What do we learn when we take off the Red Epaulets? Part -2-

My next career is as a Life Coach, I have done the Cert IV in life coaching and will soon have the piece of paper that says that is what I am, and I am wishing that I had done this as a SAO in my first year out, what I am learning is not necessarily new, but it is stuff that has taken me nearly half a century to pick up and I see this as one of those activities that can very quickly put ‘old heads on young shoulders’. What has impressed me so much with life coaching is that it is all about people and why they do what they do, and how they can literally fulfill all their hopes and aspirations. Within Fundraising we often find that we are over educated on ‘How too..’ but deficient in the ‘Why too..’ (excuse my grammar). Within the Church/Army, and I was guilty of it as well, we focused on ‘this is what we believe, and this is how we do it, rather than realizing that our oft quoted uniqueness also attaches itself to our beliefs as well. I have read with dismay over recent months words that seem to divide us into Real Christians whose beliefs are as the writer feels they should be and the rest of us who it seems should be bowing to their greater knowledge or revelation or enlightenment. A recent discussion on the Army’s lack of recognizing spiritual gifts, in my experience is that it is often a veiled excuse around ‘I have not got the exulted position that I should have so I am going to take my marbles and go home’. It’s a very sad destructive power play to hold the army to ransom and justify bizarre actions. I also have examples from my end of the world. In many of the discussions of Spiritual gifts we gloss over the fact that they need to be recognized and validated by the faith body; that means the congregation and also the organization to which we are aligned too. ‘Complaining about the DC’ is such an antiquated means of justification that it needs to be left behind.

So in one of my current roles of fundraising trainer I am in the process of putting together a seminar where we look at Professional Development, the ‘How too’ stuff but I also want to add to that the ‘Why too’ in the form of developing life skills. My philosophy is that if you make better people they will be better fundraisers. This can be extrapolated out to any profession.

So in all this I have learned that the importance of people is what, for me, this life is all about. I have a strong faith and in my fantasy moments I do see myself one day walking the Streets of Gold meeting my maker, meeting all the people of faith from the east and the west who will sit down in the Kingdom of God. There are questions that I want to ask of the Founder and I have already planned the Army Band that is going to welcome me in to heaven, made up of all the people that I have played with or wanted to play with over the years, the music is also planned, and I want to talk with my mum who died before I realized how important people are in our lives. Yes, I know it is fantasy and possibly will be very different; but in that time the people who come from the east and the west to sit down in the Kingdom of God, will not be judged on what they did, nor will they be judged on what they believe.

Officership, Fundraising, Life Coaching and so many other things that I, and all of us, have done have one thing in common. It’s all about the people. One of the principles that are promoted through Life Coaching is 'you get what you focus on’. I want to focus on people and how I can support and encourage them in their individual journey. What they believe or how they do it is their responsibility. There is no greater compliment that anyone can receive but to be called Barnabus – Son of Encouragement.

Peter Fletcher
Former Officer
Australia