The Traffic Jam
Posted on March 07, 2024 by Cristina Diconescu, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
Managing traffic jams require an initial car to move then all others will follow, one by one, until all are moving in a flow.
Many times, when considering coaching as clients, we bring all the issues in the coaching space – hence the intersection – and present them all as topics that we want to solve through coaching at the same time. Somehow this translates into suddenly moving all cars at once. That is a traffic jam situation as the client is in fact stuck in that “traffic jam”. Undecided, feeling helpless or overwhelmed by certain challenges, unclear about what to do next, or building a too complex plan for the next move in the personal or professional development, the client is still in the driver seat and must keep being vigil, present, identify the car that will need to be moving first in order to create flow for the next cars – which will have to start moving one by one before all moving smoothly in the traffic flow. Hence, it is good to notice the jam, to be aware of it and admit it. But it is most important to raise your awareness through reflection and introspection, through partnering with a coach in a reflective inquiry process and explore options and different angles from where you can look at and approach that jam. Surely an intersection traffic jam looks and feels different from within a car in the middle of the situation or looked at from the top of the nearest building, even from a fellow car on a different lane which is still moving. Challenging the perspective and identifying what must be removed to make the flow happen or visualizing who would one be in a moving car enables creativity in finding solutions, at times unexpected – who said you couldn’t eject your seat to land in a moving car or you didn’t have a magic car which can shrink and move through? :) You can then take responsible action on the topics, one by one, starting with the one that will unlock the traffic and will get you going. With the right thinking partner supporting you through the coaching process, this entire process will empower you to get where you want to, in your unique, authentic way.
