TRANSITIONS MADE EASY

“There is so much risk in doing it.”



“Really, what risks, for example?”



“What if we don’t get any bookings? What if no one turns out?”



“Go on. I am listening!”



“What if I am not able to give my best to the audiences? What if they boo me and leave?”



“Hmm hmm…go on….”



“What if I fail?”



“Let’s for a moment assume that all of this comes true, because they seem to be some strong thoughts at the top of your mind. So let’s assume so. So what happens?”



“Well, I will feel hurt. I will lose my name. I will be ridiculed. I will lose opportunities in the industry. I will lose my confidence.”



“Hmm…ok! Obviously anyone would feel hurt, but for how long? Will you give up your life in the occurrence of failure? Would you be the first person to fail?”



“Not really. So many people fail daily.”



“Exactly, do they all give up? If that was the case people would have stopped innovating and being creative. They would have only maintained what was passed on to them and would create nothing new. You still would be roaming about in tree barks and eating roots and raw meat and staying in huts made out if coconut branches, twigs and hay. We wouldn’t have evolved! Have you heard of the word ‘Resilience’? It doesn't matter how many times you fail. What matters is how many times you bounce back.”



“I agree. What you say makes sense.”



“And you talked about self-confidence being lost. Do you really think that you would lose your self-confidence or lack it completely to begin with and hence the hesitation. Self-confidence is a resultant of many things that you do right and it adds up. Does that make sense?”



“Hmm…you making me think!!”



“Good! So what is it that is shaking your self-confidence? It’s your fear of failure. Now, that is very common. Let’s analyze. Apart from the fact that you would be doing a leadership training event as an open event, what is the newness of your session? Have you done this program in the past?”



“Oh yes. Many times.”



“How was the response from the audiences? What kind of feedback you received?”



“Well every time I did my session, the audiences have enjoyed the experience. Many of them have also given very positive feedbacks. Most common feedback that I keep on receiving is that this workshop is a very practical workshop and makes you think and question your current ways of doing things. The takeaways from the workshop are valuable.”



“Excellent! That’s good to hear. So how does that make you feel?”



“Oh boy! I experience a very high level of satisfaction and happiness. It feels like the results are worth the efforts taken.”



“And what does it do to your confidence? Does it get boosted? Do you feel like doing it for a larger audience and reach across to help build talented leaders in the industry?”



“Of course! I feel like extending these learnings to many more leaders. I feel extremely confident to do it.”



“Ah! There you go! So confidence is not the issue here. So just to get the equation right, you know your stuff, you have the capability to deliver it to your audiences and make them feel extremely worth their time, right? I am not saying this, you just said it.”



“Hmm…right!”



“So from whatever you stated earlier as risks, audience not liking the session is ruled out as you yourself have given the testimonials for the same. So the only question remains is of managing the publicity, advertisement and getting participants for the open workshop. Am I right in saying this?”



“Hmm! I mean the way you have sliced things, this is what would be the primary reason.”



“Great! Now what could be some of the solutions to resolve this problem?”



“Well! One is we can certainly do some research and work hard on building the publicity material through various social networking platforms. Second maybe we can talk to some experienced people from the field and seek some know how. Thirdly, I know there are many event management agencies who can manage the entire event for u right from creating the marketing material to reaching out to the aligned audiences and publicizing it with them. It will be a costly option though.”



“Bravo! Bravo! Do you realize the same you who was submerged into the problems so much so far and was reluctant to stick his head out of the shell, is able to identify his real problems and think about possible solutions. Now that’s more like you. Awesome! Now do you think the three alternatives that you brainstormed about are practically possible to carry out?”



“Yes, absolutely. I can connect with a few of my close ones from the training network and I am sure they will be able to help further. They will probably also help me in budgeting the event effectively.”



“Excellent! I can sense a self-assurance in your voice and increased energy as well. I can also see that your body language is much more optimistic at this point. I am quite sure now, that you will work on this open workshop project and get it to completion with flying colors. I wish you all the best and a grand success buddy. I am so happy for you!!



“Yes! Yes! That was it. I am so thankful to Prof. Ramlingam Panniker, my management guru, for teaching me the art of using coaching conversations through self-talk. I could just peel the layers of my problem and reach the solution right away. How wonderful! Let me check my contact list. Its time to make some phone calls.”







(C) - Rahul Shinde 06/06/2020