It was a very insightful MMC call with Marilyn Ohearne MCC mentoring her client Liz as we listened to Liz’s wonderful coaching session.
Marilyn is a known expert in cultural competence and all forms of bias.
I don’t know whether we can call what I experienced when hearing the coaching session a bias per se but it was most definitely a belief that created a huge blindspot for me.
In a nutshell:
The coached asked if there was anything the client needed before they began the session.
The client said a meditation.
The coach asked would there be a goal or intention?
The client said yes to help her get centered.
Then the coach asked would you like to lead the meditation or would you like for me to?
As silly or dramatic as it may sound, that question rocked my world!
Of course, it’s about what the client wants and needs and we want to inquire to find out. And of course we don’t want to make assumptions, etc. That’s coaching 101, right?
And… it would never have occurred to me to ask if the client wanted to lead the meditation!
I’ve meditated for over 30 years; I’ve lead meditations and been led into meditation. And for whatever reason, it was not in my consciousness that this was even an option. Who, when asking for a meditation to center themselves, would want to lead the meditation themselves?
I’m pretty diligent about working with my limiting beliefs but I had no idea this belief was there and when revealed I was completely thrown for a loop. I don’t know that I would have ever been aware of it had I not heard this coaching session.
This was a tremendous gift for which I am really grateful. It has inspired me to be even more conscious, more aware.
It was a profound experience of how a belief can completely erase awareness and any possibility for choice. What an invaluable lesson, never to be forgotten!
If you'd like to read more about Marilyn's call and what other coaches had to say about it, please go to the past calls page and look under the "mentoring sessions" tab.
