Welcome to the first issue of Moments That Matter. Thank you for being here. Each month, I'll share a moment that mattered, along with a book, an observation, a photo, a quote, and a question to sit with.
A THOUGHT
Georgetown University's executive coaching program was no walk in the park. Every day for seven months, I was reading, coaching, being coached, writing, or in class. Some of us went into overtime. I was one of them: I failed my final assessment and had to resubmit.
Our program director kept asking about our coaching declaration: a short description of the unique perspective each of us would bring to coaching. Among everything else on my plate, I deprioritized it. I kept a draft on an index card, just in case. But on every call, he asked how my declaration was coming along. Eventually I stopped wondering why he kept asking and started asking myself why I kept waving it off.
I was keeping the question at a distance because it was hard. In a world of thousands of coaches, what was I really going to bring that wasn't already there? Each time I confronted it, I came out with a better answer.
Version nine sits on my desk now: Preparing Leaders for Moments That Matter.
It took eight cards to see what had been in front of me all along. From being a dad, to promotions in the Navy, to transitioning into the corporate world, I kept running into moments that matter. Some people helped me through them, and over time I've developed a few ideas that may serve others. That's what my coaching practice is built on, along with a few other things on the horizon.
Another hard question I resisted, and I see others resist too, is why we exist, or what our purpose is at this point in our lives. It's easy to parry that one as well, staying with what we need to do instead of who we need to be. If you can hang in there and answer it, what comes back can be powerful.
Notice how you respond to the hard question. Turning into it will cost you some index cards, and it's worth the time, effort, and discomfort.
I'm already looking forward to version ten.
A READ
The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield
Pressfield puts a name to the forces that stand between us and the moments that matter. He calls it Resistance. Some of it comes from outside, and a surprising amount is what we put in our own way. Naming it is the first step to overcoming it.
AN OBSERVATION
I was in Boston recently to watch Navy take on Notre Dame. Part of the weekend was evening colors aboard USS Constitution.
Several Sailors served as our escorts, and they were great historians. What struck me most was their passion for service, and how what they do today connects to what Sailors aboard that ship did more than two centuries ago.
Selfless service is timeless. Thank you to those doing it as we approach Veterans Day.
A PHOTO
Old Glory over USS Constitution, the oldest commissioned warship still afloat and still crewed by active-duty Sailors.
A QUOTE
“Your purpose is not something that comes to you out of the blue one day, but something you pull out from deep inside and make your everyday life.”
— Brianna Wiest, The Pivot Year
A QUESTION
What hard question are you keeping at a distance?
Hit reply and tell me. I read every one, and may share yours in next month’s issue.
Thanks,
Denny
P.S. If you or someone on your team is facing a moment that matters, I’d welcome a conversation.
