Working Genius and Coaching [Galvanizing]
Letter 4 in our Working Genius journey is G.
In case you missed the first three they were W - Wonder, I - Invention, D - Discernment, and now we have G for Galvanizing.
Patrick Lencioni defines it as, "The natural gift of rallying, inspiring and organizing others to take action." Honestly, without good galvanizing, a project will most likely tank.
Galvanizing is one of my frustrations. I really stink at it actually. It feels "un-coachy" like I would be telling people what to do.
It's not like that at all though.
Lencioni says every job is a 6 letter job. And every coaching session is a 6 letter journey!
Galvanizers are like fuel. They come in right on cue. First, an idea is posed. "What if...? Then, comes "How about...?" where the plan options are considered. Discernment is when the choice is made. It says, "What do you think?" and then finally we get some movement with, "Okay, let's do this!"
Galvanizing makes the difference between lagging energy and collaborative synergy! They are just the best! They encourage and build up. They bring people together for a cause. They remind everyone of the value of the goal and the reasons the focus is essential.
Let me give a personal example or two. Not long ago, I finished a multi-year project, a book about dating. (It's called Playing with Matches in case you are interested.) In retrospect, I definitely didn't go through the letters in order and especially didn't get a good feel for the discernment part. I saw a need, had an idea, and just pressed through till I was completed. When I told a good friend of mine who is a strong Galvanizer, his first question was, "What are you doing to promote it?"
I didn't have a good answer, or any answer really. I just want to skip that part.
Can you see the problems here? Why would I bother completing a project without a plan to promote it? I have a coaching book and a few personal workshop retreats that have a similar story.
Galvanizerers have a natural charism. They want to promote good things to others. They want to encourage camaraderie and they are essential for engagement.
We need this step and these people for projects for sure, but also for our personal journeys. Who encourages you? How can you use this gift as a coach?
As a coach, being a galvanizer can be a wonderful asset as long as the first letters are not neglected. As a person being coached the same is true, you need galvanizing, but it had to come in at the right time. Encouraging a project that hasn't been ideated and discerned can be quite costly.
If you are a coach, or if you are being coached, taking time to work out how the keep the energy flowing toward a project, or figuring out how to promote a finished project is key.
Try using questions like my friend:
- What are you doing to promote it?
- Who do you need to have in your corner for this to succeed?
- How will you stay motivated?
So, how about you? Is this an area that is easy to include in your personal or professional journey, or one you may inadvertently neglect?