Beginner’s Mind – after 1,600 hours

In recent months, I have passed a key milestone. I have completed 1,600 coaching hours with clients since I began coaching back in the early 2000s. I have also worked with 279 clients in that time. Many coaches will be way ahead of me with the numbers, but that’s not the focus of this post. I am thinking about the arc of learning that comes from an extended practice like this.

Clearly, as well as the hours of coaching itself, there are many more hours again spent on personal development and in reflection. Malcolm Gladwell talked about Mastery in his book ‘Outliers’ – describing how The Beatles achieved 10,000 hours of practice to reach the level of mastery that we saw when they began recording. Overnight sensation is an overstated idea, often hiding substantial efforts to reach that break-through point. There’s some controversy about Gladwell’s use of this research, with the original authors claiming that it is being misused. Anders Ericsson emphasises the importance of ‘deliberate practice’ and the key role of the teacher. He states that it is possible to achieve mastery much sooner if we have a deliberate and focused approach to learning and skilful teachers.

Gladwell’s books are wonderful – I also really enjoyed ‘The Tipping Point’ – but sometimes it is important to look to the source research and see the wider point being made.

Looking again at my coaching practice, the learning arc, for me, takes us from the unconscious level of incompetence where we all begin (i.e. I don’t know what I don’t know) to the level of understanding how much we have to learn and then onward to the point where we are able to work with unconscious competence. Everything flows in this state of presence.

It is at this level of practice that we can bring ourselves back to beginner’s mind. We are able to trust the process of the conversation with the client, to listen deeply to their words and to our intuition as we guide them gently to the spaces that they need to go. We are not holding a model or a framework, not seeking an external solution from something that we may have read. We are sitting in presence, awake and aware, letting the coaching process unfold.

Those inner voices that question our approach, challenge us from a place of doubt, are quietened, leaving us free to practice from this level of innocence blended with experience. From here, we can do our best work – be of true service to the client and enable real shifts in their awareness.

It’s a beautiful thing to be able to experience this and a privilege to sit with clients in this space of flow.

I’m working up a new coaching programme called “The Wayfinder Programme” which is a four month commitment to work with me. It will give you the opportunity to step into the coaching space with me as we work intensively towards the goals that you set. Reach out if you would like to know more.