Even surgeons require coaching

A few weeks back I gave and received 1-1 master class coaching. Today, I am using that coaching I received to quicken the results my clients achieve in how they present themselves and communicate their ideas. In this terrific 16 minute TED talk – that I have my clients watch before I work one on one with them – luminary doctor, writer and researcher Atul Gawande shares how a coaching helped him become a better surgeon, and also how coaching improved health care in Utter Pradesh, the largest state in India. Here is a vignette about the value Gawande received by having another doctor watch him in surgery, and give him feedback, afterward. It was a whole other level of awareness. And I had to think, you know, there was something fundamentally profound about this. He was describing what great coaches do, and what they do is

they (coaches) are your external eyes and ears, providing a more accurate picture of your reality.

They’re recognizing the fundamentals. They’re breaking your actions down and then helping you build them back up again. After two months of coaching, I felt myself getting better again. And after a year, I saw my complications drop down even further.  It was painful. I didn’t like being observed, and at times I didn’t want to have to work on things. I also felt there were periods where I would get worse before I got better. But it made me realize that the coaches were onto something profoundly important. …important to instill positive habits of thinking, and to break our actions down and then help us build them back up again. “It’s not how good you are now; it’s how good you’re going to be that really matters,”  Here is the LINK for the CLIP

Own the Conversation

Implementation idea:
  • In the next seven days just identify a person you believe whom could help you improve in your field of endeavour.
  • In the next 30 days make a commitment to contact the person to arrange a discussion about 1:1 coaching/observation.

KEYS to BRINGing out the BEST in YOURSELF and others

“Bottom line: Applying soon, certain and positive consequences is the most efficient way to improve behaviour and attitude at the same time.

Of course, every reader of this article knows this and also knows the term positive reinforcer should only be used if the positive consequence increases the frequency of the target behaviour.

But even when positive consequences do not result in an observable change in behaviour, they are still useful.

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LEARN from D. Pink’s ENERGY, CERTAINTY & dry HUMOUR

Dan Pink’s delivery and content in his 2009 TED talk The puzzle of motivation (please see link and clip below) is a good one to learn from – to help make your presentations influential.

Below is my analysis of Pink’s delivery at certain points in the talk.

Overall Pink has a light, playful delivery throughout the talk. This often, is how the best leaders present themselves to the world. He is a great example of perceived, genuine enthusiasm sells. He has a measured, variable speaking cadence combined with voice energy. He ‘owns’ the stage and the physical space in front of his body with definite and expansive gestures, that are linked to his messages.

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OWNING space – DON’T ‘GLUE’ your UPPER arms

Do you give yourself license to gesture and use the physical space to the side, and in front of your body?

‘Owning’ and occupying the physical space with measured gestures signals seniority. Minimising the physical space you own and occupy signals the behaviour of a junior.

In her TED talk (the link is below) Alison Ledgerwood, a luminary in her field of social psychology, shares a good trick to improve positive thinking.

However, Ledgerwood’s ‘glued’ upper arms to her torso for most of her talk – undermine her luminary status.

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