How the kaleidoscope represents the value of coaching

I had a lot of conversations about kaleidoscopes last week. As I paused to remind myself that, in this instance, ‘i' does NOT go before ‘e' except after ‘c', a friend laughingly asked me why I'd chosen The Kaleidoscope Coach as my business name.

For me, the kaleidoscope represents everything I believe about the power and value of coaching:

• It reminds me there are many alternative ways to look at things, and what one person sees and experiences may be completely different from someone else.
• Each and every perspective is unique, formed through a myriad different actions, thoughts and feelings - and the more time you spend looking, the more you see.
• One small tweak, like an insightful question, will change the picture - do it again and the changes are magnified.
• There isn't one perfect pattern or answer - but there will be a combination which is right for each and every person at that particular moment in their life.
• If you don't like the picture you have right now, then you can change it: keep thinking, questioning and reframing until you find what works for you - knowing that you have the power to change it again when you want to.

So, I chose a name which does exactly what I help people to do - shift perspective to enable change.

As for the pause as I remembered how to spell properly, that is the most powerful coaching tool of all - the ability to stop, hold the silence, and truly listen.