Imagine a World without Competition
Can you imagine a world without competition? This question came to mind in July of 2022, when I boarded a train bound for New York to attend my first module of coaching training. So many emotions were rising within me and I could feel them in my body.
Excitement – because just being on the train to New York is exciting. And quite honestly, I sometimes do miss my old road warrior life where I spent enough time in the city to feel almost like an actual New Yorker.
Anticipation – because I’ve wanted this for so long. And the moment had finally arrived. It almost didn’t feel real.
Anxiety – the pre-work alone had gone deep. And that was just the pre-work. What the hell would we be doing for 3 days from 9 AM – 7 PM?
On day 1, I arrived at the door of a locked conference room at the Sheraton in Weehawken, NJ. I’d been on the other side of this equation so many times before – teaching classes and workshops with some sort of glitch to work out before letting the people in. It felt humbling because I got to be the student this time, not the one dealing with whatever the issue was.
Just after 8:30 AM, they let us in. I looked around and saw a whole lot of awkward faces full of anticipation. I suspected that almost everyone in that room felt exactly as I did.
Once I settled into my seat, I felt a sense of panic as I looked around the room. There were 35 people.
35 PEOPLE
I’m not sure what I was expecting but my heart sank, knowing that this was one of many cohorts to go through iPec’s program, this year alone.
All I could think at that moment was…
“Oh shit! All these people want to be coaches?!?!”
They must anticipate this because not far into day 1, it was made very clear that none of us are in competition with each other. It was heavily emphasized that we will all bring our own uniqueness to the practice of coaching.
How about that?
I don’t remember the exact words that were said, but the message was clear and it sunk in. I looked around the room again and I saw friends, colleagues, and collaborators.
Now I know.
I know that I can reach out to anyone in my cohort at any time for pretty much anything. Not only that, but I can reach out to the larger community which I did recently.
This December, I will be teaching a workshop called Flowing Through Life’s Transitions at Just Breathe. I know that I have the skills, wisdom, and knowledge to do this but I’ve been in my head and suffering deeply from imposter syndrome.
So, I put out a howl for help . Two coaches who don’t know me at all answered the call.
I first spoke with Kelly. Like me, Kelly is just starting out. She was just so lovely to talk to and she helped me think about how to teach a fairly heady but important concept with clarity. I also took a peek through her website and saw that she teaches yoga at a barn. If I ever make it to Houston, I’m going. If you are in Houston – go! Bonus – if you go, you get a free mimosa. Win!
Then I spoke with Adrian. Adrian is on it – super smart, has got it together, and was very relatable as we’ve worked in similar worlds. He generously shared with me tools and resources that he’s created and asked nothing in return except to put in a good world for him in the context of corporate and leadership coaching. So here’s that good word. If you are interested in his work, you can learn more here. Also, did I mention that he has a really cute puppy?
I’m not saying that competition is a bad thing. In many ways it helps to keep us on our toes and be our best selves. Surrounding myself with brilliant coaches makes me desire to be brilliant and there’s nothing wrong with that.
But competition without collaboration can be toxic. Competition in the interest of self preservation serves no one. Even the person looking to preserve will eventually go down as they experience the loneliness of having no one to collaborate with.
As coaches, we learn to see the world differently. We learn to identify if we can be of service to the clients who seek what we offer. If we can’t we refer to another brilliant coach that we’ve gotten to know along the way.
If you are interested in being a coach, talk to me. I will answer all of your questions honestly. Coach training is amazing, but it is not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s hard and deep work. For me, it was life changing and because of that I became an iPec ambassador which gives me access to special discounts that I can pass along to you should you desire to go through the training. I really like saving money and I am sure you do as well.
So there you have it – how can you shift your perspective from competitor to collaborator?
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