Float like a seagull and s l o w d o w n

One of the most important things I’ve learned over the last year is to slow down. 

Slow down!

S l o w  d o w n

S  l  o  w    d  o  w  n… 

Killing curiosity by hopping my foot

To tell you this story, I have to take you back to the very first session of my coaching training. We were supposed to start the training at 10h – which I thought was already quite late – I arrived at the location at 8h, just to do some working before. And so, when we started at 10h by some introductions and expectations that lasted way too long from my perspective, my foot started hopping (you know, when you’re sitting with your legs crossed and you make one foot hop up and down?) in frustration and annoyance. 

Of course the coach had noticed and asked me what was bothering me… (“oh hell, she can see right through me!”) So I had to explain that I wanted to move on, start learning, go fast, bring it on, I’m ready! But I was not… with my attitude of impatience, I was killing my curiosity. Instead, I could have wondered: why is the introduction so slow? What would be the real purpose? What does it bring for me to slow down? What is the impact of this introduction on the other people in the room? 

Our coach explained that we were going to take it even much slower and asked ‘where are you today and where do you want to be at the end of this training?’ – ‘Well, beats me, I actually don’t know.’

If you don’t know where you want to go, then it doesn’t matter which path you take.

– Alice in Wonderland 

Reflecting on what the future should look like

So, on that day (and on many more occasions after that first ‘shock’), I learned that if you like to make changes in your life, then you have to reflect on what it is exàctly that you would like to change and what you want your new future to look like. That’s why you have to slow down and take the necessary time to make these investigations. When you get new insights and the future starts to look much clearer, you can achieve so much more!

It’s just like seagulls and swallows who glide in the air, without flapping. They are airborne, but they don’t fly, they don’t move. They take the necessary time to glide and float. They don’t waste energy when it’s not necessary and they have the best view on where they would want to go when hanging there. 

Picture credit: Marcel Rouffa

Great managers slow down and reflect

The truth to be told: for managers this is even more valuable and in many different aspects of being a manager. When managers take time to slow down and stand still, they can reflect upon the following questions: 

• What do I REALLY want to achieve with my team, department, project, …?
• What do I want to get out of it for MYSELF?
• What do I want to get out of it for my COMPANY?
• What do I want to achieve for the PEOPLE in my team?
• How do I want to FEEL about what I’m doing?
• What is the GAP between where I am today and where I would like to be? 
• What is HOLDING ME BACK to close this gap? 

Imagine that you, as a manager or leader, would have a clear answer to all of these questions. Wouldn’t you feel empowered? Wouldn’t you feel satisfied with what you are doing every day? Wouldn’t you be able to motivate your team tremendously? Wouldn’t you just be a hell of an achiever? 

What do you need to slow down? 

I belief in the power of slowing down and taking time for reflection! If you see all of these benefits, what’s preventing you to start slowing down and reflecting today? 

Trust the wait. Embrace the uncertainty. Enjoy the beauty of becoming. When nothing is certain, anything is possible. 

-- Mandy Hale

If you would like some help in slowing down and reflecting yourself, please reach out to Mpower Coaching & Consulting!

Just Shine! That’s my motto at Mpower. I believe that your company, your project, your team and yourself have all the intrinsic potential to be awesome and shine. At Mpower, I will provide you with all support and tools to bring out the awesomeness that’s already there. 

The origin of the series

When I started working as a freelancer in September 2018, I knew immediately that I wanted to do some things differently. I didn’t only want to have an impact on organisations, but also on individual people. And people were coming to me for advice anyway, so I decided I wanted to be a coach. 

It was only a small step – I thought – to work also as a coach. But with a background as a civil engineer, I did think that I needed some proper education, so that’s how I started on my rollercoaster journey of becoming an officially certified coach. 

Over the coming weeks, I would like to share with you my biggest learnings from this experience. I have collaborated with a great artist, Marcel Rouffa, who has made very nice drawings to reflect my learnings. 

Enjoy the journey, the drawings and the reading!