Inflection Points. Matt Spielman

Inflection Points - Matt Spielman


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Peter shared with me when I started working with him: just because you are good at something, doesn't mean you should do it.

      On the first day of coaching, he confessed he was sick and tired of shorting Chipotle stock—waiting for a bad quarter or a salmonella outbreak so he could get out of the position at the right time to make money for the fund. That can be a very negative worldview, setting up to strike when others find failure.

      We worked through specific exercises and identified what would be meaningful for him. Darren was drawn, in the end, toward working in nonprofit or some sort of service. He wanted the opportunity to do some good. Contribute more, in his eyes. Others would indeed see “good” in betting against an organization—sending a message to an organization that they need to do better. It is one of the tools of accountability. It's not my, or anybody's, role to tell somebody what their definition of “good” is. Rather, it is to foster a discussion—and a partnership—to help them realize what it is for them. For Darren, he identified what would generate more energy and provide more meaning to his day-to-day.

      He had the courage to take a jump, and now he's excited about what he does every day. His daily life is in alignment with his desire to express himself, and he's much happier for it. It was a deliberate and intentional move, informed by conversations and exploration.

      What Darren, many other clients, and I, myself, could tell you is that one of the reasons people can be hesitant to examine their lives is that they are worried about what they will learn. There is the risk that you would look at your life and suddenly realize you are on the wrong path completely. Are you going to need to make drastic changes?

      These are emotionally charged questions and considerations, and they constitute one of the major impediments that your GPS must navigate around. I've created a step-by-step process where I can help people identify the right questions to ask and what to do with the answers we find. I work through them with clients and it helps them crystalize their ideas about where they are as well as where they want to be. Where they are today and where they want to be tomorrow.

      Do they look me in the eye when speaking? How does their body language change? What about the tone of their voice, their facial expressions, and speed of speaking? As we discuss various topics, they may sit up straighter, relax the furrows in their brow, and maybe even smile slightly. Generally, when I tell my clients what I've seen on this energy trail, they're responsive, intrigued, and inspired toward further exploration. It's a very natural progression, asking questions and observing a client's intuitive answers. Energy is how we express ourselves on the most fundamental and honest levels. What lights you up?

      There is one thing that is vital to understand: the change (or changes) you need and want might not be a giant one. Drastic overhaul is not for everybody. You may not need to completely jump industries or change companies—or even roles—to find the sort of transformation that will reinvigorate your existence. Thousands of coaching sessions say drastic change is often not required.

      Coaching from this positive angle, my clients and I focus on where they excel and what causes them to feel animated and alive. We then ascertain the concrete changes they can make to help draw more of those positives into their lives. I also use a variety of tools to identify their strengths, innate preferences, and predilections—and we put those to work.

      There's a reason I named my coaching company Inflection Point. It's a term from mathematics that shows a single point on an XY-axis where a slope changes direction. The formula of an inflection shows where a line will go, and how its course will change.

      Whether the change is macro or micro, the most important thing is taking that first step toward finding your contribution to the world. This is the path that gives your life meaning.

      Your path may be running a Fortune 500 company. It may be going on your own as an entrepreneur and disrupting an entire industry. It could be teaching the fourth grade. It could be performing as a cello virtuoso. It could be to thrive in your current role or excel in one to which you were just promoted. Everyone's answer is going to be a little different. That's the way it should be. The important part is finding what will help you embrace your strengths and develop a position that will allow you to put those assets into play, and make way for your success.

      It took me decades to recognize the difference between what I should do and what I wanted to do (what really…); moving from clue to clue, I learned


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