Global Institute of Organizational Coaching

Global Coaching Certification

Corporate Coaching Blog

Unwinding the Negative Thinking Spiral

by

colorful spiral

Unwinding the Negative Thinking Spiral

By Ursula Clidiere, Ph.D., CBC and Peggy Marshall, Ph.D., CMBC

 

Few of us need reminding that 2020 was a year that represented a massive call to action on so many fronts, but first and foremost, for the helping professions. Additionally, it was a double whammy for many as it challenged most helpers in their capability and capacity, mentally and physically, to help others.  It also presented us with our own needs for being helped, held, and supported.

For the Coaching profession, equally, it meant a period of stretching, learning, growth, further differentiation, research, and so much more. More importantly though, it probably made a few of us realize our own limitations in coaching others while trying to keep “all wheels on our own carriage”.

Why? Even though we were taking in mutual good advice, the good vibes, the tools, the reframing, … negativity at times creeps in like a snaky poison. Before stretching, we did learn more about our own failure than we probably ever wanted, before learning, it meant stumbling or falling. Nonetheless, as a profession we have also experienced a tremendous surge of peer support, learning opportunities (many free of charge!), networking, candor, and help. Yet, experiencing ourselves with a drop of anxiousness, and noticing what a drip of negativity can do to us, may have humbled us, and possibly broadened our own perspective, even filled us with more compassion.

Despite choosing the cloth of the Resilience Protective Factors discussed by Burger and Marshall  Nine Protective Factors of Resilience (globalioc.com) to drape around us, the negativity-poison can penetrate through. Sometimes in small trickly doses that shows itself as an indistinct gray shadow that gives the day a bit of a washed-out appearance. At other times, it might come as a more tidal affront that was difficult to ignore, kidnapping thought processes, and requiring repeated centering before pushing the ‘you are now connected with video’ button on Zoom. The shapes, shades and the duration of these sensations vary greatly but on bad days, it was a trip down the negativity spiral and back. So, what propels us into the negative thinking spiral and more importantly, how do we get back out?

Both Lisa Feldman Barrett in “Seven and a Half Lessons about the Brain” and Rick Hanson in “Hardwiring Happiness” propose that our brains are wired for negativity and threat.  Barrett’s research about the evolution of the brain concludes that the action we are required to take is to determine if something we are about to encounter is a foe or friend.  Similarly, Hanson shares that we once existed in an “eat or be eaten” environment that remains present today.  The challenge becomes that this evaluation of friend or foe or eat or be eaten happens mostly unconsciously.  Additionally, the evaluation becomes cumulative, so the experiences and thoughts pack a greater punch as they connect with one another.

Given these factors, the first step in getting out of the negative thinking spiral is to acknowledge that we are in it.  Shawn Achor in “Before Happiness” shares that we are the creators of our own reality and advises that we choose the most valuable reality.  This means choosing the reality that takes our interpretation of thoughts, events, and circumstances into the best future we can create for ourselves.  Stop and think for a moment.  Upon awaking, what were your first thoughts this morning?  Were you looking forward to the day or were you still thinking about things that happened yesterday or anticipating something unpleasant happening today based upon your calendar?  Whatever you were thinking about possibly came with a story.

As coaches we often guide clients in their narrative or the story of what is happening.  Jim Loehr in “The Power of The Story” shares that stories are powerful ways that we express ourselves. “Your story is your life,” says Loehr.  As human beings, we continually tell ourselves stories — of success or failure; of power or victimhood; stories that endure for an hour, or a day, or an entire lifetime. We have stories about our work, our families and relationships, our health; about what we want and what we are capable of achieving. Yet, while our stories profoundly affect how others see us and we see ourselves, too few of us even recognize that we are telling stories, or what they are, or that we can change them — and, in turn, transform our very destinies.

Emerging from our stories requires us to also evaluate self-talk that is created from the stories. Self-talk is a term that refers to the voices that chatter away in our heads.  Susan David in “Emotional Agility” refers to this chatter as “monkey mindedness” and guides the reader in challenging the thoughts that are not productive.  This constant chatter can be positive as well as negative.   When self-talk is positive, it can uplift you when things are not going your way, bolster your self-confidence to try new activities and deepen relationships. But negative self-talk, on the other hand, can interfere with performance, put a black cloud over relationships and erode your self-esteem.  Unwinding the negative thinking spiral challenges us to examine our self-talk and make changes accordingly.  The key here is that since it is our self-talk, we own it.  And if we own it, we can change it.

This article has provided just two ways to explore and possibly think differently about the negative thinking spiral along with ideas for changing it.  For more resources and tools on “Unwinding the Negative Thinking Spiral”  join, the Global IOC Wednesday Webinar on February 24 at 10 AM EST.  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85671563794?pwd=TmNGbVNEYXc5LzdVcDdnUzhwdWhCdz09

 

 

 

 

 

Motivation Through Three Lenses: Self, Direct Reports, and Teams

by

motivational quote

Motivation Through Three Lenses: Self, Direct Reports, and Teams – by Dr. Peggy Marshall

Motivation is one of the most talked about phenomena and possibly the least understood.  It becomes even more complicated when viewed through the lenses of self, direct reports, and teams.  Some of the motivators are the same for all three and yet some are very different.  First, let us start by defining motivation.  For about the past 50 years, Deci and Ryan have been the definers of motivation through the lens of Self Determination Theory which focused on the levers of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.  A simplification of the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation comes from Gagne and Deci (2005) as they positioned intrinsic motivation as autonomous motivation and extrinsic motivation as controlled motivation.  Those two words are extremely significant as we move forward with this article on motivation as choice becomes center stage when we are working with ourselves and others on motivation.

No discussion of motivation would be complete without addressing the process of change along with the “why” for the change.  Norcross in “Changeology” shares that we need to be “psyched up” about the change to pursue it.  Many authors agree with his thinking with regards to the need for emotional alignment with the new behavior as we need to want to make it happen for it to happen.  Sinek in “Start with Why” Simon Sinek shares that we need a strong “why” to begin the process of change.  Think about New Years resolutions, most of which have been forgotten by now, maybe even yours.  Many individuals in setting a New Years resolution start with “what” they are going to do.  If their “what” is not aligned with a strong “why”, it will make the process more difficult, potentially frustrating and lead to giving up.

Kotler in “The Art of the Impossible” believes that motivation is a “catch-all for three subsets of skills: drive, grit and goals.”  Drive leads with curiosity, passion and purpose which can automate the desired new behaviors.  Pink in his book “Drive,”  connects autonomy, mastery, and purpose to the key motivators of new behaviors.  Both authors are consistent with their thinking in that it is purpose that creates momentum for motivation.  Purpose becomes the forward pointing arrow that sparks us when we feel like giving up.  Loehr and Schwartz in “The Power of Full Engagement”  share that purpose is “the most powerful source of our motivation, perseverance and direction” which serves to maximize our energy when aligned with what matters most to us.

In determining purpose, individuals often start with values to understand what matters most.  Although our values may change slightly throughout our lifetime, many stay consistent over time.  Stulberg and Magness in “Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success” The Growth Equation | Art and Science of Success | Brad Stulberg & Steve Magness share that self-transcending purposes aligned with what is valued most is the best way to create motivation and is also important when motivation wanes.  Kotler shares this belief calling it the “massively transformative purpose”.  Focusing on the self-transcending purpose that provides the individual with a perspective of changing something bigger than self can also lead to increased performance.

Often our clients may have difficulty in determining which values are most important to them.  The Values Center has on on-line personal values assessment that provides a report which is useful for coaching.  An interesting component of the assessment is that it groups responses into categories of self-interest, transformation, and common good.  For those clients wanting to explore more transformative and common good values, the report also provides opportunities for reflection and next steps.

Once the values are clear, clients can use the Intended Change Theory process to align the ideal and real selves in a behavior change process.  In this step, clients visualize a desired future state and infuse it with the belief that it is possible to achieve the state.  A discussion of strengths that will be needed to create the desired future leads to clarity and helps to build motivation toward the desired change.  The client “gets real” by determining which values identified earlier will support the necessary changes and then determines where real self and ideal self are not aligned which can impact motivation for change.

When motivating self, individuals, and teams progress matters;  Amabile and Kramer in “The Progress Principle” share that making progress is central to motivation and success.  They share four ingredients to progress that include small wins, breakthroughs, forward movement, and goal completion.  Note goal completion is not the only ingredient, identifying the steps along the way keeps clients focused and motivated. As with any behavior change process measurement and tracking is also important to staying motivated.  Most habit researchers emphasize that without tracking individuals and teams do not have evidence of how far they have come nor do they have insights on how far the goal remains.

Although the focus of this article has been mostly on individuals, the concepts also apply to direct reports and teams with the difference being the relationship.  When coaching direct reports on motivation, it is important to recognize that what motivates your direct may not be what motivates you as the leader.  That is where the values tool can be so effective.  Recognizing what drives the direct report can make the difference between average and top performance.

Finally, from a team perspective, Kotler shares what contributes to team flow.  These attributes include shared goals, shared risk, listening, strong communication, blending egos, equal participation, familiarity, and sense of control.  I would add understanding the values of team members will help with each one of these attributes as it creates an understanding of the earlier discussion of curiosity, passion, purpose, autonomy, and mastery.  It is through understanding one another that relationships deepen and create more motivated teams.

If you found this article interesting and want to learn more about the topic, Global IOC will be hosting a Wednesday Webinar Zoom call on March 10th at 10 AM EST on the topic of Motivation through Three Lenses: Self, Direct Reports, and Teams.

 

Gagne, M. & Deci, E. (2005) Self-determination theory and work motivation. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26, 331–362.

 

Coaching Millennials and Gen Zers: More Questions than Answers

by

 

Team coaching millenials

Last summer many on our faculty attended a conference sponsored by the Association for Coaching and the Institute of Coaching.  One presenter, Charlie Stainforth, gave a presentation on Millennial/Gen Z coaching which included recommendations for ensuring that individuals in these generational age groups could receive coaching.  As a high Altruistic, I was completely engaged in making this happen along with several of the Global IOC faculty.  However, when we began to research the needs, the format, and how best to engage these two groups, more questions surfaced than were answered.

In researching the topic of Millennial/Gen Z coaching, there is very little available in the mainstream media that is not simply a perpetuation of the Strauss-Howe Theory which suggests that historical events are associated with creating generational personas for the entire generation.  The four generations who are currently in the workplace include: Generational Differences in the Workplace [Infographic] (purdueglobal.edu)

  • Baby Boomers—born 1946 to 1964
  • Generation X—born 1965 to 1980
  • Millennials—born 1981 to 2000
  • Generation Z—born 2001 to 2020

Note many of the baby boomers have reached retirement age (66 and some leaving sooner) with the Gen Z just beginning to enter the workplace.  The challenge I have with focusing simply on what the social scientists are suggesting is true for each generation is that it lumps everyone in the generation together.  In the Forbes article “Generational Differences: When They Matter, And When They Don’t,” the authors suggest that management style, team culture and work motivation are important differences between generations while flexibility, making an impact and individual motivations align across cultures.  It is important to focus on commonalities as well as differences as we chart a path for coaching.

A McKinsey study Millennials: Burden, Blessing, or Both? | McKinsey asks the question, “Can you define everyone born between 1980 and 2000 by a handful of generalized characteristics?”  In their researched article, the authors suggest that companies can take actions that lead to “a new workplace dynamic spurred by the high expectations of younger employees but meeting a larger need for more thoughtful relations between all workers and employees.”  Five actions are targeted; building bridges with data, putting communication on steroids, developing cultures of mentorship, creativity in professional growth, and embedding flexible work into the culture.

From a coaching perspective, I see a myriad of organizational opportunities.  First, in creating coaching cultures, it is possible to help managers and leaders shift mindsets about labels for a specific group to focusing on the individuals and the needs of the individuals.  Yes, the individuals belong to a given generation but what else needs to be surfaced in order to coach that individual effectively?  Second, ensure that current and emerging leaders have highly developed communication skills to provide timely feedback and individually crafted development opportunities.  Third, organizations can create mentor relationship that begin when an individual enters the workplace and continues throughout the career of the individuals.  The focus on mentorships have to include training on relationship building, communication skills, and understanding differences and may change when the individual needs a different focus or chooses a different direction.  Finally, creating rotation programs and leadership of temporary projects which are energizing for the Millennial group and potentially solve organizational challenges but create loyalty to the organization.

Now to the individual Millennial coaching client.  (I am leaving out the Gen Zer here as they are just entering the workforce and the organizational ideas shared previously benefit this group.)  Willyerd in her HBR article Millennials Want to Be Coached at Work (hbr.org) shares that Millennials want authenticity, inspiration and feedback which is very similar to what coaches currently provide to clients.  However, some authors are now suggesting that the coach will need to adapt coaching practice to this group of clients based upon personal communication style preferences.  I, however, do not share that belief as I believe that the issue is one of tweaking coaching practice which is done to accommodate all clients.  What we cannot lose sight of as coaches is the empirical research on the importance of the coaching relationship that has been foundational to coaching. We need to avoid building coaching practices that are simply based upon generational theory that lumps individuals into one large group and instead ask the client about their preferences during initial and subsequent conversations with the client.  By this, we may need to integrate different needs for communication into coaching that respects the best of current coaching practices in alignment with what the client needs.  A hybrid of in-person meetings such as Zoom calls with in-between feedback via text or email could be a format for coaching.  Until we have empirically tested theories about practice, we need to be researchers in our own coaching practices and ensure that information is brought back into theory.

We do indeed have more questions than answers.  What do the Millennials and Gen Zers need with regards to coaching?  This is especially true given the Gen Zers are just now entering the workforce.  Do coaches focus efforts on strengthening organizations with regards to creating dynamic cultures that represent the needs of all groups or put more focus on individuals within each generation?  How can coaches adapt to the evolving needs of Millennial and Gen Z clients while remaining true to the empirical researched practices that have been the practices of the coaching field?

 

These and other questions will be discussed by Global IOC faculty on April 28th at 10 AM EST https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85671563794?pwd=TmNGbVNEYXc5LzdVcDdnUzhwdWhCdz09.  Don’t miss what portends to be an exciting and illuminating conversation!

Leader as Coach; Coach as Leader

by

Leaders in meeting

Although leadership is recognized as a universal phenomenon, it still lacks a common definition and theoretical foundation that can be empirically tested. The good news is that we have shifted from the “hero” or “great man myth” into a view of leadership that is inclusionary, participatory, collaborative and transformative. An organization’s ability to be effective and adapt its environment to the post-pandemic VUCA world requires sustainable, effective leadership that cascades through the organization. Among other things, organizations need leaders for inspiration, enthusiasm, focus, and to strategically guide their vision, mission and culture. Strong leadership is often viewed as one of the most important factors in organizational health and growth yet, many organizations struggle with the development and scaling of leadership behaviors.  This blog focuses on the development of coaching skills to complement leadership behaviors.

In a recent article by the World Economic Forum, a survey suggested that 40% of employees are considering leaving their jobs.  40% of employees are thinking of quitting their jobs, says survey | World Economic Forum (weforum.org) This will create an incredible talent gap for some organizations.  Using coaching skills to develop and better understand the needs, values and drivers of individual behavior of employees might influence the desire to remain with an organization.  Kelly in “The Dream Manager” shares that the destinies of the organization and individual potential are interwoven.   He threads the concept of “best version of self” throughout his message which is inclusive of both the organization best version and individual best version.  This requires that both the individual and organization deeply explore what is valued, the meaning made from those values and alignment of action with the values.

Anderson and Adams also consider exploration of values to be important to leadership behaviors.  In “Scaling Leadership” the authors share that development of others starts with the development of self as leader.  In addressing the VUCA world that has been exacerbated globally by the pandemic, leaders are encouraged to close their own development gaps.  A self-understanding about meaning making, decision making, emotional intelligence and beliefs and assumptions guide the leader in developing skills to address the complexities of leadership.  When this happens for the individual leader, it begins to cascade down through direct reports which then creates the “scale” necessary for coaching and developing leaders at all levels.  The competencies of the high creative leadership behaviors identified by the authors are very much aligned with great coaching.

Boyatzis and McKee in “Resonant Leadership” add another component to “Leader as Coach; Coach as Leader”.  Focusing on the benefits of emotional connection, the authors position the relationship as key to successful coaching which has been proven time and time again in the research.  The resonant coaching leader not only creates resonance with followers but also creates this resonance with self through the process of renewal.  Leaders are so conditioned to “doing” that they often sacrifice “being” and reflection.  Boyatzis and McKee share that developing a renewal process provides increased energy and engages the mind, body, and heart in shifting to positivity and healthier relationships.  Kouzes and Posner while researching and writing about leadership in “Encouraging the Heart” share this thinking with Boyatzis and McKee.  They contend that effective leader coaches are connected with followers as they demonstrate genuine caring for the follower.  Without this caring, the follower may experience his or her leader as simply transactional rather than transformational.

Transformational leadership connects leading and coaching, as it empowers others, is congruent with a core set of values, focuses on continuous development, and inspires a shared vision through translating dreams into reality.  Blanchard, in Morgan’s “Profiles in Coaching” believes that leadership and coaching go “hand-in-hand” and that coaching is a form of leadership requiring leaders to discover their own direction, purpose and mission.  Upon reflection and clarity about direction, purpose and mission, coaching and leadership involve guiding the follower’s focus and action on what is important in life through identification of strategies for accomplishing values and goals.  Blanchard ties this process back into a model for servant leadership by suggesting that through the coaching process, the leadership pyramid turns upside down and the leader becomes the supporter for the self-directed achievement of followers.

Coaches in a meetingSupport is also a component of the coaching thinking partnership which engages the leader and direct report in gaining clarity about goals, holding followers accountable for agreed upon actions and celebrating with followers when goals are met.  These leaders provide opportunities for emergent and meaningful conversations. The leader coach sees himself or herself as a barometer of where the follower is with regards to their own thought processes. Questions are asked to draw out deeper, more thoughtful, meaningful conversations and take the follower into thinking about future possibilities.  Questions such as “what will success look like for this project?” and “what might create challenges for the project?” cause a follower to think both in terms of best-case scenarios while also preparing to overcome challenges.  Chip and Dan Heath in “Decisive” use this exercise as a “pre-parade and post-mortem” discussion.  Interestingly, it is typically easier for followers to brainstorm the challenges than the successes which creates another opportunity for coaching.

The paradox of the leader as coach phenomenon exists in duality in that it is both about the development of self and the development of relationships with others.  Leaders as coaches drive change yet stabilize the team.  They also honor past successes while looking forward to the future.  Finally, leaders as coaches integrate both science and art.  Managing the paradox contributes to its complexity and to the complexity of designing effective leader as coach development programs.   

 

Join us on June 23rd for our next webinar on “Leader as Coach; Coach as Leader” for more on this topic.

Fueling Your Body

by

 

Most of us think about what we eat when we hear the concept “fueling” our bodies.  In fact, there are over 242,000,000 results for the topic of nutrition when researched on the internet.  Although fueling your body is about what is eaten, it is much more than that.  The concept takes in what you do on a physical, emotional, mental and spiritual level.  Fueling our bodies effectively is also a protective factor in resilience.  We can live more fully when we discover ways to fuel our bodies differently and commit to them.

Physical

The physical component of fueling your body is comprised of nutrition, exercise, sleep, and recovery.  Recovery is often overlooked because for many people it doesn’t resonate with care of the body.  Jim Loehr, in “The Power of Full Engagement” shares a  number of recovery rituals from moving away from your desk at lunch to eat and go for a walk to shutting down work at a specific time daily and committing to that time.  Other rituals can be as simple as taking time for deep breathing and meditation.  From a nutrition perspective, it is your responsibility to know your body including what foods energize it and which foods deplete your energy.  How often and how much you eat also factor into analyzing this aspect of fueling your body.  Tom Rath and Jim Harter in “Wellbeing” share “with every bite and drink we take, we make a choice.  We can select something that is net positive and benefits our health or we can choose something that is a net negative.”  This is a great way to evaluate your diet.  Next, physical exercise boosts energy levels and leads to significant increase in mood.  Finding the right exercise for you is key because if you like doing the exercise you are more likely to maintain a regular schedule with it.  Finally, we need 7-8 hours of sleep each evening.  Rath and Harter believe that sleep is our body’s way of hitting the reset button.  Most of the recent research shows that without sleep our bodies do not repair daily damage on a cellular level and our brains do not recover.  John Medina in “Brain Rules” shares that loss of sleep hurts attention, executive function, working memory, mood, quantitative skills, logical reasoning, and even motor dexterity.

Emotional
We fuel ourselves emotionally when we accept our feelings and learn how to manage them differently.  Marc Brackett in “Permission to Feel” shares that until the 1980’s emotions were widely viewed as noise and only got in the way of achievement and success.  He adds that when we suppress our feelings, they only get stronger.  Much of the work that came from Emotional Intelligence publications in the late 1990’s, including “Working with Emotional Intelligence” by Goleman suggested that self-awareness followed by emotion management was the key to addressing emotions.  Brackett has a counter-view to that perspective as he believes that labeling the emotion being felt is essential to successful regulation of the emotion.  He has a RULER technique that begins with Recognizing what is being felt, followed by Understanding what is being felt.  Brackett encourages us to become emotion scientists seeking to understand what is being felt without value judgements followed by a desire to listen and learn from our emotions.  Next comes the Label. Historically, research suggested that people could name between three and six emotions.  Now Brackett’s list includes over 100 which individuals can explore to be more precise in naming what is being felt.  Once you have the best label you can move to a decision about how to best Express the emotion.  And finally, the emotion is Regulated.  I have been using the RULER technique with clients recently and they are experiencing greater success with emotion management when the first three steps are completed prior to trying to manage the emotion.

Mental

Fueling the body mentally challenges us to create mental flexibility and powering ourselves by focusing on what matters most.  It’s also the space where we check in on the stories we are telling ourselves.  A perfect question for this component is to ask yourself if the story you are thinking or sharing is taking you into the best version of yourself or away from it.  Mental strength also requires us to manage the noise in our lives. Shawn Achor in “Before Happiness” shares that noise is any information that is negative, false, unnecessary or prevents us from being able to reach our full potential.  He places noise in four categories; unusable, untimely, hypothetical, or distracting.  A needed skill for everyone is to build the ability to filter through all of the information received on a daily basis to determine what is factual, usable, timely and relevant.  How often do you evaluate the external noise in your life based upon these criteria?  Achor contends that if we just reduce the noise by 5% we can be considerably more successful with the endeavors we are engaged in.

Spiritual

Our spiritual fuel is a commitment to our passions and our purpose.  Are you aligned with your purpose?  It is truly when you align your activities with your purpose that deeper feelings of satisfaction and contentment emerge.  Simon Sinek in “The Infinite Game” likens purpose to “just cause”.  A just cause is “a specific vision of a future state that does not yet exist; a future state so appealing that people are willing to make sacrifices in order to help advance toward that vision”.  Another author, Jim Loehr in “The Power of Story” captures the essence of identifying one’s life mission/purpose.  He suggests that your purpose should continually renew your spirit; get you going every day; provide an indomitable force towards action; and ground you in your quiet moments.  The essential question that we are called to answer about our mission/purpose is that of legacy.  What is it that we want to be known for?  What do we want to leave behind as a testament to a life well lived?  As a graduate of Antioch University, I often reflect on our mission; a quote from Horace Mann “Be Ashamed to Die Until You Have Won Some Victory for Mankind.”  What quotes or thinking inspires you into deeper connection with your purpose?

Take a moment to go back through the list to identify areas of strength as well as areas of opportunities.  Reflect on where you would like to be more efficient in fueling your body and make a plan to integrate two or three new behaviors into your life.  Keep track of the improvements and notice when you see changes in how you feel, think, and behave.

The Future of Coach Development

by

Diverse Diversity Ethnic

 

The field of coaching continues to evolve as research informs practice and client needs take center stage.  One recent evolution is called “third generation” coaching.  This includes the shift in embracing “thinking partnerships” with clients rather than being experts and advisors.  It is also slowing down from a solution focus and taking time to explore who the client is, based on values and understanding the meaning clients make from those values.  Instead of simply focusing on a goal, clients are also focusing on passion and purpose which requires coaches to use a different yet complementary set of skills when coaching.  Understanding and integrating the impact of neuroscience on the coaching process becomes essential for successful achievement of behavior change.  Finally, coaching is evolving as it seeks to prolong and invite emergent conversations for the purpose of interweaving processes, models, and techniques.  Global IOC’s Associate, Advanced and Master level programs integrate into the proprietary curriculum these ideas and more from four top coaching thought leaders.  What follows in this blog are a few principles which from these thought leaders for expanding and deepening coaching practices.

Positive Emotional Attractors/Negative Emotional Attractors

Although, Dr. Richard Boyatzis has been writing most recently about coaching and compassion he has a lifetime of work that is foundational to coaching.  Two specific concepts integrated into the Global IOC curriculum are Positive Emotional Attractors (PEA) and Negative Emotional Attractors (NEA). Essentially, our bodies (brains) respond differently to the spoken words of 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.  When the coaching process integrates PEAs into the conversation, the client is able to think differently about his/her own direction and uncover potential solutions that are a best fit for the client.  Dr. Boyatzis also has a change process, Intended Change Theory (ICT), which incorporates the concepts of PEA and NEA into coaching and is foundational to the Global IOC curriculum.  ICT guides the client in determining ideal states, real states, strengths, gaps, and development of learning agendas that lead back 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.

Third Generation Coaching

Another thought leader, Dr. Reinhard Stelter, has been developing his ideas about “lingering in dialogue” and third generation coaching for the past 10 years.  Third generation coaching suggests that we are moving beyond a solution focused problem-solving approach to an appreciative dialog approach with clients that includes transformative, fruitful, and genuine dialog.  Things become meaningful when we understand how we feel, think and act and then align our behaviors with our feelings, thoughts, and actions shares Dr. 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.

The Future of Coaching

A third thought leader, Hetty Einzig, MA, PCC., has written extensively on the future of coaching and the changing dynamics of the coach and client.  In her book, “The Future of Coaching”, she outlines 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 about surfacing values and meaning making as the starting process for coaching.  As coaching evolves to be more inclusive of the system that clients function within and integrates the mind, body, emotions, and spirit into coaching conversations, coach development programs must respond by building curriculum that can elevate the practices of all coaches.

Eclectic Coaching

Finally, Dr. David Clutterbuck shares that as we become “liberated coaches” we are able to implement a coaching process called “managed eclectic”.  At this level, the coach weaves models, processes, and philosophies into conversations, allowing coaches to become “thinking partners” with clients.   In eclectic coaching, the initial conversation with a client is a learning conversation to determine the best fit for approaches, techniques, and tools and resources.  Eclectic coaching is truly a customization of coaching which is determined by client needs at a particular moment in time.  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 approach for coach development, 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.

The central theme from all thought leaders is that the landscape of coaching is changing which requires rethinking how we develop coaches.  It is essential that coach development programs evolve with the latest thinking in the field of coaching.  If you find yourself resonating to the ideas and would like more information about coach development program, please call 800-973-5702 or email contact@globalioc.com.  To apply for admission to the Associate, Advanced or Master development programs, click here.

Dreaming of Becoming a Coach?

by

woman with laptop and coffee

 

Dreaming of Becoming a Coach?  Turn Your Dreams into Reality

Coaching has become increasingly relevant to the success of businesses.  It has also become a key leadership competency; with leaders at all levels who develop coaching skills driving higher levels of performance and revenue.  Adding a coaching designation to the skills you already possess can open up new career opportunities for you.  Is now the time for you to achieve the dream of becoming a coach?, If so, you might want to explore the options available to you at Global IOC.

Why Become a Coach?

A range of factors has contributed to the interest in developing business coaching capabilities. They include a VUCA (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous) world, the financial cost of not retaining employees, support for organizational change initiatives and support for development of employees. Coaching, with its emphasis on just-in-time, flexible, customized learning, is seen as a welcome contribution to an individual’s development portfolio.

In addition, the World Economic Forum has identified the 2022 Future Outlook on Work Skills which include innovation, complex problem solving, creativity, leadership, emotional intelligence and analysis and ideation in their list.  The convergence of organizational needs along with talent requirements presents a unique opportunity for business coaches.   Coaches who can demonstrate the value of coaching while delivering upon attraction, development, and retention of key talent, high levels of engagement and performance and reinforcement of learning are in high demand.

Pathways to Becoming a Coach at Global IOC

Global IOC offers three pathways to becoming a certified coach with the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches™ (WABC™).  First, a foundational skill building class to introduce coaching skills at the associate level.  Next, advanced skill building which integrates the core skills with new knowledge and coaching best practices.  For those who have learned the core requirements from another group or in a variety of trainings, there is an assessment only track.  With the assessment only process, you could leverage foundational skills learned to fast-track into an advanced program along with the designation.  Finally, once you have completed the Advanced program you could bring the program to your own organization.

Build Foundational Skills

The Associate Coaching program leading to a Registered  Corporate Coach™ (RCC™) designation provides participants with foundational coaching skills that address current and emerging needs within a business context.  Participants will learn the Global IOC Coaching Model™ developed from the latest research in coaching. They will also learn coaching best practices that lead to more effective connecting, communicating, clarifying, championing and gaining commitment with clients.  The program structure is a blend of virtual highly interactive sessions along with self-paced independent learning.  One to one oversights with master certified faculty deepen and enhance the coaching practice.

Build Advanced Skills

For individuals and corporations who want to take their coaching skills beyond the foundational coaching level, Global IOC offers an Advanced Coaching program leading to a Certified Business Coach (CBC™) designation.  This program provides participants with advanced coaching skills that develop the ability to coach in increasingly complex and challenging situations within a business context.  Participants will learn the Global IOC Coaching Model™ developed from the latest research and best practices in coaching. Curriculum components include the selection and use of assessments in coaching, resources to advance coaching knowledge and practice leading to mastery and acceleration of client success, and a series of development resources to help coaches grow their own coaching business.

Leverage What You Have Already Learned

Two assessment only tracks allow individuals to leverage the knowledge and skills already acquired for either the (RCC™) designation or the (CBC™) designation.  The Assessment Only Associate Business Coach Track is designed for professionals/coaches who have a foundational coaching designation and/or considerable experience with coaching and want the RCC™ designation. Candidates are required to provide evidence of past learning related to developing coaching skills, coaching practice as a business coach, and coaching supervision equivalent to a total of 75 hours.  The Assessment Only Advanced Business Coach Track is for professionals/coaches who have an advanced coaching designation and/or coaching learning and experience commensurate with a total of 300 hours of business coaching practice, coaching competency development, and coaching supervision. Successful applicants will receive the (CBC™) designation.  As both certifications require coaching supervision, Global IOC faculty can provide supervision for candidates who have not engaged in coaching supervision previously.

Bring Coaching to Your Organization

After a candidate has met the requirements for the Associate and Senior Registered Professional Coach programs, he or she is eligible to become faculty with Global IOC and deliver the Associate program to his/her organization.   Attendance at a curriculum immersion session is mandatory.  Candidates will then determine the amount of support needed to deliver the program to the candidate’s organization.  Observation of initial facilitation of the program is required along with submission of attendee logs and annual reports.

The curriculum of the Global IOC Associate Business Coaching program content can be modified to meet the needs of the organization.  The modifications must meet the learning outcomes of the curriculum and be approved by Global IOC prior to delivery.

All graduates who have successfully completed a Global IOC internal coaching program are eligible to receive the RCC™ designation.

For more information on Global IOC coaching programs, please go to www.globalioc.com

Nine Things Successful People Do Differently

by

Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.  ~Winston Churchill

In a recent Harvard Business Review article, Heidi Grant Halvorson, Ph.D. “Nine Things Successful People Do Differently” identified nine things that successful people do differently from those who struggle with success.  As you read through the list, think about how the suggested actions and activities could lead you to greater success in achieving your goals.

  1. Successful people are very specific about their goals. Steven Kottler in “The Art of the Impossible”shares that goals are the blueprint for taking us ‘exactly where we want to go’.  A trap that many individuals fall into is believing that a good intention such as “I want to be more productive” or a broad aim such as “I want to hit my sales goal for 2022’ will deliver a change in behavior.  Deliberate and specific actions build momentum towards achieving goals by identifying the specific behaviors that will be different.
  2. Plan time for acting on goals. Dan Pink in “When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing” encourages us to know when our energy is optimal in order to schedule the most important tasks of the day when we have the highest energy. Getting up each morning and making a list of what actions lead us to what matters most helps to create the synergy that connects what matters most to our behaviors. We are all busy people, and it is just this busyness that can prevent us from taking action on our goals.  Planning ahead for when we will take action provides us with the momentum to act when it’s most important and eliminates the possibility that we will get to the end of the day and be out of time to take action on the goal.
  3. Continuously Monitor Progress. Successful people monitor their progress regularly and adjust their activities accordingly to ensure that they continue to stay on track. Many people set goals at the beginning of the year, write them down and then put the goals in a drawer only to be found at a time later in the year.  To ensure success, determine a process for tracking your success-be it a simple tracking log or some visual that keeps your focus on the goal. There are a plethora of tracking programs available to use to ensure movement towards goals.  It is important to find ones that will work for your own tracking process.
  4.  Adopt a realistic optimist viewpoint.  Shawn Achor in “The Happiness Advantage” Goodthink Inc. – bridging the gap between academic research and the real world asks us to be “realistic about the present while maximizing our potential for the future.”  He adds that positive people set more goals, put more effort into attaining goals, stay more focused in the face of adversity, and overcome adversity more readily. Simply believing we can bring about positive change increases motivation and performance.  However, this optimism must be tempered with reality.  A good exercise as you work towards your goals is to reflect upon past successes and the actions that delivered those results.  What activities lifted you to success and which ones got in your way?  Make a plan to address those activities/obstacles as part of formulating your goals so that if and when they occur you are ready for them.
  5. Focus on getting better not simply becoming the best. The most recent information about the brain and the development of our talent tells us that we can get better daily as we make new choices. This is a very different concept from earlier beliefs about the fixed nature of ability and intelligence.  Neither one is fixed but we must invest in a consistent process to produce the outcomes we desire.  Daily deliberate practices that match our ultimate goal provide us with small manageable behaviors taking us in the direction of getting better.  These new behaviors lead to becoming the best version of ourselves.
  6. Persist.  John Medina in “Brain Rules” shares that our brains are wired to return to doing what we have always done.  We need to stay consciously aware of the choices we are making to not backslide into the old behaviors.  Additionally, persistence draws upon the commitment to our goals which allows us to overcome the obstacles that we face.  One strategy when faced with obstacles is to break the goal down into small actions that lead to success.  Just doing one action each day towards your goal will build the momentum to keep you going when you want to give up.
  7. Strengthen your willpower muscle. Think about how you can put activities that lead to reaching your goal on the path of least resistance. For example, if you are beginning an exercise program, putting your clothing in your car will ensure you can stop at the gym on the way home from work and not have to return to your house prior to exercise.  It will be a gentle reminder that you have made a commitment to your health.  Gretchen Rubin in “Better than Before” suggests that willpower is strengthened when behaviors are scheduled into our calendars.
  8. Don’t tempt fate. Although we can strengthen willpower as discussed above, our willpower is a limited supply. Stephen Guise in “Mini-Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results” shares that there are five major factors which lead to willpower exhaustion; effort, perceived difficulty, negative affect, subjective fatigue and blood glucose levels. Checking in with ourselves on these five variables could help us avoid tempting fate.  We are not weak when we run out of willpower-it is a matter of fact. Try to space out the actions that zap your willpower and avoid placing the most taxing willpower draining actions at the end of the day.
  9. Focus on the positive.  Positive emotional states contribute to our well-being.  Remembering that our focus is a choice we make, we can shift our focus from what’s wrong with a given situation to what’s right.  Although frequently criticized, the concept of the Losada line suggests that we need three positive emotions to one negative emotion to flourish.  Think about the last experience you had.  Was it more positive or negative?  Did this experience draw you to it or did it push you away?  As mentioned earlier, this does not deny that there are negative and unpleasant experiences, it suggests that we can choose where to focus our energy when situations arise.

Join us for Global IOC’s webinar “Peak Performance” on December 8 when we will discuss these nine behaviors along with others that will help you plan for high levels of success in 2022. 

The link to the webinar is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86048223334?pwd=cmFETlpRdWpkV1J0eWFycm5oN09uQT09