On Knitting and Coaching
I love to coach, and I love to knit. What do they have in common?
Let’s start with knitting. Knitting a new item is an exercise in transformation. You start with a purpose and vision for the completed project. Will it be a cozy sweater for a cold winter day or a light shawl for a breezy summer evening? Something for myself or perhaps a quick baby gift blanket or a hat for a friends’ special birthday?
When beginning a coaching relationship, it is generally best to step back and ponder—what is the client’s vision and life purpose, what are their values? Where do they want to be in one, five and twenty years?
On to the pattern—the roadmap for the project. Literally millions to choose from on ravelry.com with lots of good advice from the knitting community.
In coaching, we develop 2-3 focused development areas to get closer to our life purpose. These areas become the roadmap for the coaching.
Then you move on to the yarn . . . so many options . . . wool, cotton, bamboo, cashmere, acrylic or my favorite, silk? Light lace weight or heavy worsted? Primary or neon color or maybe variegated? Made in the USA, Europe, China or Japan?
The same is true for all of us. Through coaching we shine a light on the client’s strengths and begin to discuss growth opportunities. Which strengths do we want to build on? Which talents will enable us to move closer to the life purpose we reach for?
With the planning and shopping done, I move into action. The knitting. Usually, it is calm and therapeutic. It has made long plane trips feel short and stressful times feel calm. But it also has downs—times when I have to rip out (or frog as we knitters call it) large portions of work because I did a wrong stitch or just don’t like it. Other times, I measure and measure, but the end product still does not fit right.
This is the heart of a coaching partnership—regular coaching sessions where we discuss the ups and downs of our life, our work, our relationships, our goals and dreams and the progress we are making or not making yet. How can the client enhance their effectiveness, performance and impact as a leader without compromising what is meaningful to them personally?
Knitting a sweater, and knitting a life, are seldom easy or automatic. To the contrary, knitting something of beauty takes intentionality, planning, patience, resilience, and the ability to start again. But on the other end of a knitting project, and on the other end of coaching, is the best version of the sweater we wear—and the best version of the life we want to live.
