Many moons ago I went to California to work for Jump.
Jump is a company that reengineers, transforms, and gives birth to other companies. Check them out. The company has a rare and remarkable culture.
They wanted their brilliant but laid back academic staff to grow in confidence in meetings with clients. They wanted their brainy folks to stand up and spill their brilliance across the table.
I brought my curriculum to them and they seemed to respond to it, but at the end of the second day they sat me down for a chat.
They told me that they saw improvement in their people, that I was funny and approachable.
One guy told me I used visual language when I suggested to a participant he hold his hands as though he held pineapples made of bronze.
In other words, I was suggesting he not carry his hands limply.
They said my feedback to individuals was good, and they counted me a role model of presence.
But then they got down to brass tacks.
They wanted more improvised speaking. My pace was too slow. I talked too much and spouted too much theory.
The big goal was to get people more confident: Confidence and tactics with layers of mechanics.
They wanted real time coaching. In the moment coaching. Coaching around style. Kinesthetic activities.
They wanted me to reduce the time we looked at video. Instead, they were craving a road map, a cohesive plan, a transformational experience.
Here’s another important point–they wanted their staff to be pushed, to re-do sections of their talks, or do the talks over again. They challenged me to drain my bag of tricks. I tried, but it was not enough. I went home, limping, psychologically.
And yet here I am, many moons later, thankful for their feedback.
They made me a better coach.