A long time ago I read about something called “the Pygmalion Effect”, and was reminded of it when thumbing through Shawn Achor’s (excellent) book “The Happiness Advantage” this week.
Achor writes:
“According to the Roman poet Ovid, the sculptor Pygmalion could look at a piece of marble and see the sculpture trapped inside of it. In particular, Pygmalion had a vision of his ideal, the zenith of all of his hopes and desires – a woman he named Galatea.
One day, he began to chisel the marble, crafting it to his vision. When he was finished, he stepped back and looked at his work. It was beautiful. Galatea was more than just a woman:
The statue represented every hope, every dream, every possibility, every meaning – beauty itself. Inevitably, Pygmalion fell in love.
Now, Pygmalion was no fool. He was not in love with a stone woman; he was in love with the possibility of his ideal coming to life …
The Pygmalion Effect is when our belief in another person’s potential brings that potential to life, and it perfectly sums up an ideal coaching relationship.
The client probably doesn’t realize their potential, they’re rarely getting encouragement to think bigger, and a good percentage of their 60,000 thoughts per day are negative ones instead of positive.
A good coach sees what they could be, and helps them craft it from the unfinished chunk of marble …
If you’re looking to help more coaching clients, my Secret Coach Club can help you bring them in.
The deadline to get in for November is fast approaching – join by the Sunday night deadline by going here:
