Often the people I am coaching are uncomfortable. I can see it in their faces, and I can hear it in their voices. Sometimes they even tell me they’re uncomfortable. And when I see, or hear, that they’re uncomfortable, I always tell them that it’s alright to feel that way. It’s normal and natural because they’re doing things in new ways that they aren’t confident in yet. Although we have a tendency to think that we ‘know’ things from going to training, or learning them in theory, true confidence only comes from doing. Take any skill or task that you are now comfortable and confident with, like driving a car. Think back to the first few times you did it. Even if you’d read all the manuals, passed the written test and been to Driver’s Ed, being confident in driving probably didn’t come until you had months or years of actual driving experience. So, if you, or someone you’re coaching is feeling uncomfortable about working in a new way, the best prescription is more practice, because doing is the only way to gain the confidence to make us comfortable.
