Anarchy, Punk and Coaching

A few days ago I realised that for me, coaching's about anarchy - self-government for the individual. Being yourself, taking control of your life. John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, is after 30 years still one of my greatest heroes, because that was his message too. That's what I want to get out of coaching, and that's what I want to give to my clients.

So yesterday evening it was slightly spooky that an excellent film about the history of punk, its roots and its legacy was on the TV. It was fascinating - really thorough, and featuring many bands I'd only been dimly aware of, and who I'll definitely be tracking down at the record shops - Suicide, The MC5, and James Chance and the Contortions for a start.

The film identified the punk attitude in the ways people challenged all sorts of orthodoxies in the 60s - and of course the roots of coaching and self-development are to be found in exactly the same cultural context.

So that grabbed my attention - suddenly the idea of being a punk coach starts to make sense...