This is the final step in the EDGE Process. One of the greatest joys for me as a coach (a guide) is when a client has made the commitment and sacrifice to go through explanation, demonstration, and guidance, and now going to do it on their own; seeing their joy at putting themselves out there, knowing they’ll fail but knowing they can get back up, and having the confidence to continue to get better. When we enable people to launch and launch well, the joy we feel when we see them fly, living the Zig Rule, is unbelievably fulfilling. I honestly don’t know who enjoys it more, me or them.
It’s really important as we’re enabling someone, to go back and help them remember where they started, to recognize and take ownership of where they are today. Whatever process or role that they’re fulfilling, it’s important for them to recognize how far they’ve come (confidence).
One important reason for that reflection is to take them back through all of the steps, so when they’re alone, they can remember where they’ve come from, which allows them to continue to move forward and also not feel lonely. That might be the definition of enable, to make sure they’re able to take themselves through the EDGE process when they fail.
When I first started playing golf years ago, there was a guy named Jesse Blackwelder, a highly successful and recognized collegiate golf coach. I only took five lessons from him, and he was so good at the process that even now when I start hitting a ball poorly, I can go through that process he gave me (I still remember it today!) to get back on track. That process gives me confidence that I can hit a good shot again. I'm able to take myself through the EDGE Method as if he were standing right next to me. Now that I think back, that’s probably why he was such a highly recognized coach.
Here at the end, remember that if you skip any of the EDGE steps, or rush through them, there will be a higher rate of failure when you begin to enable someone, and that will wreck their confidence. It ties back to why the tell-trust-fail method used in command and control organizations fails so much, they’ve just been told. There’s not a process, muscle memory, or the ability to recognize and rebound through the failure. Your team members don’t know why they failed, they just know they did. Because of that, it’s easy to blame themselves. But the blame really lies in the process, or rather, the lack of process.
The next blog, we'll delve into the differences between a Command and Control organization, and a Trust and Inspire organization. Then you'll be able to identify what kind of organization yours is, and how to transition it if you need to.
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