The Coaching Parent » davidmiskimin

Going ever more Global?

davidmiskimin — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 15:54:15 +0000

The Coaching Parent Book Polish Edition

As you will see, the book cover is our newly translated version of The Coaching Parent. It has been carefully converted and published by Academica in Warszawa, what I as an Englishman know as Warsaw. Doesn’t it look great? The interesting part is that I was approached in Oxford UK, late last year about the willingness for us to allow a translated version, while I was delivering a corporate coaching programme for Noble Manhattan Coaching! Were we keen – you bet!

David Miskimin

Spring has truly sprung!

davidmiskimin — Tue, 03 May 2011 10:15:16 +0000

Spring has truly sprung!

This must be one of the best springtime experiences we have had in England for many many years. Extensive sunshine and the blossom on the trees, has been the fullest I can recall. And what a joy it was to take our four grandchildren to Ness Botanic Gardens on the Wirral (North West England). They had an amazing time frolicking in the blossom, and it was just as much fun for us watching!

David Miskimin

What are you looking forward to?

davidmiskimin — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 09:40:24 +0000

I was listening to a fascinating conversation on the radio. The DJ asked his nine-year-old caller, who was about to depart for school – “what are you looking forward to about school today?”. The response was immediate and effusive. “My two front teeth came out yesterday and nobody knows – I can’t wait to get to school and show everybody!”. I thought ‘how wonderful’, and not a moments concern from the caller either.

It also reminded me about the importance of looking forward rather than backwards. We can’t change the past, yet we can eagerly anticipate the future, especially if we believe we can influence it by what we do in the present.

In The Coaching Parent book we refer to how easy it is to integrate this thinking into coaching. One of the great things with coaching is to create an atmosphere of future expectation. It’s done with the simple statement:

“What are you most looking forward to about tomorrow.”

It presupposes a number of things:
• That you are looking forward to something.
• That you are looking forward to more than one thing.
• That the future will indeed be positive.

And even though you may not have thought of something, the statement forces you to comment on the fact that there will be something you can look forward to. So – a very powerful question.

How about asking your family the same question…?

David Miskimin

Winter snow – Are you loving it or hating it?

davidmiskimin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 12:04:55 +0000

In England, we have an ambivalent relationship with snow.

We love to see it and it’s fascinating when you’re looking out of the window. As soon as it starts to disrupt our lives and our regular routines, the pushback starts!

I wonder if this has something to do with our preoccupation with the weather in this country? To be fair, it does change frequently. It’s also very pocketed. Several parts of the country being completely cut off, others having bright sunshine. And yet, for many of us it brings out our inner child. Don’t you remember snowballing, making slides in the school playground and constructing the ‘best snowman ever’ and sledging?

While I myself have hard several client meetings cancelled and in some cases suffered lost revenue, let’s not lose the wonder completely.

Why not bring out those creative and adaptive parts of you and just for a moment, allow yourself to turn the disruption into some fun!

David Miskimin

The power of imagination

davidmiskimin — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 14:55:29 +0000

We gave Aiden, our 6 year old grandson, a Power Rangers book to read when he stayed over recently. This is the same boy who is unbeatable at Wii Ten-pin bowling – I don’t stand a chance. He also enjoys playing with a cut-down laptop computer, that can’t access the Internet, yet looks as though it could pilot a spaceship to Mars! Laura my wife and I were amazed at what happened. The book never left his side, whether at the meal table, sitting on the floor, or when in bed. He loved it – why though? Well it had brilliant graphics and on every page asked the reader questions that stirred his imagination. The clincher though was the cut-out Power Rangers mask. He transformed when he wore it – which was almost all the time. This even included trying to go to sleep wearing it!

What a wonderful reminder. As Jack will tell you, I say there are contemporary approaches and then there is the classical method. On all counts stimulating a child’s imagination is the latter.

David Miskimin

Hello world!

davidmiskimin — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 06:25:39 +0000

Hi! I was just thinking about our original book The Coaching Parent. I don’t really know what I expected in terms of where the book might be bought. What has astounded me is that sales have occurred in Sweden, Turkey, Germany, Japan (why not?) and North America. Guess it’s sort of reassuring that the work invested can be discovered! It’s all more important given the imminence of our follow-up work – almost gave the title away then, but then our publisher might kill me…

David Miskimin