Internal Voices

A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of success. Anon.

Tim Gallwey, college professor-turned tennis pro-turned corporate consultant, focuses his theory on the workplace. He says we have two internal voices:

Self 1 is the teacher voice: "Do this. Don’t do that. What a lousy shot!"
Self 2 is our human potential. We had it as children, learning to walk, for example, without any formal instruction. For most of us, our command-and-control Self 1 shouts down Self 2.

Gallwey proposes that our potential to learn and work productively, with enjoyment, comes only when we stop interfering with the process. To accomplish that, Gallwey offers three principles for learning and coaching: awareness, trust, and choice.

The Power of Nonjudgmental Awareness Rather than perceive an approaching ball—or work situation—as a threat, maintain a nonjudgmental focus on things as they are.

Trust in Self 2 Trust yourself and your natural capacity to learn. Let go of Self 1’s inferior control system. The heart of Gallwey’s process, this principle must be learned "over and over in each new situation."

Keep Choice with the Choice-maker As coach or principal, you realize that A) command-and-control will meet with resistance, and B) "when choices for learning and change are allowed to be self-initiated and self-regulated, they become more comprehensive as well as more enjoyable."