Optical illusions are great fun. You can look at the classic picture and see in the same sketch the old woman and the young woman's face depending on how you choose to view it. A fun house at the fair will use many optical illusions to change your shape in a mirror or make you feel off balance in a room that is constructed normally but feels like it tilts.
In the 90s, computer generated art allowed for the creation of hidden image stereograms. By changing your focus -- you could suddenly see a second image inside the picture. People would stand around in malls staring at these displays and then suddenly shout - I'm in! Both images are there and yet we often only see one. It's all great fun.
What is not fun is to be an executive who is looking at a project, problem or opportunity but can not see the "other perspective" that might give them ability to see the solution. The executive coach can help the executive see things in a different way. This does not mean that the executive coach is involved in the details of projects - but the positive effect of a great executive coach is to allow the executive to have perspective.
The tensions and frustrations that are part of executive life can cloud and blur our perceptions of people and decisions. The coaching process encourages the executive to have a pause to free them to see everything that is there. Then the executive can make judgments and decisions that are their best work because they are not made without seeing clearly.
In the coaching process, the executive coach works with the executive to be able to step back from the immediate and the urgent that is part of the everyday crunch. Instead, the executive is able to begin to become centered. This allows the executive to move from the crisis mode of just getting through the quarter or the month-end or even just today to the big picture.
We believe that the big picture is always in the best interests of the executive and their work. Many decisions that are made in the heat of the moment have devastating unforeseen consequences that might have been identified with a coaching pause. The pressures for instant results and short-term solutions will often rob the executive and the company or organization of their best choices. The process of coaching provides that perspective that ensures that the executive is seeing all the parts of the picture that can be known.
This gives the executive an added sense of confidence and clarity as they make the decisions that need to be made.
To learn more about this author, visit Grant Fairley's Website.
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