5 Powerful Lessons Hidden in the art of Glass Craftsmanship

A few years ago, I was invited to speak at a conference in Bologna, Italy; a country that has a special place in my heart. From ages 19 to 21, I served a mission for my church in the southern part of Italy. I loved learning the language, eating the food, and meeting the wonderful people. At the conference, the sessions went well, but the moment that changed everything for me was meeting Pierpaolo Seguso (Paulo) from Venice. He and his brother invited me and my wife Heidi to join them for dinner in their home on the island of Murano just outside Venice. It is an evening I will never forget, one that continues to teach me life lessons today.

Their family business, Seguso Glass , started in 1397 (that date is not a typo). Seguso Glass has been in the same family for 23 generations. Think of that for a moment, their family were making glass before Columbus set foot in North America.

The craftsmanship I witnessed really struck me. For centuries they have honed the craft of making extraordinary works of art: honoring the past while always innovating for the future. Hand blown glass takes skill and patience. The biggest lesson for me: Dedication to your craft is the only way to become truly great at anything you endeavor to do. The concept of honing your craft over time with dedication, patience, and a vision for the future stayed with me as an author, speaker, and especially as an executive coach.

This week my dear friend and co-author Adrian Gostick and I were named to the Thinkers50 list of the top 50 executive coaches in the world. Being honored by the London-based ranking organization is a tremendous honor that excited us and humbled us. Coaching is a skill that we have worked hard to develop over the years, and to be recognized is truly a thrill.

Now, like any skill, it didn’t come easily. We needed a lot of mentoring along the way. Our dear friend @Marshall Goldsmith introduced us to the practice of coaching. Who better to teach us than the greatest executive coach of all time? He invited us into the 100 Coaches community where we could watch, study, and learn for the best in the business. In particular, Frank Wagner was a powerful mentor on the process and the craft of coaching; and Scott Osman , @Jacquelyn Lane, Bill Carrier and the team at the 100 Coaches Agency have been a tremendous support in our work and our growth as coaches.

What follow are five things that I learned watching craftspeople make beautiful hand-crafted glass that I believe can relate to coaching team members or executives to achieve great things:?

?? Have a clear vison of what you want to create. At the Seguso factory, designers created numerous sketches that showed in great detail what they would create before even thinking about blowing the glass. The preparation was inspiring and instructive. When we coach someone, pre-work is vital. We conduct 360 interviews with direct reports, peers, and bosses to ensure we know what we will work on together and what success looks like, and then work with the coachee to determine what behaviors they want to work on and the goals and timelines they’ll set for themselves.

?? Have a thirst for learning the craft. It was inspiring to watch how the master craftspeople study heat, color, and time to create these amazing works of glass art. I watched as master glass blowers taught their students the finer points of the craft. And even for the best of the best, there was always something more to learn. Likewise in coaching, Adrian and I are always reading and talking with other coaches to learn more and push ourselves. The book “The Coaching Habit” has had a big impact on how we coach, as have books such as “Becoming Coachable” and “What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.”

???? It’s about repetition and practice. In the glass factory, there were piles of broken glass from the projects that didn’t work. The craftsman pushed the envelope of creativity, as well as the strength and possibilities of the glass. As for us as coaches, we often mentor younger coaches and do lower fee and pro-bono coaching as a way of giving back as well as keeping our skills sharp. Every coaching engagement is a chance to learn and to have impact, and the more we do the better we get.

?? Surround yourselves with the best. The island of Murano is full of hundreds of the best glass blowers in the world. There is no better place to push yourself and be mentored. For us, the 100 Coaches community is composed of the best executive coaches and business thinkers in the world. Marshall Goldsmith and a small group of his peers basically invented the industry we know today, and we are blessed to be a part of the amazing gathering of talent he assembled.

???? Above all, have patience. Rome wasn’t built in a day and great craftspeople aren’t either. Patience is at the core of greatness. The best songwriters, athletes, artists, and businesspeople make lots of mistakes along the way, but the end is a result that can take your breath away. For us, not every coaching engagement has resulted in leaders changing their core behaviors for the better. We are pleased that most of the leaders we have worked with have improved their skills and leadership abilities, but we know it’s up to the leader to make the choice to change. What is important is that we keep working on our craft. I love the quote from Babe Ruth: “Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” So, if you are trying to mentor others and find it hard, please don’t give up. Keep swinging and you will make a difference in the life of those in your care.

I hope some of these thoughts help on your journey to coaching those around you. And if you are ever in Murano, treat yourself to a tour of Seguso Glass or one of the other glass blowers on the island. It is beautiful and inspiring.

If you have the time next week, please join me on a coaches panel hosted by coaching.com and Thinkers50 to explore the art of coaching and its impact on creating great leaders all over the world. Register here https://www.coaching.com/coaches50/

Thank you for reading and supporting our newsletter. I would love to hear how you are trying to become world class in your work.

With love + gratitude,

Want to empower your team to overcome workplace anxiety and perform at their best?

The Anxiety at Work - Resilience Training provides managers with practical insights and tools to cultivate a resilient workplace culture. Led by renowned New York Times bestselling authors and leadership experts Adrian Gostick , Chester Elton , and Anthony Gostick , this course empowers you to establish a supportive environment that enhances employee performance.

Includes:

?? 8 in-depth modules on managing uncertainty, overload, perfectionism, and more.

?? Interactive Q&A sessions and practical quizzes.

?? Downloadable resources to reinforce your learning.

?? Enroll now and get 50% off: https://lnkd.in/gczakdXb#

Recognized by Association of Corporate Executive Coaches? (ACEC) + SHRM (*also available for enterprise)The Culture Works is an official SHRM recertification provider powered by Credly by Pearson . Participants of the ‘Anxiety at Work’ course will earn 1.75 SHRM PDCs , contributing to their SHRM-CP or SHRM-SCP recertification requirements.

This course is officially recognized by the Society for Human Resource Management as a valuable educational offering.

The Gratitude Files??

Anxiety at Work podcast. Each week, my co-author and dear friend, Adrian Gostick , and I are grateful for the opportunity to talk to leading authorities on mental health and explore the causes of workplace stress and anxiety, along with practices that are proven to reduce tension & cultivate calm.

Listen in and remember to like, comment, subscribe, & share ??

Key Takeaways ??

• Acknowledge the humanity in others
• Understand your impact on others
• Redemption is possible

With us is Desmond Lomax , co-author of the bestselling book “Leadership and Self Deception .” Desmond is a clinical mental health therapist who worked 20 years in the field of law enforcement and corrections. He is a senior consultant at the Arbinger Institute and adjunct professor at the University of Utah. Speaking about prioritizing self-care, let's talk about Magic Mind . It's the world's first mental performance shot, a little bottle full of nutrients that's all natural and wonderful. https://magicmind.com/GOSTICKANDELTON40 and receive a discount with GOSTICKANDELTON40 GOSTICKANDELTON40 https://magicmind.com/GOSTICKANDELTON40 ?

??The Culture Works

Visit The Culture Works for free resources including videos, podcast episodes, and more to help you build an "all in"?culture?of?gratitude.

Leading with Gratitude , Anxiety at Work , The Best Team Wins , and All In are sold at fine bookstores everywhere.