Coaching Model: HOPE

A Coaching Model Created by Sandipa Thapa Basnyat
(Career Coach, NEPAL)

What keeps us alive? What makes us strive for bigger and better life expectation? The HOPE of living!
I have thus based my model on my recent experience of HOPE. Hope is what I see in people around me after the major earthquake that hit Nepal recently. In spite of the catastrophe, people are hopeful and moving forward with a singular purpose to rebuild and evolve.

This is how HOPE works:

H– HELP needed
O- OPPORTUNITY in Obstacles
P– PURPOSE of living
E-EVOLVE with energy

Hope is the Thing with Feathers
By: Emily Dickinson

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul
And sings the tune without the words
And never stops at all.

We need coaching in many situations in life and we have been consciously and unconsciously using coaches in our life to move forward excel and evolve. These coaches, who are not certified coaches but just as good, are family members or friends or acquaintances who have been supporting and guiding us in as we move about in the journey called – life.

H- Help

There are many instances in life when we come to a point where we realize we need help to move forward or try new things as we strive for “better life”. In such scenarios, those seeking help might have a vague idea of what they are seeking for or in some instances may not have a clue as to what they want, but know that things need to change to attain a “better life”. So they look around for help mostly in self-reflection, which is a good tool but may not be the best tool for the circumstance. Thus seeking help from others might be it professional or personal is always a good first step. They need to know what this change or betterment means for them and how they themselves need to transform to make their lives better.

This is the phase where coaching comes into play, when the client realizes that there is a gap between their ‘ideal for a better life’ and ‘the reality of achieving it’. This is the first step in this coaching model that help in realizing the gap and then actions to follow up to bridge the gap.

This is just a beginning; it is a search…..an attempt, a bit like a puzzle. A puzzle with constant possibilities- A passage from “Mister Orange”

Coaching application

As a coach, we can be the thinking partner or the reality check counter in this process and help the client navigate and find and define their own goals to achieve their dreams, but a realistic one that can be attained.

Why HELP needed has to be realized?

The very first step for this to work is the person realizes that s/he needs to change or needs to be better and also realizes that s/he does not have the answers themselves and needs someone to guide them, otherwise this will not work. How much other person (coach, trainer, mentor) tires it improve or bring change, it will not work. It will be like imposing ideas on the corporate meeting without getting consent or motivation from the staff. So on such scenarios, the things will move but it will not be adhered and the client will not be internally motivated to do it as s/he has not found the reason how it is helpful for him or her.

O- OPPORTUNITY in OBSTACLES

Life may present many opportunities and at the same time it also presents many obstacles. Generally, opportunities are taken as positive while obstacles in a negative. But if for instance an opportunity which gets presented and is not realized all of sudden becomes a negative while dealing with stubborn obstacle may lead to positive change. Thus, both opportunity and obstacles need to be analyzed and an action needs to be developed to deal with them wherein the end result, opportunity or obstacle, is positive.

Building on help, the coach is there to create this plan of action for the client in either dealing with how best to capture this new opportunity or how best to deal with an obstacle to create more opportunities and better results.

One seeks help where one sees an opportunity and the desire to excel or overcome the existing obstacles which are road blocks to moving forward towards his/her goals. With the help of a coach s/he can define and clarify the problem thus reaching those core values which are most important to them to succeed and find a solution within.

Positive resolution of presented opportunity or obstacle leads to HOPE of betterment.

Coaching application:

As a coach, we help the clients to break their shell, nurture the soul and realize and add the colors to their lives and help them fly to the world so the client witness the beautiful and new “YOU”. Here the clients do the need assessment, identify the gaps and realize the need to fulfill the gaps to reach the dream.

Why Opportunity?

If the client only sees the obstacles and only the negatives and is not willing to see the bright side then coaching is not the answer, this where therapy and counseling comes in. Only when the client sees the opportunity for growth or betterment by solving the problem then the process can move forward. So the realization of the gap to reach the goal and the zeal to surpass the current situation to achieve a better situation in future will lead to the progress, which is where a coach would be most effective to help realize this potential.

P- PURPOSE

Understanding ones short comings and realizing the gap to bridge for betterment are a beginning, now a drive for action is needed – this is called a purpose. Purpose is powerful; if the will to act is not channeled in a positive way the purpose for the act of betterment may not only be lost but could lead to negative results. For example, the act of cheating as means to meet your goal not the right act or purpose which will have negative connotations later on. Positive values create the individuality and strengths, which provide the source of inspiration and define the new purpose.

Purpose will show the light at the need of the tunnel- literally- which gives the direction to move in a particular path with the passion to achieve one goal/s. Purpose drives us as it is an internal self-realized motivation which one believes in.

As they say “Happy are those who dream dreams and are ready to pay the price to make it true”

Coaching application:

Coach will help the client recognize the values they live by and the importance of their strengths to head towards their purpose. It is not just a goal to be accomplished but prepare the client to understand the world and the purpose of his or her existence and equip them for ground reality which is tomorrow. The client will create the action steps to fulfill the gaps to fulfill the goal, with the coach providing positive energy in building the purpose for the action.

Why purpose?

One can only solve the problem when one feels confident and optimistic. In order to be optimist and confident the client has to be clear about his/her values in life and also the strengths of individual. To realize one’s goal one need to act and act with abandonment guided by ones values, strengths and conviction and to do so it showing one’s purpose in life.

Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid. -Anonymous

E-EVOLVE

Talk is cheap, actions move mountain – unknown

Realization of change leads to opportunity, opportunity leads to action, action leads to purpose and purpose lead to change or leads to the evolution of oneself. When one evolves as a person, one regains positive energy which is needed to sustain change and betterment; ready to take the action necessary to meet new goals. Like a butterfly evolving from a caterpillar one needs to break the cocoon internally so the wings can spread which requires efforts, commitment and persistence.

The client has to be ready for “New You” sees him/her self in a new light and the coach is there to with accepting and internalizing the process of change and evolution. The coach is the partner to help the client witness the metamorphosis and make them feel proud to see the butterflies spread their wings.
Coaching application: At this stage client takes the accountability to emerge by fully adhering to action steps agreed by the new found energy to evolve and to set goals for a new challenge.

Why Evolvement is necessary?

Humans are very result oriented and do not have patience keep on persevering towards an outcome which they may never see or may not be realized. Thus the theory of evolution is a powerful tool to show to the clients that change can happen and little things add up. Once the clients see the things moving for the better by their own effort and strengths, it gives them better satisfaction and happiness and helps them achieve what they strived for.

HOPE is the flame that drives the soul to move.

So for this model to work, the client has to go through each component as each component builds on to the next and then once it’s complete it restarts again. This should be an ongoing process for anything in life when one is hopeful and seeks help.

Even in the dire situation during the earthquake when people lost everything they owned, they are still moving with a hope to make it to the next day, next level and better tomorrow. HOPE is the only survival technique in testing times of life.