INsight/ Engaging Your Copilot
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Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash.
Manila, 31 August 2023 — Why engaging a copilot is essential in your life story.
Story
It happened last week. During my travels to Europe and then back to Asia, I learned about many people’s stories. Some were happy stories of flourishing in life and thriving at work, while others were sad stories of languishing or even withdrawing from a full life of relationships with others. What brought them to a state of flourishing or languishing, I wondered.
Among the many factors influencing their lives, it seemed to me that their mindset and mental well-being made an important difference in how their stories turned out. As human beings, each of us will experience both positive and negative emotions every day, week, and year. The question, in my experience, is about how we observe and process these emotions in creating our life stories, and if we do that all by ourselves or by getting some help.
That’s when the metaphor of the copilot struck me. The task of flying a plane with hundreds of passengers on board is complex, just like the challenge of piloting our lives. The captain of the plane, however, has a copilot to help him or her, and that makes a big difference. As passengers, we would definitely feel uncomfortable if we knew that the captain was all alone in the cockpit. Thankfully, there is a copilot.
Challenge
As I tested the copilot metaphor to understand how I have piloted my life so far, I realized how mentors and coaches have played a key role in helping me navigate a host of challenges over the years. Whenever I took on a new challenge, they served as my copilots for getting me safely through the transition.
Some of my copilots were executives in my workplaces who took the time and interest to guide me, especially when I moved from one role to the next. Other copilots were coaches who gave me their professional support as I navigated my life transition from international water specialist to professional leadership coach over the past 15 years.
Currently, I’m fortunate to have as my copilot Master Coach Julia Stewart, the co-founder of the International Association of Positive Psychology Coaches. She is helping me to incorporate the latest research about personal strengths, values, and visions into my coaching, with specific tools to help my clients shift their mindset and mental well-being from negative to positive in their work and life. That opens the door to making the best use of new possibilities in their careers.
Question
My question for you this week is to reflect on who your copilots were when you navigated important transitions in your life. And, more importantly, to reflect on who you will engage as copilot to help you navigate your current or next life transition.
To bring out the best of yourself in your work and life is a complex task, like piloting a large passenger plane. A lot is at stake and doing it all by yourself is not a wise decision. That’s where mentors and coaches come in, to serve as your copilots.
While the experiences of mentors can give you substantive guidance in your organization, coaches will bring the professional support you need to help you navigate your current or next transition with all the challenges that come with it. That includes working on the mindset and mental well-being that will determine how your life story turns out.
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