Coaching Is a Lot Like Gardening
A creative cohort who writes for a sports publication identified three phases of coaching that he sees with athletes: nurturer, guide, and tough love. The same three phases apply to book coaches — and gardeners. I split my time between book coaching and olive gardening; let’s take a look at each.
When an olive sapling is planted, a deep hole is dug to allow a supportive root system to grow, a large dose of fertilizer is mixed in with the soil that will surround the roots, and water is added to the hole, which is then filled in. The tiny tree is loosely tied to a support, slightly larger than the sapling’s trunk, to keep it upright. The plant at this stage is watered often, encouraged to grow deeper and taller without worrying …