Lately I’ve been thinking about the difference between a coaching relationship and a coaching moment. A coaching relationship is a formalized coaching arrangement with a beginning and ending and appointments and clear goals. A coaching moment is one of those opportunities that arise spontaneously in everyday life to listen well or ask a good question. Both are important, I think.
A friend recently gave me a great example of a coaching moment. At her community group, her fifth grade son was complaining about a new school policy of wearing uniforms. He said, “Choosing your own clothes is a way of expressing your personality.” Another adult in the group asked him, “What are some other ways you could express your personality?” He came up with three other ways on the spot.
What a great coaching question! What would it look like if we could ask each other questions like that at our jobs, in our families, at school, in our community groups? Imagine the supportive network of relationships that would be created through all of those coaching moments.