A Small Fanboy Moment in Rome

There are moments when you meet someone whose work has shaped your thinking and for a few seconds you forget how to speak normally. That happened to me recently in Rome.

One of the speakers at the conference was Hae Sun Moon, author of The A to Z of Coaching, a book I have long admired.

On a scale of 3-18 this was a 19 3/4 moment

Her work explores the weight and influence of language in coaching, and the subtle ways emphasis changes meaning. It is thoughtful, practical, and deeply human.

Her presentation in carried that same quality. Sharp ideas delivered lightly. Clear examples. Gentle humour. No unnecessary performance.

Just someone completely at ease with both the material and the audience. (I spend a lot of time speaking myself, and when you watch someone do it exceptionally well, it is a genuine pleasure to behold.)

Even better, I managed to introduce myself afterwards.

We spoke briefly about scaling questions, one of the ideas from her presentation that particularly resonated with me, and I got a photograph as well.

A small fanboy moment and also a reminder that sometimes the people whose work helps shape your thinking turn out to be every bit as thoughtful and generous in person as you hoped they would be.