My life is and always has been about asking questions. Exploring what’s possible. Impossible didn't occur to me when I was young. I was lucky, because not only did that lead me to great adventures and experiences but also into beautiful and powerful relationships. Engaged relationships. Relationships that helped me stay involved, stay curious, and see things through.

I’m a believer that being curious can help everyone cultivate those kind of relationships and that’s part of why I’m a coach. And over the past year I had the chance to do something even more impactful. A close friend and colleague of mine, the amazing Jen Lara and I were asked to design a program that would help faculty and staff at her college (Anne Arundel Community College) in Maryland to do just that.

You see, they decided that engagement matters a great deal in education. Being able to engage students more effectively will help them feel seen and heard, and increase the likelihood of them staying in their programs to completion. And one of the key ways to do that is through building better relationships by providing their staff with coaching skills.

We’re 2/3 of the way through the training and seeing positive impact all over the place. Our participants are learning new ways to listen, to ask really good questions, and how to tap into intuition. They are redesigning their relationships with their colleagues and their students. They’re getting connected on a deeper level than they have in the past, and building trust as a result. It’s been a gift to lead this program and to see the impact that the participants are having in their communities.

What I’m really learning and seeing evidence of is how these skills are not only valuable to healthy relationships, they’re critical and belong in every type of organization where humans are present. Ask Questions, Tune In, Connect. It’s that simple. What would your workplace be like if everyone showed up that way? It is possible.

You can read more about the program on my here.

#staycurious