A Coaching Power Tool By Nishtha Mehta, Corporate Innovation & Transitions Coach, CHINA
The Cha-Cha Power Tool: Step Back vs. Step Forward
In other words, Step back to Step forward
My power tool as part of my coaching niche: ‘Transitions’ in Business, Innovation, and Leadership.
My coaching power tool is ‘Cha-Cha: Step back vs. step forward’ is a power reflection tool to facilitate people to move from stuck to unstuck mode.
Inspiration comes from the famous Spanish dance movement called “Cha-Cha”
Walking or dancing steps often involve different natural movements to move ahead in the rhythm:
- forward
- backward
- sidesteps
- rock step
There is a famous saying by Vladimir Lenin that goes something like this:
It is necessary sometimes to take one step backward to take two steps forward.
To be able to transition, move forward towards your goal, and move from stuck to unstuck we need to change our point of ‘view’, and point of ‘reference’. Transition in career, innovation roles, leadership roles, country moves, etc. can’t happen by just being in that same spot. You don’t have to push forward from the same spot. Pulling yourself a bit backward to build capacity and momentum and then charging forward works better. This shift can come from the ‘step back to step forward’ power tool. You can also think of this as a mantra one tries to practice in stuck situations or tough decision-making situations.
Imagine this. You are driving a car and on a road trip. Suddenly you realize that your car is auto-breaking and now fuel is not enough to continue on the same road at the same speed as the next fuel station is 10 km ahead. There is a likelihood of the car breaking down within a 2 km distance with 2 liters of fuel left. 3 choices you can make:
Choice 1 –Stay where you are and call someone (costly both time-wise and money-wise)
Choice 2 – Continue ahead on the same road and take the risk in the hope that you’ll bump into someone who can lend you extra fuel
Choice 3 – Turn into a different route and use a road less traveled to a nearby town’s fuel station (which is just a few km detour and the risk of breakdown can be accepted with the stamina to physically push the car for a few meters)
Which choice will likely get you closer to your ambition with the least amount of stress and time cost and see the light of hope? Choice 3 in my case J. Choice 3 here is somewhat like the Cha-Cha dancing steps I outlined above – forward, backward, sidesteps, rock steps. Try it.
To aim for an excellent shot, we also need to pull the arrow backward. So when life or our career milestone or just a situation ever feels like dragging us back, taking a pause and stepping away can put us in a clearer view, to launch back into something great.
Cha-Cha: Step Back vs. Step Forward
Now, consider this every time you find yourself stuck or at a crossroads or threatened or clouded or simply when asked to make a decision. Step back vs. Step forward. What will give you a clearer mind? What will give you a potential edge? You are driving your career, family, life car, and if you ever feel stuck in that moment, that position, that thought. Don’t rush to react, not respond. Sometimes in silence pausing and stepping away (physically or in intention) can be super helpful to clear the mind and space to ‘build capacity’ before steering in the right step. Remind yourself of this power tool and perhaps make that dance move “Cha-Cha – Step back to Step Forward”. Consider any of these or all of these –
- Accepting is the most difficult part. Yet the best first step. Expectations get you caught up in thinking something should be a certain way. The fact is that there are many ways and accepting helps us clear space to step in a new direction that we hadn’t thought of.
- Recognizing the signs. We often get caught up on the weaker links and negative signs. Natural. If that happens again, try to find the stronger links and latch onto them. Nishtha’s biggest lesson has been that she should not wait to step back when water is over the bridge in a situation. The benefit of stepping back at the peak of her corporate career helped her to have an encouraging start on her entrepreneurial career
- Liberating the guilt.Again, when we remind ourselves that stepping back is important to deal with a situation with 100% focus or self-care which will give a better output, then time to say bye-bye to guilt. Nishtha also shared one story when she decided to take a short break in the middle of an intense project to survive the stress and reconnect with an old girlfriend by leaving her son back home with the day for 3 days. Being a good working mom is not defined by absence but quality of presence and bonding.
- Getting ready to plunge. If and when we find ourselves in situations of having to step back or step aside – unplanned or planned, take conscious measures to empty ourselves and go on with a continuous learning mindset. Invest in your own professional upskilling and offer your experiences to mentor others or even volunteer in your areas of interest. Don’t just rely on your company or boss to arrange training for you. Gone are the days. As you explore new directions, and new steps forward, fuel yourself with a depth of certain skills and fresh talented minds in the network that will boost your insights and contribution to the choice you made.
Appendix:
My power tool also came to light with a lot of live mindset and perspective shifts from the audience, bringing out fellow attendees’ stories, questions, and feedback in a recent “IPWS – International Professional Women’s Society’ industry breakfast session in Shanghai. A few snapshots are below.
Recap by the organizer’s basis my framework and stories
