What a coach can learn from a cycle trip…

I love cycling and in the summer of 2020 my husband and I cycled from Frankfurt to Spain. Here is what we learned (which is applicable to coaching as well):

No plan survives first contact with reality

Yeah. I like planning trips. It’s an activity that makes me happy. AND: it is as useless as you can imagine. We thought we’d easily do 90-100 km a day (and we did for the first days) but then the 38 C heatwave (canicule in French) hit and we could only cycle from 7 to about 13:00. After that: not fun.

So we swallowed our egos and looked at what we actually set out to achieve: have fun and relax. Out went the route planning, in went the “what are we up to today” mode (including cancellation of expensive campsites… some learning costs dear).

So what is in it for coaches?

You may have a plan for a session and “oh no!” the client shows up in a very different space. Let go of your ego, concentrate on the objective (partner with the client to achieve growth) and start with the “what are we up to today” mode.

Goals are great until they aren’t

We soooo wanted to get to Spain. Get to. Somewhere. And it did two things:

• we stretched ourselves further than we thought we could (108 km a day with heavy bikes) — you grow with your objectives
• it robbed us of the enjoyment of the moment (no pausing in lovely places….)

What’s in it for coaches?

If you have an objective (for example asking only one question at a time or sticking with the client’s exact words) it’ll really help you grow…. UNLESS… it get’s in the way of you being present to your client and to “dancing in the moment”. We usually don’t do multitasking well…

Wishing you lovely experiences in your leisure activities as well! What are you learning from life?

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