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April 26, 2010

Identity as a Mediator

During the month of April, a time of spring and rebirth in nature, "Sustaining the Journey" will invite you to reground yourself in some of the fundamental tenets of Cognitive Coaching^SM. Through reflection, it is hoped you will reconnect to the roots of this work, be nurtured in your own growth, and commit to a renewed sense of purpose in your coaching work.

The goal of the Cognitive Coaching Foundation Seminar® is to develop one's identity and capacity as a mediator of thinking. Our identity is often held unconsciously, but drives our decisions and behaviors. A person who has an identity as a mediator is one who:

1. assesses present and increasingly resourceful States of Mind.
    
2. views coaching relationships as reciprocal.
    
3. shines a spotlight of awareness upon data in the environment and interacts to support self-directed learning.
    
4. is NOT the solver of another's problem.
    
5. extends invitations, not mandates.¹

Given these descriptors, what might you say about your identity with your family and significant others? What might you say about your identity in your workplace? What is some of the evidence of your identity as a mediator? What are conditions under which you choose a different identity? What might others say about the effects of your identity as a mediator?
 

¹Costa, Arthur, & Garmston, Robert. Cognitive Coaching Foundation Seminar®: Learning Guide, 2010.