Do you bring your other “hats”​?

“What a teacher and a coach/writer could have in common?”, you might ask.

It turns out…a lot!

While I had a specific question in mind, I went to the meeting with an open mind to see what we’ll come up with. I also brought several “hats” with me, ready to take out of my sleeves the ones that will suit the situation better.

What do I mean by “hats”?

• As a Coach (one “hat”) and Workshop Designer/Facilitator (other two “hats”) I’m interested in helping people shift their perspectives to become happier, more successful, and build a better world for all of us.

• As a Writer (another “hat”), I asked for this meeting because I was curious how I can reach out to parents who could benefit from my book Navigating the Relationship Landscape* to improve the relationship with their children. (French edition: Relations harmonieuses: Carte routière pour naviguer avec aisance**). I have a strong belief that parenthood shouldn’t rely only on personal experience if we want to “equip” children with life skills that will make them more resilient in such an ever-changing world.

• And as Founder and President of the Immigrant Writers Association (IWA) – another “hat” – I was curious what will emerge from our discussion that could be of interest to Alice, her association, and IWA.

Well, when two introverts get together…a coffee meeting becomes a brainstorming session on what’s possible! Oh boy! Ideas were flowing, and we both got a lot from that discussion. Fortunately, we couldn’t stay longer – otherwise, we’ll probably still be there – so we wrapped up with a draft action plan.

I loved how Alice put a spin on my interest in helping children and teenagers: since they spend a lot of time in school, teachers could also be interested in the topic of that book. So she invited me to do a workshop at the next ACEI meeting since their members are both teachers and parents. And I was happy to hear that Alice is already working on a book project. Besides answering her questions about structuring a non-fiction book and publishing, I found her interested in what IWA has to offer.

During my workshop for the ACEI members – held last Saturday – I “wear” my various “hats.” While the Workshop Facilitator was busy delivering, the Workshop Designer was taking mental notes on how the workshop could be improved based on the discussions and feedback received. The Coach got involved while answering the participants’ questions, to bust some limiting beliefs that showed up. And the IWA President was busy noticing how the ACEI meeting was organized and got some new ideas!

I loved how Alice took the time toward the end of the meeting, to present the main topic of their next session – especially WHY they should attend! It’s an interesting topic: “How to prepare the children for the future of work.” Hint: creativity will be highly valued since the routine work can be easily replaced with AI and robots. If you don’t know how to teach a child programming skills even without a computer, maybe you too should attend the next ACEI meeting! (it’s in French)

Don’t you love ACEI’s focus on helping both parents and teachers to overcome their challenges and build a better future? I do!

Oh, I forgot to mention my Business Building “hat”! This one got involved in all the stages: asking for the meeting, informing my other “hats” how they can help “it” while designing a draft plan for mutual benefit; and even how to structure the workshop and the evaluation forms in a way that could also benefit my business.

Everyone seemed happy at the end. But wait, it seems to be just the beginning! Alice and I already talked the next day about other projects we could do together.

To me, it’s obvious that Alice is also taking into consideration all her “hats” in whatever she does.

Now back to you:

How many “hats” do you wear? When you talk to someone, do you pay attention to all your “hats”? And are you still open to what else could emerge?

Hey, don’t ignore my questions if you think that you don’t have so many “hats” as Alice and I do. I bet you have at least two!

Leave a comment below to share your thoughts on this, if you’re inclined to! 🙂

~ Gabriela Casineanu, MSc, MBA, ORSC

ThoughtsDesigner.com • GabrielaCasineanu.com • Amazon.com/author/gabrielacasineanu

*Navigating the Relationship Landscape – is available on Amazon (US, Canada,…)

**Relations harmonieuses: Carte routière pour naviguer avec aisance – is available on Amazon (US, Canada,…)