Co-Active: Balance

Balance is course 2/4 for me this year (I’m hoping to get through the training this year, and then potentially do certification next year). Previous I took Fundamentals (coaching 101), and Fulfillment.

Similar to Fulfillment, I opted for the 5 half days (0900-1330), which is exhausting enough – I can’t imagine doing any longer each day on Zoom. As it goes through the weekend, I took a day after to relax and decompress. Giving these trainings space is a big part of enjoying them for me, as well as getting the most out of them. Whilst I was a bit sad my previous classmates have left me behind (the majority of people work through the courses much faster), I know this is the best way for me to do this, especially on top of a job I have no intention of quitting. Approaching this learning as an investment in my own growth (versus a box to check), and coaching as a very enjoyable side project has only become more important to me the further I go with this.

Balance is about getting unstuck. It’s more in the tactics of helping someone live their best life, versus fulfillment, which is about helping people determine their values and purpose. It’s more concrete, and as such it felt more immediately applicable. I’m excited to try it with more people (versus Fulfillment, which is still vaguely terrifying to me).

What I got out of it

• It helped me get unstuck. I got front-of-the-room coached (client in a demo with one of the instructors) on the first day, and it helped shift my perspective on writing. Still more work to do, but I do feel like I’m heading towards the other side of this miserable writer’s block.
• I saw more concretely what co-active coaching can bring to engineering leadership coaching, which is helpful in making me feel more integrated in my approach.
• It was fun! Balance is all about getting out of your head and escaping the current perspective. Much more fun and joyous than fulfillment coaching (more deep and meaningful).

What’s Next?

• My next course (Process) is not until October, so I have a break for a bit.
• I’m continuing to practice and maintain contact with my classmates, which is nice. I much prefer taking this online, but I do miss the opportunities to meaningfully connect with other people also on this journey.
• I continue to work with engineers to develop, mainly with BestPracticer. I am really enjoying it – I worried I would struggle to find the time or energy, but actually I find it so energizing it’s easy to make it work.