By Jeff Copper, MBA, PCC, PCAC, CPCC, ACG – July 20, 2026
I’d like to share with you one of my favorite quotes. I’m pretty sure that it will stop you in your tracks and make you think… that is if you give yourself the time to study it:
“The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we fail to notice, there is little we can do to change until we notice how failing to notice shapes our thoughts and deeds.” ~Daniel Goleman
Wow! As you can see, there is a lot going on in this quote, which is why it has always held such meaning for me. But I think what jumps out the most about it are the words “fail to notice what we fail to notice.” It seems to me that this is the very definition of being close-minded, and when a person or society is close-minded, there is little we can do to change that. So, what does this have to do with coaching? A lot!
You could say coaching is centered on noticing what has not been noticed. From a purely logical perspective, if we noticed what we were supposed to notice, we wouldn’t need a coach, right? Let me give you some examples to further illustrate my point…
- Most people notice what they can’t do. A coach notices what they can do.
- Most people notice that they procrastinate. A coach notices that they procrastinate when they are unclear or bored.
- Most people notice what a person with ADHD can’t pay attention to. A coach notices what they consistently pay attention to.
- A golfer notices he has a slice. A coach notices that the slice resonates from the way he draws his club back.
- An entrepreneur notices she is overwhelmed. A coach notices she doesn’t know how to delegate.
The point is that noticing what you fail to notice isn’t necessarily easy, but it is a lot easier if you notice how failing to notice impacts your forward progress. So, the next time you are stuck, pause and pay attention to what you are failing to notice. If you are having trouble, get an unbiased person to help or hire a coach! Helping you notice what you fail to notice is what they do best.