text: Was the Exodus from Egypt the first foray into Coaching? – Mensch
  Written by Bryan Opert
  Pesach is not about the Exodus; it only starts with the Exodus. It is about the creation of a nation that can look after themselves – whether they appear to be on the edge of chaos or just journeying towards contentment. G-d was in fact the first coach!
  ''Man is born free and everywhere he is in chains.'' This opening line of Rousseau's 'The Social Contract' summarises his philosophical system. While I do not claim to be an expert on Rousseau, I do however find the contrast between this quote (from the 1700's) to that of Victor Frankel's – who survived the Holocaust, as fascinating.
  Coaching is built on the idea that the quality of everything we do depends on how we think about it first.
  Nancy Kline in her book 'Time to Think' enumerates 10 components required to create a Thinking Environment. Within such an environment the coach makes space for the coachee to think for themselves with rigour, imagination, courage and grace. The coach listens, asks incisive questions and sometime nudges the client to imagine solutions they had not previously considered.
  This wisdom is ancient. It is taught as a narrative in the Biblical Exodus story.
  This story is not about freeing a motley, spiritually broken clan and creating a powerful nation. There were easier ways to achieve this! This narrative is one of an unfolding of the power of individuals and true leadership. The lessons are eternal. This is possibly a very early example of coaching!
  They are faced with the sea and successfully cross it, they are forced to collect manna, they prepare for the Divine Revelation, and ultimately they are able to protect themselves when attacked by the nation of Amalek. For 40 years they develop a resilience in their ability to bounce back from adversity. They built a set of personal strengths – so they not only coped, but thrived. This is so beautifully shown as their children too learned these skills as they entered their Promised Land.
  This is the REAL LESSON OF PESACH.
  To watch each participant drawing on their own inner wisdom manifesting and actively using it to improve their lives and those around them – is like watching a contemporary re-enactment of the Biblical Exodus – The Story of Pesach. It is indeed an honour.
  Bryan Opert is a valued member of the Mensch Network who has generously given his time to coaching other Network Members.
  2021-03-25T21:48:15+02:00March 25th, 2021|Mensch Thought-Leaders|Comments Off on Was the Exodus from Egypt the first foray into Coaching?