“While no single conversation is guaranteed to change the trajectory of a career, a company, a relationship, or a life; Any single conversation can”. This quote was presented to us in the first hour of the first class of my IAL program. It points out to me the importance of every conversation that develops while continuing relationships in your life. There could be someone in your network that could forever change your path, or you theirs, with one conversation. This concept will stay with me and remind me to cherish all conversations, whether positive or negative, as the consequences may not be known immediately, but could be known eventually.
A second foundational lesson that I learned in week 1 of the IAL program is in the Coach Conversations section of the Fierce workbook. It is the idea of asking, “what else?” when trying to get to the core of a problem. After setting up a conversation with someone that you are trying to help through an issue, and then targeting what the issue is, it becomes important to get to the root of the problem. Without offering suggestions or solutions, the “coach” of the conversation asks, “what else?”, normally with a response that is one level deeper than the first. Then, “what else?” is asked again, further digging in to the core. Eventually the deepest parts of the problem, causes, and solutions come forward. I will take this idea and use it to be a better listener and more effective problem solver.
