Everyone Poops and Everyone’s Poop Looks Different
By Quinn Simpson
At Graydin, our week begins with a team meeting that always follows a similar structure. It starts with a joyful song to get us motivated, then a little weekend check-in, a quick game or a moment of gratitude and then we share what may trigger us that day.
You see, several months ago we worked with a Team Coach named Lori Shook, and after working with her, we integrated the BE SAFE & CERTAIN model into how we operate.
Knowing what might get our backs up, what might stall our thinking or derail the meeting helps us know how to treat each other, how to be productive, and how to stay in flow with one another.
Recently, the game was to share what’s been going on in our lives that is challenging or holding us back. We all shared and when it got to my turn, I realised something really important—everyone poops and everyone’s poop looks different.
One of my favourite books on this subject matter is actually called ‘Everyone Poops’ and it’s written by Taro Gomi. Yes, I have a toddler and that means poop is on the brain, but stay with me for a moment.
How true is that statement? We all do it, we all know we do it, though we rarely talk about it or get to see what each other’s looks like. And it’s pretty much the same way metaphorically.
Everyone is going around with daily problems or challenging weeks, and who’s talking about it? There’s an assumed burden that comes from letting someone in to how stinky it really is to live our lives, so we don’t.
And yet, isn’t that what connects us most deeply?
Isn’t that how we learn from one another?
Isn’t that what life is all about?
For so many decades we have lived thinking that it’s more important to keep our personal and professional lives separate than it is to fully connect and understand our colleagues.
We don’t see it that way here at Graydin. We believe that every meeting, every phone call and every email is an opportunity for sharing, understanding and connection.
On The Journey: Advanced Coaching Course we teach a vital skill called Checking In. Coaching is a partnership in which both parties have an equal say regarding the experience.
As with any healthy relationship, it’s important to Check In with your coachee to ensure the coaching is going in an effective direction. We apply this same thinking to how we work with each other at Graydin. We use Checking In to encourage conversations about the stinky and the sweet.
Here are several examples of Checking In questions you can ask in a coaching (or any) conversation:
What do you think about this so far?
How do you feel right now?
What are you learning about yourself?
What do you need from me to support you?
I sense that there might be more than one coaching topic. What do you notice?
Where are we on the path of getting you from A to B?
I notice we might have lost our direction; what do you notice?
What question do you want me to ask you next?
From this point in the coaching conversation, what do you want coaching on?
So, next time you see an opportunity to get curious about how someone is doing or what’s really going on, don’t shy away–check in!
If you found this information to be helpful and want to discover other coaching practices or daily habits you can apply to make your team collaborate better, then be sure to join us at Coaching Day 2022.