The art of the learning master-coaches

In our fast moving time people are searching en masse for wisdom. Especially regarding  the ‘how’ and the ‘what’, unfortunately too many are failing to ask the more fundamental question: ‘why’!  Therefore the ‘coaching-world’ is dealing with a very high percentage of the ‘how’ and ‘what’ questions. It is swarming with ‘secret-revealers’, ‘key-holders’ and ‘roadmap-trainers’. They all give you clever solution and  ready-made action-plans, under the motto: listen to me, I know what is best for you.

In our time it seems to me that the authenticity-ideal of the Renaissance and Enlightenment has spun out of control, and has manifested itself in something of a make ability- illusion/obsession. And sadly, many coaches seem to only confirm this illusion, they are ignoring a big blind-spot. They are ignoring the ‘Beschränkungen’ (the limitations), and on top of that they quite often appear to lack in the ‘art of dealing with reality’.  A huge blind-spot for deep and high layers within ‘the process of becoming a human’ (Abraham Herschl: to be human, is to become human)…

Celebrating the 25 years of xpand, and reflecting on your profession, has everything to do with the question if coaches are willing to keep on learning, and keep on sharing their ‘learning-mastery-vision’ with the people they serve. This ‘art of the learning master’ has, in my opinion, a profound similarity with the art of kneeling, with asking for wisdom, the knowledge of dependence of the Highest, the living God, with modesty, and being able to see things in the perspective of the light of the Absolute. To link open-mindedness to professionalism. To serve people, leaders, managers, who are called to ‘become human’, to give shape to live and society, to become artists even. People that you serve best by striving for the art of learning mastery. The artist who absolutely inspires me in regard to this learning mastery is Jesus of Nazareth, the learning teacher, master feet-washer.

By: Otto de Bruijne