STABILISE BEFORE YOU MOBILISE
Coaching is built around movement; helping people get from where they are to where they want to be. What happens when a client is not yet ready to move? What happens when action, however well-intentioned, comes too soon?
In the third article of his five-part series on coaching through uncertainty and emotional strain, Andrew McDowell, psychologist, Partner at TPC Health, TPC Leadership and TPC Coaching Academy, makes the case for stabilising before mobilising.
The argument is straightforward. When clients are under pressure, the shift from "what is" to "what's next" requires more than momentum. It requires a settled foundation. Without it, action tends to produce motion rather than progress.
It is one of the more quietly challenging aspects of coaching practice — knowing when to move and when to wait.
Read the third article on LinkedIn Pulse →
Knowing when to stabilise and when to mobilise is a skill that develops through practice, not just theory. Andrew brings this kind of thinking directly into TPC Coaching Academy programmes as an expert facilitator.
The Coach Practitioner qualification builds the ability to read what a client needs at each stage of a conversation and how to respond with confidence. You learn the frameworks, apply them in real coaching sessions, and leave with the skills to use them from day one.
Series: This is article 3 of 5 in Andrew McDowell's series on coaching through uncertainty and emotional strain. Read article 1 and article 2, or keep an eye on the Insights page for the remaining articles as they are published.