I’ve been asked by a few people lately why I named my business Creative Vectors Coaching. I chose the name to reflect my understanding of what coaching is.
A vector is a term from maths and physics that has direction and magnitude and is illustrated with an arrow and a number.
If coaching is about change and action, then you need to know where you are now and where you want to be. Mapping those two points gives a direction that could be thought of as an arrow pointing to the future. A vector’s magnitude is traditionally a measure of a force, like acceleration. In coaching terms, the force that will move you in the direction you want to go in is your motivation, courage and your internal and external resources. So at the end of coaching you should have a clear understanding of what you want and how you are going to get it. That’s your vector.
And why creative? Coaching is a process of discovery. By working with a coach, you should be able to create new perspectives, new ideas. The coach won’t collude with you, letting you go round in the same circle of thoughts you’ve been stuck with, but should challenge you to step beyond your current thinking to create something new, even if that is just your current reality seen from a different viewpoint.
For me, coaching is about science, like vectors. It is underpinned with lots of rigorous thinking, models and theories, some less, some more backed up with research and evidence. But it’s also about art. Something human and individual; something socially constructed that stands beyond the vocabulary of positivist science. Coaching might involve intuition, inspiration, playfulness. So the matching of a scientific term like vector and an arty word like creative feels just right.
If you would like to find your creative vector, get in touch for a free-of-charge, no obligation discussion about how I can help.
