To Learn You Must Know

People look at their worlds through the perspective of what they know. It’s obvious, right? What I love to see is when they discover what they didn’t know and then want to dive into the deep end of it and learn everything they can. That’s the best part of being a Shadow Coach; watching awareness as it dawns.

It happens to me on a regular basis. When I’m teaching seasoned experienced coaches and look at paradigms, concepts, ways of being and touch on something that had never occurred to them before, all of a sudden the energy in the room is tangible; enthusiasm so intense you can almost ‘taste’ it. Now what if leadership brought that to an organization? Not only would staff want to dive in with both feet, but they know instinctively that through every day they’d learn something that would shift their developmental level exponentially. Now what would one have to do to make that happen?

The first thought that comes to mind is to dialogue and often. Not meetings that drain everyone in the room of any energy they might have arrived with at the start of the day but a true brainstorming dialogue to create and listen to ideas and experiences they never heard or thought of before and to explore the possibilities.

What if, instead of regular meetings, there were creative sessions once a week or bi-weekly that brought out the best of every individual around the table, no matter role or responsibility? What if we went way beyond that? I started reading the book Wikinomics which talks about harnessing the knowledge, perspectives and insights of people from all over the world, not just within the boardroom. Could you imagine how powerful that would be?

Possibilities are endless. But what steps would you have to take to make that happen and then do something with the outcome? Ahh now that’s a whole other conversation for another time. It’s call paying attention to what unfolds.

Best!
Donna Karlin

*A few notes: As I'm constantly asked by coaches, students and businesspreneaurs alike what I use for my graphics work, my postcards, logos etc, not to mention the technology I use in my work, I updated my Coach Tools of the Trade site with all my recommendations. Go to Coach Tools of the Trade to check it out.

Secondly, stay tuned for an upcoming invitation to connect with people from all over the world through 'Perspectives'. Let's see in real time just how powerful it could be to bring people together from all over the world.

Lastly, now and then through my blog I'll be recommending books, websites, new software I've come across that might just meet a need or two of my clients and readers. One such discovery deals with memory improvement. I can't tell you how many times in a day I'm asked if I know any way to improve memory retention, especially when it comes to names! Check out this software. Memory Improvement Techniques It'll go a long way in helping you retrieve that information that seems to have gone poof into the night or the quiet recesses of your mind.


A great book that really packs a punch is Wikinomics. You'll never look at brainstorming and sharing knowledge in the same way again! And for a blogger who has subscribers from 99 countries and territories it makes a world of sense and yet still leaves me with a sense that even more is possible.