So, what’s going on in your life, Michael?

Michael Gerber is the author of ‘The E-Myth‘, one of my favorite business books.

In his newest book ‘Awakening the Entrepreneur Within‘ released this year he describes how a conversation with his mother started a whole new business project:

… So, in 2005, my mother asked me, “So, what’s going on in your life, Michael?”

“I’m feeling lost, Mom,” I said. “I’m sixty-nine years old and I’m feeling like I used to feel when I was a kid. I don’t know who I am anymore, or where I’m going. I feel disconnected from my company and disconnected from myself. I want to do something new but I don’t know what. I feel at a loss, disconnected from the past and the future, and not doing very well in the present, either. I don’t even know how to say it.”

My mother smiled, “Michael, if there’s one thing I know about you, you’re never at a loss for words! Tell me what you would tell me if you did know how to say it.” …

How his mother reacts to his statement is what I call great coaching. She gets not pulled in his story, tries to fix his problem, gives some solutions or advice. First she acknowledges him and than she asks him an open ended question so he can find his next action steps by exploring what is really going on. During their following dialog she completely trusts his genius to find out, what he needs to do.

That is sometimes the biggest challenge for a coach. Stay out of their story and be passionate with your clients. What always helps me is to look out for the genius in them. Often clients hide that very well. But I can wait until a glimpse of it shows up, often as a light in their eyes and than I follow it.

The 4th Commandment according to Sister Lucille

Since beginning of April one of the highlights of my week is the production of the online show Sister Lucille at http://www.mogulus.com/sisterlucille. It is such a pleasure to work with a great performer. This show is an example how you can give a message in an entertaining way. Because we are laughing about her, we open our heart and let the message in. ‘Entertrainment’ with a big infusion of humor.

The show of this week features ‘yours truly’, I learned that phrase a while ago, now I can use it. The German Cowboy talks about Contemplation, my favorite coaching tool, also called a transformer. Another inspiring story tells you how to handle stress. And like always in Sister Lucille’s show you get besides practical guidance your online blessing.

On her show page you find all her shows by clicking on ‘menu’. Then you click on ‘browse on-demand library’ to choose the show you want to see.

Enjoy!

GTD lite

Image by AWWS via Flickr

That is what I suggest, re-think Getting Things Done, take it lite.

In the online and technology community GTD, an approach to self management invented and named by David Allen is a huge trend. One of the biggest fans and evangelists is Merlin Mann. Read a part of his blog post Whining, White Smoke & the Mechanics of Getting Unstuck:

“… But, second, and perhaps more importantly, that whining should be telling you something. Whining is the white smoke in your tailpipe that lets you know you’re burning mental oil. It means you’re unconsciously devoting cycles to something that you can’t, won’t, or shouldn’t be spending time thinking about. Otherwise, why would it be bothering you, right? You’d be either extricated or done with it.

Once you pinpoint where that whine’s coming from, that’s the perfect opportunity to decide what the hell the hang-up is. Because if it’s worth whining and fussing about, it’s worth deciding what obstacle (obstruction?) in either the Real World or your own mind is keeping something from happening. …

Put automotively? Obsessively adding a new quart of oil every day not only doesn’t fix your smoke problem: it feeds it. Instead, just use the smoke as a warning that it’s nigh time to trace the cracks in your engine.”

My experience as coach: I never go with a client where the whine comes from, there is trouble and more whine. Never ask the question ‘why’. Then you get sucked in the story, drama, even your own one. The coaching tool is ‘follow the energy’.

If I research the cause of the whine I get in my head, start thinking. What I need is to go in action, just for the fun of it. Start playing.

What works for me always when I am in the whiny mode: I distract myself from it, getting out of the office, change the rhythm, the environment. I go where the energy is. Than I find my game again and start playing.

The issues I got stuck with, which are really important, they come back and than I deal with them fast and effective with energy.