The other day, I was reading an article about whether it was more important to spend ‘quality’ or ‘quantity’ time with children. Reading the article made me think about the way we spend time with the people we are coaching and the people we are leading. A wise supervisor once said to me, “What we spend our time on is what we value”, and I believe that this is correct. In my coaching practice, I meet with each person I’m coaching on a daily basis. That way they can ‘borrow’ my courage as they gain confidence doing things in a new way. However, ‘quantity time’ isn’t enough: the time we spend with the people we are coaching ALSO needs to be ‘quality’ time. Time in which we give them our undivided attention (no cell phone interruptions!), ‘challenge and nurture’ their learning by pushing them into the uncomfortable learning zone and staying there with them, and helping them develop their creativity by encouraging them to have fresh, new ideas. As human beings, we often think in terms of ‘either/or’ when we should be thinking in terms of ‘and’. So, think about the ‘time’ you spend coaching and/or leading, and ask yourself, “Is it both the ‘quality’ AND ‘quantity time’ each person needs from me?”
