As the seasons change seize the momentum of autumn
Coaching others isn’t always a full time occupation. Many people combine coaching with other jobs and passions, enabling them to bring a variety of perspectives and skills from other disciplines. Such is the case with our new blogger Andrew Morris, the Coaching Gardener, who combines a successful career as a coach with his alter ego as a gardener and garden designer. Read on to discover how coaching and gardening aren’t as different as you might think…
Summer 2015. I guess that’s a wrap. Back to work. Heads down, time for serious business.
As a gardener I love all the seasons and yet there is something quite special about autumn. I know I have a lot to do. Autumn represents hard graft for me, time to tidy up and get organised. It’s not a season for the fair weather person. As the elements bite down I know the energy I invest now will only produce visual results two seasons down the line, so it’s time to hold the faith. I have a window of opportunity here that can’t be missed. I review what worked this year, and what didn’t, then make plans for the year ahead. Short term goals are replaced with a long term aims for spring.
As I consider the work needed to create great gardens next year, I’m tuning into a similar theme elsewhere: friends declare a health kick drive before Christmas, the Stoptober campaign, whilst my coachees want to focus on half yearly reviews and a forward push in their development. This strategic time for gardeners becomes a natural stage of transition for business too.
In organisations it’s time for the smart manager to check in with their team members. There’s no point setting annual objectives if they remain hidden and un-discussed until review time in 2016. Act now and ask what progress have you made and what adjustments would accelerate growth later? If you work alone it’s too easy to push on without pausing for reflection. We’re all so busy and it’s hard to lift our heads and think long term. So sit back and consider, what’s next? If you have someone to do this with, like a mentor or another freelancer, then even better.
So grab the momentum of autumn and use it as time to review and reflect, to enable meaningful shifts in direction from which you will reap rewards next year. Coaching team members to step up and take more responsibility for the results they generate produces rewards down the line. The time you invest now seeds the foundation for performance growth next year. And who wouldn’t want that?
As a gardener, if I want great results next year and beyond I can’t afford not to, so it’s time to take stock, decide what works, what doesn’t and what ultimately must be. As a manager it’s the perfect season to do a thorough review with our teams, and get back to work. Take a moment, pause, review and reflect – what results do you want to blossom by spring? And what adjustments does that take right now?