good reminder for you as well as you go through another one-on-one with a team member today and you’re tempted to check e-mail or let your thoughts wander to pressing matters.
- Spelling matters, and spell checkers will only help so much! My client’s situation was a harmless play on words, but we all know of situations where inattentiveness to spelling led to more severe consequences.
Here’s to a day when you are a sounding board to your team, not just someone who is sounding bored!
