"We were talking about the idea of abiding, of the way that you can help people flourish just by withholding judgment, if you open yourself up to their possibilities, as Saunders put it, just as you would open yourself up to a story's possibilities," wrote Joel Lovell in the
New York Times Magazine (January 3, 2013) about a conversation with writer George Saunders.
I can help people flourish by withholding judgment. Open myself up to their possibilities. This is what I try to do in my work as a coach and consultant. This is what I try to do as a person, as a human being. Sometimes I am able to do this and, frankly, sometimes it is tough.
What helps me to withhold judgment is when I am curious. What are your unique qualities, talents, experiences? What do we share in common? What are your struggles, desires, creative urges? How are we connected?
When I am curious, I am "spreading seeds of possibility" and we both have the opportunity to flourish.
|
