From the Ashes to the Summit is one of those books driven by one person’s personal experience from which we can all learn a lesson. I’m not usually a fan of the “motivational speaker” approach to inspiration; I find they are either stories from people in the sporting world who are successful because they are so much more driven and focused on the average, or some cheesy heartrending life story overly dramatised for impact

Juan Carlos Mejia’s story is different. Being in a coma is not an experience that many people will ever go through but the way that Juan has written this makes it accessible to everyone. Yes, his drivers were somewhat extreme but the accidental nature of it all makes it easier for us to relate to; it is possible to relate traumas and tragedies in one’s own life more easily.

We’ve all had crises and setbacks in our lives, albeit hopefully not on this scale. Juan Carlos writes in a very accessible way and draw some great conclusions about how to survive and thrive during and following a crisis.

One factor he describes is the need to have purpose. Anyone familiar with the Forton group coaching model knows this is where we start. For us, it’s about vision, values, and ideal self. Juan Carlos focuses on vision and uses the phrase I liked “remember that the more detailed, specific, and vivid it is, the easier it will be to evoke it whenever you need it”

From this, his What moves on to alignment with How. Again, I think coaches can see parallels in how we support people with his story. Equally, leaders can take lessons from Juan Carlos’ approach to planning and anticipating when embarking on change projects