Near to Vim Executive Coaching there was a coffee shop that managed to shutter its doors despite having the neighborhood’s acknowledged best coffee, as “declared” by social media reviews. In fact, the owner of the shop was known for having extensive coffee knowledge, a liberal re-fill policy and even the in-house ceramic mugs were attractive. Nevertheless, the shop went under.
The “why” of it all had nothing to do with competition or location, rather the unbearable snobbery of the two baristas who exhibited marked disdain for most every customer who walked through the door. The condescension was palpable and extended to the French pastries with their precious names and the fresh squeezed Valencia orange juice. Unfortunately, the owner felt that the disdain was part of the Continental charm the shop believed it had cultivated among those-in-the know.
It was apparent (also from social media) that the shop went under because the customers didn’t like being mocked or made to feel lousy for simply wanting a decent cup of coffee with a splash of cream.
Hubris
Call it hubris, excessive pride or arrogance, but there seems to be no lack of it in the present day. Perhaps it comes from continuous cable news (with a steady stream of “experts”) or social media with incessant bickering or the need of individuals to always be right and in fact, who demand to be right. It gets tiring and excessive. Eventually, hubris will close the most highly-ranked coffee shops.
The same state of affairs, the state of haughtiness, has sadly entered the world of business coaching. Clients typically seek business coaching because they understand their skills are lacking in certain areas. They are not lacking as people, but as effective executives and leaders. We deeply respect that. We must admire anyone who wants to improve. It is the important first step on any path that leads to an enhancement of skills.
Coaching clients should never be trivialized, demeaned or made to feel as though they are an inconvenience to the coach. If you have been reading the VIM Executive Coaching blogs for a while or if you are new to our organization in this New Year, you understand our commitment to mindfulness and mindful executives.
Mindfulness coaching, as you might imagine, must operate in two directions. The client must learn to be aware enough to strive for authenticity and intention as they take the journey. That’s the “easy” part, in a sense.
However, it is up to the coach to be mindful enough and authentic enough, to fully want to be present for the client i.e., to not hide in judgment behind an uncompromising and ponderous book, agenda or rigid methodology. The executive coaching voyage is a shared experience. No one is more thrilled to experience the development of an executive than we are.
The teacher and the student
In our opinion, the very best executive leadership business coaching relationships that strive for greater mindfulness and authenticity must be a partnership. As business coaches we are happiest when we can share in the journey of mindfulness. To that end, we seek to learn as much about our valued clients as we want them to learn about us.
No two business coaching clients are ever the same. The expedition the client takes to greater mindfulness and authenticity is special. No two individuals, no matter how bright they may be are identical in how they embrace the lessons. We can only be successful as teachers providing, we can listen and learn. The teacher must learn from the student.
It should come as no surprise that cable news numbers are down, nor is it a surprise that social media has lost its luster. Many of us have grown tired of know-it-all experts who “clunk” people over the head that they are always right, and everyone else is wrong.
Mindfulness and authenticity must be a shared discovery. Only in mindfulness can the executive appreciate “the other” and be aware that everyone who strives for improvement are to be valued. Whether we are executives for a coffee chain or a software company, mindfulness will always be treasured, arrogance will eventually be dismissed no matter who brewed the product.
In this New Year, let us help one another through positivity and encouragement. These are not easy times, especially for executive leaders, but we have the potential to experience one another through a lens of person-to-person authenticity and being more mindful in all we do.