Behavioural business coaching is full of contradictory advice.
Thinking positive or facing fears? Envision a desired future or worst case scenario? Consider it done or take nothing for granted? Be authentic or fake it till you make it? Be playful or be serious?
Most pairs of contradicting advise look paradoxical when posited in flat 2-dimensional models. If seeming contradictions are placed into 3- or 4- (time) dimensional context they often make sense in combination – sometimes even reinforce each other.
A function of dimensions is mental orientation. Without (to give a simplistic example) a time dimension, things conflate into a dilemma artificially: Watch a single parking spot without a time dimension and you immediately get the dilemma: “car A or car B ?“. With a time dimension the paralyzing (or violence inciting) dilemma turns instead into an inspiring logistic challenge of “car A and car B subsequently“.
The problem with business coaching is similar to playing chess: knowing the rules does not mean we play well. There is no playing well without awareness of the relevant dimensions concerning a problem or goal.