David Yau & Associates

‘It is often safer to be in chains than to be free’ Franz Kafka I come across this quote on radio today. It explains so well how often the covert challenge coachees face. Sometimes, it is not the unreasonable boss, the difficult client, the toxic organisation, the bullying peer, the subordinates who never get it or the lack of skills / resources / time, etc which make change difficult. At least not the only or prominent reasons. It is sometimes the coachee’s own inert

'What is really going on?' -  It is the question often used in the Adaptive Leadership practice as well as in the psychodynamics approach.  In the former, it is about being on the 'Balcony' rather than the 'Dance Floor', or the ability to be at both at the same time.  And being on the 'Balcony' could mean reading the political landscape as an example. In the psychodynamics approach, the question is about understanding the covert dynamics on various levels e.g. intra-personal

Some time ago, I worked in a program with a few other coaches. Because of misunderstanding on the schedule, a few coaches could not be available on the last day of the program where 1 on 1 coaching took place. One coach advocated for them to conduct the 1 on 1 on skype. At a point, he asked in a challenging tone, ‘What are the things that you normally do in face-to-face coaching but cannot be done on skype?’ This is an interesting question. At that time, I really coul