Coaching Model: The Butterfly

A Coaching Model created by Christine Tanaka
(Sales Coaching, UNITED STATES)

The coaching model of the butterfly was initially created while I was walking my dog through the back trail of my home in San Francisco California.  I am a believer of signs and signals and that if we pay attention to her, nature will speak directly to us.

I also believe that many great analogies can be painted by nature and used in our own lives to use as tools and valuable insight.

The coaching tool I created is derived from the glorious butterfly. The below mentioned stages are discussed in great detail in the book of Animal Medicine.

I am an idea person and usually have several ideas going on at a time.  Most of them flutter by and never come into full existence because I do not have a tangible model to place these ideas into to see if they can actually take root and come into a beautiful existence as a butterfly does.

The four stages of the development of the butterfly, that I read in my book, can be used to assist the bringing of ideas into creation or making these thoughts and ideas into a physical reality.

The four growth stages of the butterfly are: egg, larva, cocoon, birth.

I will walk through these stages with an example of how to implement them as a coaching model.

The EGG

This is the idea the inspiration.  Usually this stage is when a change is necessary or a client is trying to grow in some way. There is something going on inside like a small seed that is being presented to the client.  This could be brought on by an intention in the client or a flash aha thought, or idea.  I like to instruct clients to keep an ideas journal to inspire creativity and to make sure that sparks of thought or inspiration are never lost.

The LARVA

This is the creating stage.  The larva makes me think of the difficult stage. This is where the decision is to be made on following the idea.  It is the ugly stage.  It could even be the sabotaging stage where the mind may try to ask so many “how’s “ that you become completely overwhelmed and ditch the entire idea. The larva is not pretty but this is a stage that must be transcended in order to move forward.  This may be a time to instruct your client to do some visualizing not on the “how”  but the possibility that may await if you keep your eye on the goal.  Make a decision. Are you in or are you out?

The COCOON

This is all about development and it is the workhorse phase of the project.  A decision has been made to move forward and what needs to be done has been decided.  Do I have a methodical plan in place and a list that will keep me moving toward the goal?  This is a time where there are a lot of parts moving to make your idea a reality.  I like to think of the cocoon as something we know that is going on at work, but we can not necessarily see all the moving parts.  The cocoon is the magic where if you stay your course and have faith then whether it may be exactly as you planned it your desire can be made reality.   This is the stage where we keep our clients in a positive state of mind, and also where there could be bumps in the road and unexpected set backs or obstacles.  The main thing is to know that some things may be happening that are not on the radar screen but everything is coming together in perfect order.  Have faith in the unseen and trust in the process!

The BUTTERFLY

Your idea, business or life has earned its wings and is ready to take full flight.   Let your creation in all of its beauty move through the world.

This is the manifestation of creating physical reality.  Take those ideas no matter how big or small and see if that egg can be transformed into a beautiful butterfly.