Editor's note: The Coaches Corner column appears regularly on the DrBicuspid.com advice and opinion page, Second Opinion.
The most important principles in good coaching are increasing awareness and responsibility. The headwaters of commitment are responsibility. Increasing awareness means seeing yourself as "cause in the matter" and being your "word" -- because if you are not, what are you?
Of course, being your word also means knowing who you are. Who are you? When a decision needs to be made, it needs to come from who you are -- and who you are is your core values, the things we believe in and hold inviolate. And after the decision is made, you are still left with who you are.
You now can see you have a choice: Either your decisions define you, or who you are determines where you come from when making your decisions. Being at choice gives power to the decisions you make, to the responsibilities you take on, to the commitments you give your word toward.
Who you are determines what options you have. Options are not about the "right" answer; rather, they are about creative possibilities that can resonate with who you are and leverage "what is." A good coach will do all he or she can to expand what you know, knowing that you only see what you know and believe what you think. A good coach will say things that you don't think.
Working with who you are, your core values, and your vision gives context to the decision-making process. Working with a coach creates an expanded perspective and compelling possibilities to weigh pros and cons, giving clarity and direction. Decision time has arrived!
Dan Kingsbury, D.D.S., life and dental coach, is a co-founder of the Dental Coaches Association, an organization of dentists who are professional coaches committed to bringing coaching to the dental profession. Learn more by visiting DentalCoachesAssociation.org.
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