{"id":220,"date":"2007-01-18T13:30:11","date_gmt":"2007-01-18T13:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php\/2007\/01\/18\/structure_and_m\/"},"modified":"2007-01-18T13:30:11","modified_gmt":"2007-01-18T13:30:11","slug":"structure_and_m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/?p=220","title":{"rendered":"Structure and Methodology"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’ve just been reading about structure in coaching\/mentoring relationships.<\/p>\n

The comment that jumped out at me was:<\/p>\n

You know, I think [structure]’s a bit of a security blanket for me
\nbecause I am a person who likes a bit of structure. And for those people who
\ndo like a bit of structure it means that we start with something. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The quote is from Julian Lippi<\/a>‘s PhD thesis (p149 if you want to look it up). <\/p>\n

It made me think about my own attitude to structure. I always feel a bit tentative
\nabout admitting this publicly, but I have never liked structure very much.<\/p>\n

My absolute best work has always been done when there was no structure. When
\nI ad lib.<\/em> To put this into context, it (good work) doesn’t happen
\nwithout preparation. In fact it requires intense preparation. Two kinds
\nof preparation. The first kind of preparation is around content. What do I
\nknow that might be useful in the situation I am going into – whether that be
\na coaching\/mentoring role, a consulting role or any other activity that anticipates
\nsome sort of an outcome.<\/p>\n

This type of preparation is absolutely necessary for good work to occur but
\nit isn’t sufficient. The second type of preparation is of myself. I have to
\nknow how I am feeling. I have to know that I am fully available for my client.
\nI have to be present<\/em> for my client.<\/p>\n

This preparation is awful. During this phase, I go through all sorts of self
\ndoubt. I ask myself why I do this. I feel a fraud. I feel I have nothing to
\noffer. My mind goes blank. I consider calling in sick – or making some excuse
\nthat I have been unavoidably delayed and can’t make the meeting. If I am already
\nthere, I think about fainting or suddenly developing appendicitis.<\/p>\n

When all this happens and I feel absolutely awful when I start, my client
\nalmost invariably tells me that my work was brilliant (or at least very good.)<\/p>\n

This has been a consistent problem throughout my professional career. I look
\nat other people and see their fantastic methodologies and wish I had a methodology
\nas good as theirs. I wish I had great diagrams and a process. I look at other
\nmethodologies and try to adapt them to be my own. This is always a mistake.
\nWhen I offer to work with my clients, I offer me — not a poor imitation of
\nsomeone else.<\/p>\n

But I have developed a methodology — or rather I have developed a description
\nof what I do. Finally, I have something that fits me. It looks like there are
\ndistinct stages of the coaching\/mentoring process\/session which in one way
\nthere is. In overall my clients start by Perceiving (their current situation),
\nConnecting (with themselves and their enduring purpose) and then Acting (or
\nplanning action, or preparing for action). While this is the theoretical form
\nof the process they can, like in a Beethoven sonata, happen in any order.<\/p>\n

Unlike Zoe, in Julian’s story, I don’t limit myself to particular interventions
\nin particular phases of the session. Anything can happen at any time. However,
\nlike a Beethoven sonata, you can recognise a recurring theme, you can also
\nrecognise a beginning, a middle and an end — although sometimes the end is
\nto a movement rather than the sonata itself. <\/p>\n

Like the process itself though, I come in and out of my comfort with it. I
\nhave doubts. I have a moment’s yearning for something more defined.<\/p>\n

For better or worse though, I am who I am and bring who I am to my work. <\/p>\n

  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve just been reading about structure in coaching\/mentoring relationships. The comment that jumped out at me was: You know, I think [structure]’s a bit of a security blanket for me because I am a person who likes a bit of structure. And for those people who do like a bit of structure it means that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mentor-and-coach"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/220\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chriscurnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}