The Power of New Perspective for Making Decisions

By Gary Bamberger

A while back, my mentor and friend was counseling another friend concerning a major purchase decision for her husband. My mentor asked, “If your husband had only six months to live, what would you do?” That question altered our friend’s perspective, and she immediately decided she would go ahead with the purchase, even though her husband was (and is) in fantastic health.  Let’s face it, though. Who hasn’t heard of a situation where someone died unexpectedly, and the surviving family and friends had sentiments left unspoken and/or things left un-done.

Wow, what a golden nugget this new perspective was for me! I started using this new perspective to make some of my decisions. I started simple…like considering whether to let my dog sniff to her hearts delight while taking her on a walk. I graduated to using this perspective for bigger decisions, like whether to take an expensive family vacation that promised to be very memorable (and boy was it!).

This is an example of a powerful question that a coach would ask. A powerful question is an open ended question that forces us to answer from somewhere deep within us and often brings new perspectives to light. Think back to a major decision that you made in your life. How beneficial would it have been to have had a coach standing beside you, supporting you and working with you while making your decision? The skills of a good coach to enable the examination of multiple possibilities from various perspectives is invaluable.

This is a part of what Turning Point Coaching, LLC offers. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about coaching, please contact me.