As a friend shook the snow off her umbrella, she remarked that spring is a little late this year. I really cannot remember previous years in enough detail to either confirm or contradict her statement. I am aware that the mornings are getting light earlier and the evenings are getting dark later, so spring seems to be arriving now.

Whether seasons arrive late or early, plants and wild animals seem able to have an auto-pilot system that adjusts their rate and pace of development. No matter when growth begins, they reach their best at exactly the time that is right for them and the continuation of the species.

Humans, however, need more sensitive mechanisms to cover a wider range of developmental progress. There are countless examples of infant prodigies who ‘burned out’ whilst still in their teens. There are eminent experts in many fields who were, by their own admissions, far from brilliant at school. For most of us the truth is probably somewhere between these extremes and on our own auto-pilot (with the odd correction from parents and teachers) we do the best we can with the information and skills that are available to us at the time.

When coaching clients seems to grasp the plot in a trice, they are no better or worse than those who need more time. They are just different. Respect their right to reach their best at exactly the time that is right for them and the acquisition of the growth that they need.

Some of our delegates are fast learners. Some take longer. This is not a problem because we accommodate these variables when we plan our courses. What matters to us more than anything else is that every delegate or student gains the information that they need, when they are ready for it and that it will provide them with tools that will last a lifetime.