Coachee Meeting 2

Meeting with Coach

            Kate and I discussed the various conversational roles I sought to explore during the week.  I shared that I am most comfortable as a mover and bystander, using the latter to facilitate the former. So during the week I tried out being a follower and an opposer.

            Kate helped me see that during my attempt at being an opposer, I had failed to properly charge the container. Going into the conversation I had assumed that the relationship I had with the person was enough charge to create a productive, or at least functional, charge, but I had been mistaken. Kate encouraged me to take more care in that regard, especially when opposing in field 2.

            We also discussed my interpretation of following. I have to admit, my take on it was neither what Olen or Kate laid out as a productive form of following. In class online, Olen mentioned that following is a way to open doors in conversation, and Kate shared how she uses following as a way to close out a topic in a conversation so the discussion can move forward. I had interpreted following as offering validation to others within the dialogue. I think now that there is room for all three interpretations, and an awareness of what is happening within individuals, as well as in between them, is key to knowing how to apply followership in a given moment. I’m very glad for both Olen’s and Kate’s contribution to my understanding because my view of it was quite limited.