EP 37 : Three Frogs on a Log

Knowing or Deciding is not Doing.

What If you have 3 frogs that sit on a log. One decides to jump off. How many are left?

Is it 2, because one jumped off?

Is it 0, because the other frogs are tumbling down because of the log’s movement?

Well, no.

The ‘right’ answer here is 3.

Why?

Just because we decided to jump, does not mean we do!

This little allegory was something I came across in Paul Rogers’s book ‘Decide and Deliver’. It points out nicely that deciding and doing are not necessarily the same thing.

When we connect this allegory to coaching, it points to a particular, typical use case for coaching: When someone knows a lot, yet they do not perform and execute. They know, but don’t do.

In this use case, coaching is a great intervention, because it is likely that whatever blocks the person from delivering is very unique to them. Just mentoring or telling them how to proceed further is unlikely to spark an empowered response.

Other interaction styles are likely to be less responsive in this scenario:

1. Training: If our frog has jumped many times before successfully. Why would training more suddenly work? It is unlikely.

2. Pep talk: “Frog, you can do it! You can jump, if only you believe in yourself.” Locker room pep talks give some excitement in the moment, but they are unlikely to create intrinsic, internal momentum.

When we take a coaching approach, we are much more likely to find out what it really bothering the team member and keeps them from performing autonomously.

We could ask:

– What makes that challenging this time?

– What could make it easier for you to deliver it?

The most typical scenario for a coach?

You are in a conversation with a team member; they know enough to perform. Yet, you have seen evidence in the past that they held themselves back. A good question to anticipate this?

– What potential obstacle could get in your way?

– What could potentially derail you?

Once we do not automatically equate decision/knowing with doing, we are able to ask our team member meaningful questions to help them bridge that gap.

Give it a try!

Cheers, Maik

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