What You Don’t Know

This is a guest post from Micheline Daoust, a French Canadian Leadership Coach.

When people hire me to take them to the next level in their career, the first question is almost always the same: What should I tackle first? In other words, which change, in my behaviors or habits, will have the biggest impact on my results. And me, like a real psychic, I always manage to tell them exactly where they should start.

The reason why I can achieve this, is simply because I usually begin the process by asking the most important people (the employees and/or the co-workers) to give me some feedback on my client. Since the answers are sent directly to me (an external person), and that my client will never know who said what, I get really honest and constructive answers to my questions.

I really love that saying: We don’t know what we don’t know. When I submit the summary of the results to my clients, they always learn a lot about themselves and we can rapidly establish a precise Plan of actions.

For those who are uncomfortable with that idea, here is a story that I like to relate:

Once upon a time, after a Christmas Party and a few drinks, two co-workers started to have a conversation about serious stuff. After many reflexions on Life’s big issues, one of them told the other: There is something I need to say to you. Even if I love working with you, you have this terrible habit of not listening when we talk to you.

I’m telling you this true story because the person that received that feedback keeps saying that, even though it wasn’t easy to hear at first, it was the best gift ever. Since then, having improved his listening skill, that person is experiencing better Personal and Professional relationships.

If you really think of feedback as a precious tool for your personal development, you will crave it.

I really love this quote from Philip McKernan: “By facing the very thing that scares the shit out of us is where the magic lies”.

Are you ready to know what you don’t know? Contact me, I’m a psychic!

As always, please leave me your comments below. Would you be afraid of that kind of feedback?

– See more at: I Coach Managers

Thanks

Gordon Tredgold

Leadership Principles