A coachable couch potato?
IN KEEPING with the new age career management mantra of staying in tune with and gaining `mastery' over oneself to succeed in life, it has become more the norm than a fad to sign up for self-development classes, attend career and life management workshops etc. It's also common to see corporates including these workshops in their human resource training budgets.
In reality, although there's much earnestness and enthusiasm about the whole idea, trainers often observe that there's very little real value being derived by those participating in them. Participants are either too new to the whole idea and take home a `novelty' session or the sceptics simply reinforce their scepticism. The regulars participate for wont of anything better to do!
However, for people to truly benefit from these workshops, they must at that point of time feel a need for it. How many of us just sign up because it is an `in' thing to do or it will look good on our resume? Ask yourself the following if you are on the verge of signing up for any such workshop. You'll not only be saving yourself a lot of money but also a lot of time and energy, for both, you and the trainer!
Do you need it?
What makes you believe you need help to manage your career or life? List a few valid reasons, good enough to require some help. Identify areas where you think you need help or support, and how best the need can be met, is external help required?
Are you ready?
Are you ready to share information, even embarrassing shortcomings and foolish goof-ups, about yourself with the coach, mentor or trainer? Unless you are honest and share information about yourself and work with the trainer, your training attempt will not be successful. Disclosing information and details about yourself will ensure that you are ready for the ensuing change.
Are you willing?
Are you willing to put in the effort required to reap the benefits of the training process? It's important to be willing to devote the time, effort and dedication to really derive benefit from any training or self-development programme. Since these programmes often tend to be long drawn, show results gradually and require sustenance power, you need to be interested in it to go ahead. If your attempt is half-hearted, you'll soon discover that there will be times when you feel like abandoning the programme, not being cooperative, or inadvertently sabotaging it even. So make sure the programme motivates you.
Are you ready to connect?
Instead of going with a mindset into a training programme, be receptive and `sensitive' to the process. Self-enquiry is essential to truly assimilate and grow in the process. Be completely honest with your inner self. You need to constantly assess whether you are happy with the way things are shaping up. Ask or even question the trainer if you must when you are assailed by any self-doubts.
There might also be times when the workshops take a serious turn along the way and become highly interactive and questioning. It may also involve some degree of de-mystifying sessions, whereby your self-belief, esteem etc may be punctured more than once! Hence, you must also be ready to experiment and try new thoughts, ideas, concepts and methods.
Swear by it!
Unless you respect (not fear or be intimated) the person coaching you, you will not be able to value what you gain from the workshop. Equally important is to acknowledge the effort being put in by the trainer. This will ensure that not only you but the coach too participates in the workshop just as willingly and enthusiastically, thus providing greater inputs and more help, genuinely!
So, think and then take a hike with your trainer, to really enjoy it!
SAMYUKTA KODA
samyukta.hyd@cnkonline.com
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