Sylvia's Journal

We are entering day 4 of the 5 day global meeting of my pharmaceutical management colleagues. The format of spending much time in small group work is new to many – the energy is high, mine and theirs. We are tackling challenges as they temporarily block us from our vision but mostly the path is clear. I am having great fun, trying out new things, improvising, and reconfirming that this is the work I love to do.

In the meantime the coaching work is continuing. This morning I got up at 3:30 to follow a teleclass that is done from the west coast, afternoon time. It was about coaching people on the issue of time. Time is coming up a lot in the meeting and so it was, indeed, perfect timing.

I am trying to practice my coaching skills, becoming more and more aware of my errors: asking closed questions, suggesting solutions. This awareness has taken the sting out of making mistakes – something I have struggled with for a long time.

Today’s meeting is all about planning, the logic and use of planning, the review of planning processes. I have, over the years, sat in countless meetings with staff trying to figure out how to do this right. I have yet to see a group that does it well. When I put my coaching hat on I can see why planning is so difficult; when I take it off and have, myself, to comply with someone’s planning process I get caught up in the negative energy that so often accompanies the annual planning ritual. It’s the difference between ‘have to’ and ‘want to.’

I am trying to rope people in to perform on our end of meeting celebration. There are some surprises in people stepping forward with a poem, a monologue or a song, and much reluctance among most others. I am coaxing a few groups, like the Afghans and the Ethiopians, to participate in the talent show. I am not sure I am going to be successful. Our early morning yoga group is going to put up a demo which we learned, called the flow of life.