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May

8

“Peeling the onion” helps to uncover our true goals.

May 8, 2008 |

One of the tools coaches use to help clients uncover their true wishes and goals is sometimes referred to as ”peeling the onion.” Layer by layer of intention are examined and peeled back until the client is left with the “real” goal or goals. At that point, more effective strategies and solutions can be developed to reach the client’s goals.

So says executive coach William R. Murray on his Emotional Intelligence, Resilience and Leadership Blog.

Knowing your answers at a deep level gives you great energy to be resilient—to deal with life’s setbacks. Usually your first answer is not the final word. You need to dig deeper.

Using the example of a company VP who was upset that a subordinate was not turning in a report on time, Murray walked the client through the examination process with a series of probing questions. After looking more closely at his situation and “peeling the onion,” the VP discovered that he had several goals, including keeping a good relationship with his CEO and getting the subordinate to take responsibility for the report. With that clarity of intention at a deeper level, the VP was ready to come up with more useful strategies for working out the problems and getting what he wanted.