‘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 inertia to stay unchanged for the sense of safety. Yet, I think such inertia could be hidden deep inside…. even without the person being aware of it. Quick implications to the coach would probably be how to:
sense that such inertia may be there (or not!)
collect data to verify
gently bring this up to the coachee without triggering resistance (which is easy to come.... 'Who are you to judge me?!' )
invite exploration on what is behind such hidden inertia
jointly create ways to catch it in action
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