Do You Need to Be Successful at What You Teach to Teach?
Are you an entrepreneur wondering, must you be successful at what you teach to teach?
Must you first be successful at what you teach to help those you work with? Are you a student seeking a so-called expert? What makes a great teacher or coach?
On a recent Skype call, a fellow entrepreneur made a confession to me. Excited, she'd finally committed to doing work she’d secretly wanted to do for years.
She’s distilling her mindset coaching business to her true passion as a relationship coach. Her niche is helping single women find love with their soulmate.
She, herself, is still single and currently not in a relationship. She's dating and looking for her true man.
What?!
How can she teach other women how to find their forever man, their soulmate, their true husband when she has yet to find hers?
I may strike up some controversy with the stand I take on this...but here goes.
Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk
We so often hear how important it is to "Walk the Walk and Talk the Talk".
Guess what? I was not born organized. I work at it, and come up with creative solutions that don't occur to a lot of experts. I listen intently, motivate and connect with those I help.
A coach I knew helped her clients achieve successful, long lasting weight loss results. Her clients found her motivating, funny and understanding of their struggles. She was still struggling with her own weight.
Beware the Expert Who's "Arrived"
I remember taking my newborn son to a pediatrician known as an expert. He had degrees from Yale and NYU medical school.
This doctor gave a cursory exam and informed me my son would be getting several vaccines that day.
When I expressed my concern that I'd read some of the shots could wait till my baby was older, I was told in no uncertain terms that I was not a good mother if I did not follow his protocol.
I left right then and there, signing on to a newly graduated pediatrician who turned out to be fantastic.
Focused On You
For me, I’m not so concerned if you view me as an expert. After all, the only thing I’m sure I’m an expert on is me...on my non-FU Days.
I'm focused on helping you organize, starting with your mind so you take action and get results.
"You teach best what you most need to learn." ~ Richard Bach
It’s not like I learned how to get myself completely organized, so now I'm done. Organizing, like life, is a process.
Life is always in flux, it’s the one constant. I ain't done. I still re-organize, tweak and learn.
[Tweet "When I embrace my fear and self-doubt, helping my clients do the same, magic happens."]
Teacher + Student
The beauty of the teacher-student journey is it's a two-way path.
A great read in the Huffington Post is, We Teach What We Most Need to Learn by Mike Robbins, author and motivational speaker.
The teacher solidifies her understanding of what she has studied by teaching her students. In the best learning relationship, the student teaches the teacher also.
- Find a teacher or coach who meets you where you are, and is curious about you.
- Find a teacher who listens to you and helps you trust yourself.
- Find a teacher who helps you embrace and release your fears and self-doubt with actionable steps.
Your Turn
What's your opinion? Do you need to be successful at what you teach before you teach? Share some of your best or surprising coaching experiences as teacher or student.
I'm a mindset focused professional organizer. I help entrepreneurs, busy moms and attorney clients simplify their papers and spaces. Let me help you go from clutter bug to freedom.
this is so so good, jul’s! i love it! and i especially love this line:
Beware the Expert Who’s “Arrived” . . .
well, here’s my reaction to that. my e-course is called THE ARRIVAL. and i include this paragraph in my marketing materials:
“Have I myself arrived? I don’t think a person is ever fully complete, ever fully arrives. But I am proof that dreams, desires, wishes, and goals can absolutely be realized. And throughout this process, I’ve become somewhat of an expert on my life. You are the authority, the decision-maker, the dream-diver when it comes to your own life.”
i know i will never fully arrive, but that’s what makes life so exciting! and i can certainly assist and guide others in fulfilling their own dreams right alongside my own journey. 🙂
Love it April!!! Your paragraph for your course materials brilliantly sums up what I was going for in my blog post. I am thrilled it resonates with you! 🙂
OMG! OMG! OMG! This. Post. Is. Awesome. I’m high-fiving the air at you, Jul’s!! You are so exactly right. “Beware the expert who has arrived” AMEN! Anyone that is only one step ahead of us on the path is in a position to teach us something. Just as those of us one step behind have something to teach as well. As someone who does a lot of teaching, I have always learned more during the teaching process. Inevitably someone will ask me a question that I don’t know the answer to. What a great way for us to learn together! Wonderful, wise and witty post (as always)!!!
Yes, everything is a process and we’re always learning. I think having experience is more important than being “successful” when teaching.
I think it helps to be successful at the subject one is teaching before teaching it to someone else (for example, I wouldn’t attempt to teach someone astrophysics, LOL!), but I do agree that teaching is a learning opportunity and allows us to better understand what we teach.
Absolutely! I would not attempt to teach feeling I have valuable experience and knowledge and insight that my client or student can benefit from. Beginner’s mind, and continued curiosity whether teacher or student. Thanks so much for sharing, Pam.
I agree with you Jul’s. We teach best what we need to learn ourselves. Thank you so much for all your helpful blogs. I find them extremely helpful. Bring on some more.
Mery
Thanks so much! So glad you found my post helpful, and thank you for the encouragement to bring on some more…will do!