As I mentioned last week, I am off to Ireland today to do some work for a client and I am slightly nervous about doing some face-to-face coaching. How strange! I’ve been coaching people for over 20 years and, up to now, haven’t really thought about any “What if’s”
“What if it doesn’t go well?” “What if they don’t like my style?”
By recognising my self-talk, this has made me look at my preparation and, rather than my usual relaxed style, I am planning a few things. I need something to ensure we get off to a good start and, something I normally do, in the moment, without thinking about it – have a plan for the day. I have emailed, both coachees, some questions to make sure they are thinking about maximising their day. What plans do they have? What do they want from me? What is their main objective for their day?
I have also asked if we can have some time, first thing, to establish how we are going to work together. Do they want me to be involved with the conversations or stand back and observe, or maybe a bit of both, depending on the task at hand. These, very busy people, have the potential to get straight into the fire fighting aspect of their jobs and I want to make sure we have a chance to chat and agree some basic rules of engagement.
I am looking forward to getting ‘out there’ and really want to have a positive impact. I have been running things through my head to make sure I am prepared and, I know, that as soon as we start, the autopilot will kick in. It’s just like most things in life, when you do something for a number of years and develop a skill you can get, possibly, too comfortable and I think I was like that before we’ve had our ‘forced rest’.
A few nerves are good and will help me focus, exactly the same as a musician walking onto the stage or a footballer stepping up to take a penalty, nerves can be helpful to focus the mind, as long as they are controlled.
To make sure I am in the right head space I have organised an early flight and drive for a client meeting, followed by another drive to a hotel. I will be close to the venue, for the first session tomorrow, so I will have more time to think about things overnight. This is how I normally prepare for work. It doesn’t matter if I am delivering a session that is close by, I always like to go the night before so I can get out of ‘Dad or husband mode’ and get into ‘work mode’. Since lock down it has sometimes been difficult to recognise where one persona starts and another finishes, it’s been very blurry!
By writing this MM, I realise that my relaxed delivery style is only possible because of my preparation and the processes I follow each time. I am fairly organised and follow my routines each time to get myself ‘in the zone’ for the task ahead. I was the same when I played football, I had a routine to get ready and they were the things that I could control. For example getting to the venue in good time, warming up in a specific way, even getting dressed in a regular order, it all helped get my head together.
How do you ‘get ready’ for action? What things help you control your nerves to enable you to focus and be at your best?
It’s worth thinking about your winning formulae, just in case the nerves kick in!