I use the practice of making photographs to sharpen the presence, listening, and questioning required to coach…
You may have noticed a number of LinkedIn members posting their International Coaching Federation (ICF) digital badges with an invitation to “view my verified achievement.” Upon clicking on the badge, you will find independent verification that these individuals belong to ICF, a recognized organization among others seeking to govern its professional members through established standards. You will also find that these individuals have enrolled in or completed basic coaching training, and a commitment to abide by the ICF Code of Ethics. Is that enough in selecting a coach to work with?
The future of education rests with the experts in the classroom, not in the bureaucracy. School Districts would be served by repurposing administrators as “Chiefs of Questioning and Listening,” “Innovation Provocateurs,” or simply as “Illuminators,” all shining light on the bright ideas shadowed by today’s suffocating organizational structure.
...For simplicity sake, lets take a typical morning commute. Drivers are weaving in and out, seeking to gain a car length lead. Cutting you off, making you spill your latte on your favorite suit, and having the last parking spot taken as you come around the corner. Then there are the “dirty” looks and “creative” hand gestures that are shot directly at you with pinpoint accuracy...
...One of the most important differences is the “eye,” the awareness, the presence, the visualization of the possibilities brought by the person behind the camera. “Picture” you behind that camera but in a different state. You can now realize the totality of the soon to be captured “picture,” and leverage that awareness to perform at a higher level in order to produce a photograph...
