Sometimes I struggle
to explain the unique relationship
between coach and client.
And then,
I stumbled upon this passage
between Maisie Dobbs, investigator and psychologist,
and her former nursing colleague, Elsbeth Masters,
in a 15-book fictional series set in post-WWI London
I am currently breezing my way through while
semi-sheltering in place…
“She wondered what had inspired
Masters to confront her,
why had she spoken her mind in such a candid fashion?
Maisie had felt discomfort, yes,
but something else had happened.
She felt…tightly held,
as if Elsbeth Masters’ honesty were
enveloping her in with caring
even as she challenged her actions”
It so perfectly describes the
heart-led coach’s dance of
challenge and champion
in service of the client’s growth.
There is an intimacy that is created
because of the love that is shared
when a coach believes in the client
perhaps even more than the client believes in herself.
In the novel, as in life, Maisie was left
pondering the exchange
long after the conversation had ended.
So true of coaching.
The deepest work often comes
after the coaching session has ended
with an inquiry the client takes away
to examine from the head and, more often, the heart.
