Finding Fulcrums

By: James W. Falcon

Originally published Dec. 31, 2022, 1:30am, EST. | Revised Aug. 21, 2023, 509am, EST.

#coaching,#selfhelp #personalgrowth

According to the online resource, the Dictionary of Oxford Languages online, retrieved December,2022, a fulcrum is a thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation. We learned in the very early days of elementary school that fulcrums are devices that move things. One of the first examples of a fulcrum that most of us were exposed to is the see saw.

It is a device capable of supporting work by leveraging and lifting heavy objects through the process of balance and counter balance. Whoever it was that made such a marvelous tool the staple of modern day playgrounds ought to be rewarded for their sheer brilliance. As a former playground goer and as a parent and a grandparent, I can offer first had accounts of the fun that these devices continue to offer children of all ages. But as a coach, I have come to appreciate these devices on a much deeper level.

…a fulcrum is a thing that plays a central or essential role in an activity, event, or situation.

Finding fulcrums, at least on a conceptual level have become an integral part of the goal development process in which I engage my clients. As an experienced coach I frequently educate my clients and remind myself that coaches are not in the business of writing prescriptions. An experienced coach understands that his or her purpose is to facilitate a successful goal development, goal pursuit, goal attainment experience. And the very basis of that experience is stoking a client’s hunger to actively, consciously seek out the means, the method, and the resources needed to accomplish their goal. So effective coaching empowers clients to do, to be, and, to find and/or to create the paths they need to reach their goals. In all of that movement, activity and mentalism is the need for the finding fulcrum process.

Clients need to actively search for a fulcrum, one that will best serve their needs.

Clients need to actively search for a fulcrum, one that will best serve their needs. Which means they may have to try a few before concluding which is best. They will need to ask the right questions. They will need to hone their question development and question posing ability in order to find the right fulcrum. Along the way clients may discover the value of getting others involved in the journey. But make no mistake about it the coach’s responsibility is to skillfully set the table but the dining experience belongs exclusively to the client. When both have executed their duties properly both the coach and the client embrace the growth & development opportunities that present themselves in their respective journeys.

As a coach I frequently educate my clients and remind myself that coaches are not in the business of writing prescriptions. An experienced coach understands that his or her purpose is to facilitate a successful goal development, goal pursuit, goal attainment experience.

That’s correct, the journey calls to both the coach and the client alike. God help the unknowing coaches who believe the collection of the coaching fee is the be all, end all of the exchange. Nope. Coaching presents challenges and self-reflection opportunities for both coach and client…if both are open to embark on such a journey. The pathway is only made clear to the willing whose…

God help the unknowing coaches who believe the collection of the coaching fee is the be all end all of the exchange. Nope. Coaching presents challenges and self reflection opportunities for both coach and client.

…eyes and hearts are open wide enough to see and understand that the path is not an event but an ongoing experience.

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