Lately I have been curious about what makes a great coaching environment; one that allows the client and coach to do their very best work together.
I couldn’t have predicted the path I would end up meandering as a result of my wandering wonderings, although I am happy I did. I strolled off the well-beaten track of the usual and predictable answers, and crunched my way through a few gritty, old stoney paths of ‘not much to see here’. Then, a recent visit to an ancient Egyptian immersive experience, inspired my curiosity further, and I returned wondering how they (and ancient Greeks and Romans), defined great learning environments. After all, Socrates, Pythagoras and Aristotle must have tried a few before settling on the right one? Taking what I learned, I wondered onwards into a lush, magical land of metaphor and myth, and even dug up a few interesting historical relics to inform my ideas.
The answer? Creating the right environment for coaching is quite simple really, it requires a few logs, a box of matches, and a travelling ghost…
Enjoy!
Coaching from the Hearth
The phrase ‘I’ll be mother’ comes from 19th century polar explorers who took it in turn to ‘be mother’ and stay behind at basecamp, whilst others embarked on dangerous and life threatening expeditions. The role of mother provided the explorers with deep focus; a sense of security, hope, and belonging. They believed all would be well because mother was at home. Knowing that no matter what, that tiny flame of imagined home fires engendered optimism, security, belonging, and dependability. The flames always burning bright in the home hearth, gave them a reason to stay alive and return home safely.
The archetype of ‘mother’ has captured the collective psyche for many centuries. Ancient Greeks knew her as the Goddess Hestia (meaning hearth), and the Romans, Goddess Vesta (same meaning). The hearth represents a gathering place, belonging and home – somewhere to always come back to, like mother at home. In ancient times the home hearth fires were always kept alight, and were positioned geometrically central in a village. They were a place of convergence, return, meeting, and focus for all. ‘Focus’, is a Latin word, and means ‘domestic hearth’, and so Hestia and focus, offer us a powerful metaphor that fulfils our collective unmet need for a place of peace, stillness, reflection, and focus. After all, when you stare at the dancing flames in a hearth, it is difficult to pull attention away from their entrancing power; our eyes kept hypnotised by our attention to the flames, and away from other distractions.
Good coaching environments provide Hestia presence, a focused thinking space for clients to feel safe, belong, reflect, and give unwavering attention to a specific topic. Hestia energy in a coaching environment is not an object or person, but the state or energy created. Hestia presence represents the climate for coaching, a safe place to be, to think, to focus and to gain new perspectives, that allow the client to become enlightened. Barbara Kirksey in ‘Facing the Gods’ suggests, “She [Hestia] is the light by which we see and not the object of our seeing.” In other words, the coach is not the light, the coach creates the light in the hearth by which the client can better see their own insights and solutions. The hearth of coaching delivers to a deep unconscious need to step away from the frenetic activity of day-to-day work and life, and have quiet reflective time and space. The hearth of coaching is a safe sanctuary where clients can be still, and give prominence to focus.
Hermes, often cited and aligned with Hestia, represents the ‘way-finder’ or traveller, and in Greek mythology, moves in the liminal space guiding souls to their right destination, or to take initiative when they don’t want to travel to the afterlife or move forward. Hermes symbolises movement and transition from one place to another. If the intention of coaching is to support clients to move from where they are now, to where they want to be, then Hermes is the archetype presence that inspires action and transition through messages and insights from the unconscious mind. Hermes is the messenger of the Gods, and so a ‘vertical’ part of self who communicates through powerful metaphors, images and insights facilitated by great coaching questions. Hermes is the travel guide who points out the right way, facilitates transition, and the catalyst for change to achieve a goal.
Hestia is inward and reflective, Hermes is outward and active. They are the balance of the feminine and masculine archetypes that create the magic that is the coaching environment. Coaching is the hearth flame that never goes out, and always a place to come back to, and the way-finder to seek the right path forward that suits each client.
The coaching environment must have both in balance if it is to be effective. Hestia operates in ideology and Hermes in Desired Future. Coaching is the Hestia hearth where clients can focus, dare to dream, and explore, and then engage with Hermes action to achieve those goals in all areas of leading self, others, and their organisation.
The hearth and traveller (Hestia & Hermes) can also exist within an organisation or leadership context in three main ways too. These offer the coach additional lenses from which to explore congruence of Hestia climate and Hermes action with their client:
- As an anchor of organisational conscience, routine and certainty; something that can always be returned to in times of crisis, or change. This is Core Ideology, and comprises Purpose, values and culture. It is the hearth that gives focus to why you exist, your function, and its integrity.
In a coaching setting, you may ask, “In what ways are the actions you are about to take, in alignment with your organisation’s core ideology or strategy?”
- When a leader adopts the role of being ‘mother ‘or ‘Hestia’, he or she usually does so when others may be focused on pioneering, innovating, transforming or leading business change (Hermes and Apollo space). Being ‘Hestia’ means that they become the presence that upholds and is guardian of those things that will not change as a result of transformation. They identify what is most important to sustain, and become the role-model and conscience for ideology and integrity, make certain aspects anti-fragile, and uphold core values of character, reputation and hope.
In a coaching setting, you may ask, “What matters most that you must uphold right now?”
- Documented Policy, Code of Conduct or culture – It could be a behavioural code applied to people systems, culture, governance, processes and procedures, or a reputational code applied to the way you do business. Hestia and Hermes in this space contain the moral and ethical aspects of how your organisation operates and deals with its stakeholders.
In a coaching setting, you may ask, “What are the potential barriers exist in your infrastructure, that would disable your actions?”
How will you create Hearth & Wayfinder in your Coaching Setting?
Using the questions below, reflect on how you might make a better coaching environment for your clients:
Setting
What can you do to create a warm physical environment free of interruption that can create focus?
Self
How can you manage your state so that you can remain non-judgemental, authentic, and alongside as a client works through their presenting topic?
Solutions
How can you shine the light, but not be the light for a client’s solutions and way forward?
Signposting
How can you catalyse your client’s thinking to find solutions and take action, or encourage your client’s way forward?