I received an email last week. The heading read “update on your LinkedIn accelerator program application”. I was excited for a few seconds, and then….
“Thank you for applying to the LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program in India. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer you a spot in our launch cohort. Demand for the inaugural class was incredibly high. We received many applications and had to make tough choices among the high-quality applicants to select the 200 creators in this cohort.”
With a tinge of envy and a hefty dose of self-doubt, I now watch 200 fellow LinkedIn members begin their journey as part of the first batch of the India Accelerator program. Was my idea not good enough? Did I not spend enough time putting my entry together? What went wrong ? and a host of other questions come running into my mind. All that excitement was suddenly replaced with a storm of other emotions.
How I respond to a situation is all that I control, I remind myself. “Be honest, with yourself…”, I tell myself. I felt irritable. I looked at some of the folks selected and studied their profiles. “What have they got that I don’t have?” I ask and then I catch myself, before I go too far down that road.
A better question is “What have I got, that I wanted this program to help me bring to life?” I still have the very same idea, it lives within me. Am I still passionate about it? Well, luckily the answer is yes. It is an idea that brings together three C’s – the worlds of Communication, Community, and Coaching. Instead of joyfully announcing my inclusion in a program that could have moved my idea forward, today is an opportunity for me to introspect, slow down and think through what I learnt from this experience. Then put my foot on the accelerator again.
An idea waits to be born, the time will come when a set of actions emerge, that can transform lives. Today is for introspection. The power of coaching to enhance self-awareness. To keep me honest with myself and to help me act in alignment with my ideas is at work. I would love to enable many more people in the world to have a taste of what that feels like.
I was hoping the LinkedIn Accelerator Program would help me take coaches and coaching to places that they have never explored before. Making coaching accessible to all, will make the world a nicer and healthier place to live. Coaching can and does enable mental wellness.
“Asking for help isn’t giving up,” said the horse “…it’s refusing to give up” Charlie Mackesy – The Boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse.
I want people to see coaching like this. As a source of support and help for the strong.
And that is the journey that I am on. “Stay strong and carry on,” I tell myself. Continue to ask for help and to offer it. When one door closes another will open. I must have the courage to share my non-selection to this program, because for sure I would have shown off my selection with joy and excitement. The gory details are as important as the glory ones. These emotions related to not getting selected are equally real and share worth. They have much to teach me if I accepted them instead of blocking them or sweeping them under the carpet.
I remember reading somewhere, about the power of the messy middle. I am in the messy middle of my journey. A journey committed to helping build a “coaching culture” in the world, using my skills as a communicator, in service of the community that I live and work in. A bump in the road or an unexpected curve simply means that I must slow down to navigate it. Like any experienced driver, as the road opens up again, I will then change gear and accelerate.
In the midst of all that gore, lurks glory. What does your messy middle have to teach you? Learn from it and get set to accelerate, the road will open up when you are ready.
The views and opinions published here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of the publisher.
A trusted coaching and communications professional, Nikhil Dey is a certified life and leadership coach (International Coach Federation - ICF). Nurturing talent and helping clients achieve their goals is what makes him happy. He loves learning from students of communication, teaching courses and guest lecturing at various educational institutions. When he is not working you will find him on the tennis court or out for long walks with his family and four legged friends.
Previously he has held senior leadership positions at Weber Shandwick and Genesis BCW.
He can be reached on twitter @deydreaming
Wonderful piece Nikhil..from the heart , and a powerful example of self-coaching✨ TFS