Global Institute of Organizational Coaching

Global Coaching Certification

Dr. Peggy Marshall

Finishing the Year Strong

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Everything big starts little.
            -Author Unknown

We are quickly approaching the last quarter of 2020 and it has certainly been a VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) time for most of us.  With this blog, I want to introduce the concept of the Twelve Week Year as a potential process for achieving our goals.  One of my former sales teams used the book “The Twelve Week Year” by Brian Moran as a framework for setting and achieving goals. The concept behind a twelve-week year is that in chunking down our year into four segments of twelve weeks each, we create expanded opportunities for success.  When you think about it, this suggestion makes a ton of sense.  Many of us want the fourth quarter to be stellar so using this process may give you the jump start on goals that require accountability and measurement over the last twelve week time frame of this year potentially leading to greater success with goal attainment.  Experimenting with this process also sets us up for success with 2021 goals.

Other authors have supported the concept of breaking goals down into manageable parts.  Jack Canfield in “The Success Principles” advises us to break down our goals to avoid being overwhelmed by the expected outcomes.  He shares that by using mind maps as well as connecting with other individuals who have accomplished what we are about to undertake allows us to build action steps that align our behaviors with success.  David Allen in “Getting Things Done” refers to this process as going from the ‘Big Picture” to the nitty-gritty.  In getting to the nitty-gritty, we focus on behaviors and tools that allow us to accomplish tasks at the level that work really happens.  There are many other authors that guide the process of chunking down goals so there must be at least one that can help you think differently about your fourth quarter goals!

The Twelve Week Year uses three principles which are the foundation for the process: accountability, commitment and greatness in the moment.  Essentially, accountability means we have freedom of choice but once we make that choice we have an ownership to see it through.  Commitment is the personal promise we make to ourselves once we have made the choice and from their perspective is accountability projected into the future.  Greatness in the moment refers to the willingness to do the things that lead you into your greatest success-even when you may not want to.

Next, the authors share the five execution disciplines which are the foundations for consistent action.  The first is vision.  What is your vision for yourself? Do you have a clear picture of what you want to happen?  Do your personal and business visions align?  When we are able to align these two visions, it creates an emotional connection needed for sustainment of commitment and continual consistent action and it becomes our “why”.

12 week year

Once the vision in place, action begins in working the plan.  The purpose of an effective plan is to clarify and focus behaviors on highest priority initiatives and action steps.  This plan becomes your road map to success.  John Norcross in “Changeology” also advises that we need a plan prior to engaging in our goals.  The author shares that resistance to planning is fed by our drive to begin immediately on the goal relinquishing any roadmap to guide the process.  One of the quickest ways to derail change efforts is to not have a plan for how one will reach success.  It is only when we give structure to our goals by planning the steps to accomplish them do we increase the opportunities for success.  Matthew Kelly in “The Rhythm of Life” includes the question “how am I going to get there” in his list of five questions.  He adds that humanity has been asking this question consciously or unconsciously since the beginning of time which shows that we have understood the importance of planning for a really long time!

Planning is followed by process control which begins with the identification of tools and actions that align daily with the most important steps for ultimate success.  Ensuring that you focus your time on critical actions for success is essential to creating the outcomes you want.  Tools and actions are followed by measurement.  Often we can identify goals and what actions steps we need in order to accomplish our goals yet we frequently forget how and what we are going to measure.  What I like about the Twelve Week Year process is that you evaluate yourself daily.  Without a consistent process for checking in with ourselves, we may find that we return to our habits and forget our commitment to the new behaviors.  The final discipline is the use of time.  If we are not able to control our time, we will not be able to control our results.  This can be a difficult discipline for some as it may mean saying no to some requests and people.

“The Twelve Week Year” offers us an opportunity to view our goals and aspirations in such a way that they become manageable and ultimately achievable.  The process also allows you to think differently about how to approach our fourth quarter goals, whether they be professional or personal, in a manner that supports and aligns with what matters most.

To Your Success!

Dr. Peggy

Why Choose Global IOC for Coach Development

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Industry trends for coach development programs leading to a designation are growing exponentially as recent data suggests that about 75% of leaders are interested gaining coaching skills/designations to enhance their leadership.  Additionally, organizations are leveraging coaches to lead internal coaching programs and provide executive coaching as coaching cascades through organizations to mid-level manager roles, is recognized as a key leadership skill, and is linked to behavioral alignment with strategic goals.  Also important to organizations is demonstrating a Return on Investment (ROI) as a form of measurement.  The American Management Association Coaching Survey found that establishing metrics for coaching has become standard practice.  You can read the full survey here: https://www.opm.gov/WIKI/uploads/docs/Wiki/OPM/training/i4cp-coaching.pdf  If ROI is of interest to you, The ROI Institute provides training and consulting in helping companies establish measurements and standards for ROI.  https://roiinstitute.net/

Global IOC believes that coach development programs should be created from evidence-based research integrated into business coaching practice.  In the Global IOC coach development programs, candidates learn business coaching competencies that stretch into capabilities, integration of those capabilities into practice, and discernment of when and how to use capabilities during coaching sessions.  The result is a well-rounded proficient business coach. Businesses need coaches who apply these skills to improve individual and team productivity, address workplace problems, boost employee engagement, align behaviors with strategic objectives and help organizations attract and retain key talent.  Global IOC graduates are prepared to do that. 

Global IOC also believes that coaching as a profession is evolving and organizational clients need “thinking partners” to navigate professional and personal growth and development.  When “thinking partners” are coaching, they act as a catalyst for change through a consistent and confident focus on the idealized self and individual strengths while recognizing the real self and opportunities for growth. 

If you resonate to the program elements described in this article, Global IOC offers programs which have been accredited at the Registered Corporate Coach™ (RCC™) and Certified Business Coach (CBC™) levels by the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches (WABC ™).  In addition, Global IOC has an Assessment process that recognizes prior learning and experiences which can be used to demonstrate proficiency as a business coach and award a designation at either the RCC™ or CBC™ level.  For more information, visit https://globalioc.com/apply-for-admission-into-a-coaching-program/

The Future of Coaching

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The Future of Coaching – Dr. Peggy Marshall

Due to the pandemic, many conferences were moved online.  While it did not seem to be good news at first, it actually created an opportunity for attendees to experience international speakers personally on a variety of topics.  Global IOC believes that there is a need to link empirical research to coach development programs as well as to design our own research studies that inform coaching practice integrating empirical knowledge with practice wisdom.  This article will review four specific thought leaders who were highlighted at summer conferences.

networking in leadership

First, Dr. Richard Boyatzis shared his ideas about the difference between coaching for compliance and coaching for compassion.  Dr. Boyatzis is the H.R. Horvitz Professor of Family Business, at Case Western Reserve University.  https://weatherhead.case.edu/faculty/Richard-Boyatzis  Integrated into his work are the concepts of Positive Emotional Attractors (PEA) and Negative Emotional Attractors (NEA). Essentially, our bodies (brains) respond differently to PEA and NEA with PEA eliciting optimism, possibilities, future orientation, and open-mindedness to change.  Conversely, NEA elicits the opposite effect with clients feeling pessimistic, pressured about outcomes and fear.  In addition, Dr. Boyatzis has a change process, Intended Change Theory, that incorporates the concepts of PEA and NEA into coaching which guides the client in determining ideal states, real states, strengths, gaps, and development of learning agendas that lead to the ideal state.  You can read more about the theory in a recent book “Helping People Change” which Boyatzis co-authored with Melvin Smith and Ellen Van Oosten.  https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/helping-people-change-richard-boyatzis/1130296637

Next, Dr. Reinhard Stelter, shared ideas about “lingering in dialogue” and 3rd generation coaching.  Dr. Stelter is the Professor of Sport and Coaching Psychology at the University of Copenhagen and visiting professor at the Copenhagen Business School (Master of Public Governance).   https://www.taosinstitute.net/about-us/people/institute-associates/europe/denmark/reinhard-stelter  Third generation coaching suggests that we are moving beyond a solution focused appreciative dialog approach with clients to transformative, fruitful, and genuine dialog.  The approach begins with uncovering the values of the client followed by exploring how the client makes meaning of those values.  It is in giving the meaning making responsibility to the client that coaches can surface what is behind the values.  Finally, this process is followed by “lingering” in dialog to create a nourishing conversation that guides the client in discovering what deeply matters most. It is not a process that is rushed.

Another thought leader, Hetty Einzig, MA, PCC., has written extensively on the future of coaching and the changing dynamics of the coach and client.  https://hettyeinzig.co.uk/  In her book, “The Future of Coaching” and during a conference presentation, she outlined what she believes about the evolution of coaching particularly in a VUCA world.  She believes that learning will be both horizontal and vertical, will include both the individual and system, will incorporate holistic measurements such as body, mind, emotions, and spirit and will focus more on purpose and less on goal-orientation.  This last statement is completely aligned with Dr. Stelter’s thinking.

Finally, Dr. David Clutterbuck shares that as we become “liberated coaches” we are able to see the coaching process of “managed eclectic”.  https://davidclutterbuckpartnership.com   At this level, the coach weaves models, processes, and philosophies into conversations, allowing coaches to become “thinking partners” with clients.  Global IOC has designed all the learning modules to include the concept of “integrated eclectic” which means that throughout the training modules techniques, models and processes are introduced for integration during coaching discussions .  In using this what has been learned, the coach becomes proficient in choosing when to introduce models, processes, and techniques into the coaching conversation.  Global IOC also encourages developing coaches to construct their own coaching philosophy which adapts, expands, and evolves as they grow in coaching knowledge and expertise.

networking group

The central theme from all thought leaders is that the landscape of coaching is changing.  Coaching is becoming more about developing “thinking partnerships” with our clients than guiding specific behaviors.  It is also about taking time to explore who the client is based on values and understanding the meaning they make from those values.  Instead of simply focusing on a goal, clients are also focusing on purpose and coaches need to help clients surface desires and passions while connecting them to purpose.   Compassionate coaching invites coaches to think about the positive actions clients can take towards an idealized self while recognizing that the real self has growth edges.  Finally, coaching is evolving as it combines a focus on deepening relationships with prolonging and emergent conversations in order to interweave processes, models, and techniques.

The Global IOC Core and Senior Registered Professional Coach Programs integrate into the curriculum the concepts from these four thought leaders along with other ideas from forward thinkers in fields of coaching, human behavior, psychology, and organizational development.  If you find yourself resonating to the ideas and would like more information please call 800-973-5702.  To apply for admission to either the Advanced or Core programs, click on this link: https://globalioc.com/apply-for-admission-into-a-coaching-program/.  Finally, Global IOC’s first webinar of 2021 is on January 13th at 10 AM EST.  Global IOC faculty will frame the discussion around the learning from the four specific thought leaders discussed in this article.  Use this Zoom link to attend the call. https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85671563794?pwd=TmNGbVNEYXc5LzdVcDdnUzhwdWhCdz09

Meaning Making

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When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.
-Viktor Frankl

middle aged woman looking out the window while working on laptop

Reality architecture is not a common phrase.  Highlighting a chapter from “Before Happiness” by Shawn Achor, we are guided through his conceptualization of reality architecture.  It may seem like a difficult concept to wrap our minds around and yet through our thoughts and beliefs we construct our own version of reality.   If any of you are parents or have siblings, you know that when presented with the facts about a given situation, the facts typically represent two different party’s interpretations of what happened.  That’s exactly what reality construction is-how we interpret what is happening in our world and how we make meaning from those experiences.  Understanding that we can actually choose our own interpretation of events is extremely freeing and opens us up to greater successes and happiness in our lives.

In building success skills as a reality architect, Achor advises us to choose the most valuable reality.  Our ability to recognize that there are alternative versions of a situation and focusing on the one that will take us into greater success and happiness is the first skill to build.  This means that we “get to” choose what we want to focus on, we are not restricted by a person or situation.  In “Man’s Search for Meaning”, Victor Frankl chronicled his experiences in a World War II concentration camp.  Later, as a therapist, he shared that when inmates focused on the meaning of life, they were able to tolerate their circumstances better which led to increased longevity.  As human beings we assign meaning to what happens to us-the question is whether the meaning we are assigning takes us into a positive future or a negative past.

Other authors have connected emotions with reality construction.  Chip Conley in “Emotional Equations” discusses the impact of exploring the meaning of situations of our lives with his use of the equation “Despair = Suffering-Meaning”.  When we are able to focus on the potential meaning of what is happening and create our reality from that understanding we begin to minimize our angst and possibly empower ourselves to move through the event more quickly.  Additionally, when we can examine our situations from the perspective of what is being learned and what can be gained, we just might discover important tidbits of serenity that can be carried through to other experiences.  Although as a coach, I would not recommend that clients start with reframing the most traumatic circumstances in their lives, however there is an opportunity for most individuals to choose to reframe the more mundane situations in their lives.

Things become meaningful when we understand how we feel, think and act and then align our behaviors with our feelings, thoughts, and actions shares Reinhard Stelter in “The Art of Dialogue in Coaching: Towards Transformative Exchange”.  The meaning making process begins with an examination of our values which are central to our identity.  Through the process of values-reflection, clients can step away from what’s immediately in front of them to create moments of understanding and deepening self-awareness.  It is through this reflection that previous experiences, knowledge and beliefs can be matched with expectations for our future.  Using a collaborative process, Stelter believes that the coach and client work in tandem to surface both values and the meaning made from those values to examine perceptions and realities and then create the plan for forward movement.

Finally, a tool that is effective in reflecting on meanings about events comes from Byron Katie in “Loving What Is.” Katie guides the use of a turnaround to identify what is happening in our lives and then reflect upon choices regarding that event.  A four-step questioning turnaround uses the following process:  “Is it true?  Is it really true?  How do you feel when you think that way?  How would you feel if you didn’t think that way?”  We could change the last two questions to inquire, “what is the meaning you are making about the event?” and “how does that meaning lead to feelings of empowerment or disempowerment?” Continuing to ask ourselves whether the meaning made takes us into our best future or actually holds us back is a great way to begin shifting our thinking about our own reality construction.

As we begin to reflect upon how “third generation” coaching impacts the process and dialogue coaches engage in with clients, it is important to understand our clients’ values and the meaning they make from those values determine actions clients will take.  It is through truly understanding these two aspects, values and meaning, that fruitful dialogue will emerge that includes gaining a joint sense of what’s at stake; what really matters and supporting coaching that is values-driven rather than purely outcome based.

Celebrating Success

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One of my favorite December songs is “Happy Xmas” by John Lennon and Yoko Ono.  The lyrics start with 

“So, this is Christmas
And what have you done
Another year over
And a new one just begun”

Every year when I hear this song, I begin to think about what has been accomplished in terms of what I planned to do.  2020 was an especially challenging year for many people and yet we still need to set aside time to reflect on even the small wins. There is not a better time for reflection then at the end of something and the beginning of the new.  There are numerous quotes that warn us of failing to reflect including history repeating itself. However, when we set aside time for reflection we have the opportunity to move into the new year with a solid evaluation of what is working in our lives and what is not.  Jack Canfield in “The Success Principles” shares that we need to keep score to better evaluate our processes that lead to success while at the same time deciding what to leave behind.  What does your score sheet look like for 2020 and does it measure what mattered most to you? 

Celebrating Successes

Keeping score can also lead to the process of reflection.  Reflection is an important component of how adults learn.  We learn not only from our experiences but also from the interpretations and reinterpretations of those experiences.  Many authors including Reinhard Stelter in “The Art of Dialogue in Coaching: Towards Transformative Exchange” refer to these interpretations as meaning making.  When we pause and reflect upon circumstances and then apply a different meaning to our situations we can create new ways of acting and thinking.  Using the process of reflection and introspection on an on-going basis leads to increased levels of awareness, insight, and self-acceptance.  Bob Rotella in “How Champions Think” adds that champions self-evaluate and reflect after setting their own standards and do not simply wait for others to provide evaluations for moving forward into success.  What is your process for reflection and self-evaluation?  What questions do you ask yourself when you reflect on the past?  A few of my favorite reflection questions include:

  • Are there any patterns in your accomplishments? How do you feel about what was accomplished and not accomplished?
  • What behaviors led to your greatest successes?  Were there any behaviors that kept you from being successful?
  • What did the people and/or situations you met teach you about yourself, about the world? Did any experiences change you or your thinking?
  • Did anything cause you to challenge yourself about, your ideals, your philosophies, your concept of life or the way you live?
  • How did you celebrate your successes?  How did you react to the moments you were not successful? Would you make any changes here?
  • Was there a day or event that you would like to do-over? What would you do differently?

The end of the year also brings us to a time for celebration.  How do you celebrate your success?  Again, remembering that 2020 was difficult in many ways for people, we need to still take a moment to reflect on our accomplishments be they large or small.  In a recent client meeting, leaders were asked how they celebrate.  Many did not have a response.  When asked “why”, a couple of obstacles were shared.  The first obstacle was there is not enough time to celebrate.  Celebration requires planning and typically ends up at the bottom of a list.  If you are a high achiever in Strengths Finders, this is especially true for you.  The leaders also shared that they sometimes hold back celebrating until projects are completed and goals are met.  The thinking was that celebrating too early could lead to a loss of momentum.  There have been numerous books and articles written about the importance of rewarding ourselves when we are making progress not just at the point of completion and that this celebration builds momentum.  Norcross in “Changeology” shares that early on in reaching milestones, rewards need to be immediate and intense while later on in a more stabilized change effort rewards can be designed to be more meaningful.  How comfortable are you with celebrating and rewarding yourself?  In what ways do you reward progress and celebrate success?  Amabile and Cramer concur with Norcross in their book “The Progress Principle” as their research has found that making progress at work is one of the most important ingredients to productivity, creativity, and success.

business team celebrating success

One of the best ways to create our future is to leverage what we know about our past successes!  Celebrations can help to rewire our brains so that our focus is on what leads to success rather than what is missing.  They also contribute to a positive mindset which can create more opportunities for thinking about possibilities rather than limitations. Achor in “The Happiness Advantage” suggests that this rewiring creates what he calls the positive Tetris effect and sets us up for happiness, gratitude, and optimism.  As you are making plans and setting goals for 2021 make sure you build in time for reflection about progress, accomplishments, rewards, and celebrations.

Overcoming Blocks to Success

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It is the beginning of the new year.  A time we focus on creating annual goals both small and large.  I hesitate to bring up the subject of potential obstacles to that success, however along the way we may run into a variety of roadblocks.  Dean in “Making Habits, Breaking Habits: Why We Do Things, Why We Don’t and How to Make Any Change Stick” About PsyBlog (spring.org.uk) shares that we don’t like to think about what might stop us from reaching goals as that thinking impacts our confidence in taking action.  I have found this to be true for many of my clients.  Yet addressing obstacles at the beginning of the year and creating a plan should they occur may eliminate or minimize the impact.   

One of the biggest obstacle that holds clients back is misalignments.  Misalignments include assumptions we are making about what is possible, meaning making that is out of sync with our values and what matters most, attitudes and beliefs we have developed about the actions we are taking, and biases held about people, places, and situations. Misalignments can be also be viewed as incongruence in thinking and behaving such as when you are committed to getting more sleep yet stay up late watching television. 

One strategy for filtering out misalignments is to empower ourselves to be completely candid about our experiences.  Byron Katie in “Loving What Is” The Work: Byron Katie’s 4 Questions – The Joy Within and Dr. Wayne Dyer in “Excuses Be-Gone” https://www.drwaynedyer.com encourage us to become brutally honest with ourselves about our perceptions of our worlds.  Conducting a quick examination of these perceptions can help surface where incongruence is showing up in our lives and can identify those times when self-beliefs are blocking positive action.  Katie’s 4-step process begins by asking the question “Is it (the belief) true?”  Given the answer is yes, it is followed-up with “Is it absolutely true?” This second question creates a pause for deepening examination of any errors in thinking. By the second “absolutely true”, we begin to question the belief in a way that leads to transformational thought.

Katie completes the exercise with two more questions: “How do you feel when you think that way and how would you feel if you didn’t think that way?”  These are both telling questions.  When answering the third and fourth questions with complete transparency and honesty, we can readily admit that we do not like the way our thinking is making us feel and that we would feel more positive and engaged with our goals if we chose to think differently. Empowering yourself to think differently keeps you focused on what is possible and not what is not.

A second strategy is to align the inner with the outer by ensuring that what matters most, that is what we value, is what we act upon. Dr. Jim Loehr in “The Power of Story” https://www.jim-loehr.com explains that “our stories profoundly affect how we see ourselves”. He adds that “too few of us even recognize when we are telling stories, or what they are, or that we can change them”.  The last statement, “that we can change them” is what gives us our power back.  As you navigate goals, think about any stories that could be creating roadblocks to ultimate success with your goals.

A third strategy comes from “Changeology” by Norcross JOHNCNORCROSS.COM.  Emphasizing that we need to control our environments which include people, places, and situations to stay focused on our goals, Norcross shares an audit process for making determinations about environments.  Who in your life is going to be supportive of your goals and who might innocently derail your success?  If you are counting on someone for support, you might want to be explicit about what you need or you might make assumptions about what support is available only to be disappointed.  If certain places or situations lead you away from your goals, create an avoidance plan or be clever about ways to say NO when they interfere with your goals.

Finally, Holiday in “The Obstacle is the Way” “The Obstacle Is The Way” by Ryan Holiday shares that it is our perception of the obstacle that makes it real.  As you consider what might become an obstacle for you as you pursue 2021 goals, consider how you make meaning about the obstacle.  Remember as adults we have the power to self-direct our lives, determine our purpose, pursue our dreams, use our talents and gifts wisely, and act despite fears.  We also have the ability to design environments and support systems that will lead to our greatest successes.  The final question is to ask yourself  “Am I investing energy into misalignments or into alignment with my dreams and goals?” 

If you would like more information on overcoming blocks to success, join us for the Global IOC webinar to be held on January 13 at 10 AM EST.  Zoom call login: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85671563794?pwd=TmNGbVNEYXc5LzdVcDdnUzhwdWhCdz09

Nine Protective Factors of Resilience

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Resilience

 

Many authors have contributed to resilience research and have identified what are considered to be the protective factors.  The protective factors are behaviors that lead to enhanced effectiveness in dealing with adversity.

Social/Family Connections/Collaboration

Meaningfulness/Purpose/Grit/Endurance

Angela Duckworth in “Grit” defines grit as the combination of passion and perseverance. She adds that there are four aspects to grit; interest, practice, purpose, hope.  Interest refers to enjoying what you are doing.  She conceptualizes practice in a deliberate practice framework which encourages continual development in skills and behaviors.  Unlike the discussion above, Duckworth believes that passion is best defined as a belief that your work matters and has an impact on the lives of others.  Finally, hope includes a growth mindset which allows for overcoming challenges and increasing capacity for achievement.

Positive Perspectives in Life/Happiness

Shawn Achor in “Before Happiness” recommends training our brains to attach more positives to any given situation or event encountered.  Our brains are programmed to identify negatives as an early survival mode.  Being vigilant about describe or make meaning about an event is crucial to changing from a negative to positive mindset.  For most clients this means tracking daily the events and what is being said about them.  Remembering that we have the power to change our experience based upon the narrative and our reaction to events, can help clients adapt to perceived or real adversity.

Previous Experience with Hardship/Adversity

Rick Hanson in “Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength and Happiness”, shares that changes in resilient experiences occur at a brain level and involve two processes-activation and installation.  As individuals experience sustained and repeated success with adverse events, the brain makes changes in neural pathways.  This process is an opportunity for coaching as Hanson believes that a process for deliberately internalizing the successes is rarely taught. 

Subjective Well-being/Self Care

The focus on subjective well-being/self care is on how individuals fuel their bodies from four perspectives; physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.  Borrowing from Jim Loehr in “The Power of Full Engagement”,  engagement is a state that is acquired-requiring practice-and is the “ability to invest your full and best energy right here-right now” in what matters most.  Loehr shares that we fuel our bodies physically by investing good nutrition, exercise and recovery, and quality. Investment in the emotional dimension suggests we choose opportunity over fear emotional states.  We invest mentally when our stories align with what matters most taking us into the best versions of ourselves.  Finally, spiritual investment occurs when we identify our purpose and passions and remain focused on what matters most.

Independence/Self-Determination

Self-determination theory is most frequently aligned with intrinsic motivation.  The most common components of the theory include autonomy, competence and relatedness.  Autonomy is directly related to choice and a feeling of being in control of behaviors connected to goals.  Often this is referred to as locus of control.  Competence refers to an individual’s mastery of skills and a willingness to take action towards success when he/she believes in his/her own capability.  Relatedness speaks to a connectedness with other often referred to as a sense of belonging.

Self-acceptance/Authenticity

Post-traumatic growth/Learning from Adversity

 in “The Art of Changing the Brain…” suggests that individuals engage in three processes to transform our experiences into learning.  The first is to move from past to future as we begin to make plans based upon what was learned.  Next, individuals integrate what has been learned internally by coming to a deeper understanding of the knowledge gained and it’s impact on the person.  Finally, individuals recognize a locus of control over the information which can then be turned into action.  For coaches, helping clients verbalize the adverse event into what was learned from the adversity begins the transformation of the learning.

Psychological Safety at the Workplace

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Business team working together

 

Psychological Safety at the Workplace

by Angela Hummel, CBC and Dr. Peggy Marshall

 

We spend a lot of time making sure our workplaces are safe, physically that is. We post signs if floors are wet, so no one falls. We teach people how to report safety hazards and eliminate them. We even have a governing body in the United States called the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or OSHA that sets regulations and monitors compliance. Keeping people safe from physical harm and hazards is important.  Yet wouldn’t it be nice if we could put a sign outside of an organization or on their website indicating that workplace was also safe, psychologically. Or a warning sign if they aren’t?

So, what is a psychologically safe workplace? There are a few definitions and multiple thought leaders and researchers on the topic. The definition we like best is from Amy Edmondson who wrote the book “The Fearless Organization.” Test your psychological safety straight away – Fearless Organization.  As a bonus, if you visit her website, you can take an assessment that measures the psychological safety of teams. It might be a great starting point for leading a discussion on psychological safety with your own team.

Returning to the concept of psychological safety, Edmondson defines psychological safety as:” a climate in which people are comfortable expressing and being themselves.”  Other components of psychological safety shared by Edmonson include employees feel comfortable sharing concerns and mistakes without fear of embarrassment or retribution, employees are confident that they can speak up and won’t be humiliated, ignored, or blamed, employees can ask questions when they are unsure about something, employees tend to trust and respect their colleagues.

Sometimes to help us understand a new concept better, it’s helpful to know what it is not. Psychological safety does not mean that people always agree with each other for the sake of being nice. In fact, it’s the opposite. It is about candor, about making it possible for productive disagreement and free exchange of ideas. Psychological safety is also not a personality factor. It refers to the work climate and climate affects people with different personality traits in roughly the same ways.

According to a 2017 Gallup survey, three in ten employees strongly agreed that their opinions don’t count at work. Organizations miss out when they are unable to create psychologically safe environments where opinions do count.  First, mistakes are not reported quickly or maybe not at all resulting in a lack of solutions for corrective action and avoidance of future incidents.  Second, seamless coordination across all employee groups is stunted which leads to a siloed approach to organizational operations. Finally, innovative thinking is critical to idea sharing and brings crucial out of the box thinking to organizations which is missed when employees are not communicating.

Because leadership is key to creating psychological safety, what leaders do to create and impact this climate is important. Consider your own leadership and the clients you coach who are leaders. Also, think about the clients you coach that might not be working for leaders who create psychologically safe workplaces. Many managers, both consciously and unconsciously, still believe in the power of fear to motivate. They assume that people who are afraid, either of management or the consequences of underperforming, will work hard to avoid unpleasant consequences and that good things will happen. Yet, we know that fear is not an effective motivator. It actually inhibits learning. So, in workplaces, managers play an important role in making the environment safe for open communication about challenges, concerns, and opportunities.

Psychologically safe leaders are caring. They set the stage and get people to think differently about their work and when things go wrong. They help people feel safe when speaking up about problems, concerns, mistakes and risks.  They set the stage for candor. They also welcome and invite participation. They have direct conversations and even offer focus groups to find out more and get ideas. A true test is how leaders respond when people do speak up.  If a boss responds with anger or disdain as soon as someone steps forward to speak up about a problem, the safety will quickly evaporate. Leaders who respond productively create psychologically safe workplaces.

Dr. Timothy Clark, in “The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety: Defining the Path to Inclusion and Innovation”, Timothy R. Clark | LeaderFactor shares that employees have to move through stages of safety before they feel fully engaged as a team member.  First, they have to feel inclusion safety which is about feeling safe to be you and form both a self-acceptance and group acceptance perspective.  Next is learner safety which provides the individual with opportunities to learn, develop and grow. Contributor safety is the third stage which satisfies the individual’s need to make a meaningful contribution to the group.  Finally, challenger safety allows individuals to ask questions and challenge the status quo in order to drive for results and make things better.

To conclude this discussion of psychological safety we need to consider the ever-changing workplace environment which is now mostly virtual.  Amy Edmonson offers a few ideas for how to create psychological safety in virtual environments. How to Foster Psychological Safety in Virtual Meetings (hbr.org)  She recommends the use of the chat, breakouts, hand raising, and polls tools to create collaboration and engage the teams in meetings.  Because working from home can feel lonely to many employees, the more a leader can engage teams with positive, uplifting interactions the more psychological safety is created.  Let’s not forget Barbara Fredrickson’s research on positivity including the Losada Line.  PositivityRatio.com Her research suggests it take three positive interactions to one negative interaction to offset negativity.  She also believes that high performance teams have a 6:1 ratio of positive to negative interactions.

All employees have a responsibility for creating psychological safe environments with coaches being instrumental in the guidance and design of initiatives that foster psychological safety.  Join us for the February 10th Global IOC webinar to engage in a deeper discussion and idea sharing about these topics!  Zoom link

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85671563794?pwd=TmNGbVNEYXc5LzdVcDdnUzhwdWhCdz09