Why coaching?

You've heard me make a big deal out of coaching as a critical part of the Apprenticeship process. We've tried to clarify that coaching (as we are using the word) is different from mentoring. Mentoring is more about pouring into someone. Coaching is more about drawing out. Both are important but they are different.

This last week, Ron Longwell (Abilene, TX), who is part of Tim Pynes' cohort, experienced a coaching session with Tim. See below for Ron's evaluation of the experience.

John

I've been thinking a lot this week about my coaching conversation with Tim on Monday. I've been coached a bit before, and have done a bit myself, but Monday's discussion with Time really reaffirmed my appreciation for the value of coaching. I've known for some time that coaching had real value and perhaps held the most promise for helping people move forward in their spiritual life. The thing I really love about coaching is that done right, it's completely non-manipulative, because it starts with the presupposition that the person being coached knows more about their circumstances and how to address them than the coach does. Tim asked me some great questions on Monday that really helped me to see things from a different angle, which really helped. I feel like I've got a little more direction now regarding my own circumstances (because I'm more open to other possibilities than I was). I say all that to say that I'm really excited about having someone like Tim function as a sounding board for me for a few months here. The helpfulness of just this one conversation has been a godsend. Thanks, Tim!