A Coaching Power Tool Created by Kimberly Parrott
(Executive Coach, UNITED STATES)
Background
Coaching has been an integral part of my work for as long as I can remember. As a family member, friend, teacher, colleague, facilitator and now professional coach, I have always assumed that the person across from me possesses his or her own answers. I was drawn to teaching because of the concept of educere, the Latin root of educate: “to draw out.”[1] My job as a teacher was to meet my students where they were. I was attracted to facilitation on account of respicere, the Latin root of respect: “I regard you.”[2] Full acknowledgment is the starting point for resolving conflict.Both educere and respicere represent core coaching values that I have now adopted as explicit operating assumptions in my coaching practice:
- The client has the capacity to be healthy and whole.
- The client is an equal partner in the coaching process.
- The client possesses his or her own wisdom and solutions.
An Evolving Metaphor
Over a decade ago I founded my company, SeaChange Resources LLC, and designed a logo of a chambered nautilus circumscribed by a circle.
As with my career, where the meandering path makes perfect sense in retrospect, the logo I developed years ago embodied the essence of a coaching model (and power tool) long before I had conceptualized it. At the time I chose the nautilus because of its natural beauty and geometric perfection. It also connected to the name of my company, SeaChange, which described the outcomes I wanted to help bring about—deep and lasting change. In addition to that, what the nautilus represents to me now is a more focused approach to coaching both in aim and in process.
Goal of Coaching
Quite simply, my goal as a coach is to enable a client to access and act on their inner wisdom, whatever their challenge or opportunity might be. This is achieved through a guided iterative process of reflection and action. In the chambered nautilus metaphor, reflection is an inward spiraling motion and action is the reciprocal outward spiraling motion. This sequence is grounded in adult learning research and is a simplified version of Kolb’sLearning Cycle.[3]
Both/And
Historically there has been tension between leading the contemplative life (i.e. reflection) and the active life (i.e. action). A life in religious seclusion was perceived as a higher calling than a career in politics. Over time, that perception has become more balanced with philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Paolo Freire and Hannah Arendt advocating for the value of an engaged life, be it in community, politics or education.[4] In my coaching model, reflection and action have a synergistic relationship in which slowing down to reflect not only compliments but also accelerates the ability to act. As a client gains clarity of understanding through guided reflection, the way forward opens up with next steps emerging organically.
Praxis aka Wisdom-in-Action
Through my formal teacher training, I was introduced to the concept of Praxis, which means putting theory into practice.In education this shows up in the form of the “Reflective Practitioner”, describing an educator who regularly reflects on their teaching as it impacts student learning and modifies their teaching approach accordingly.[5]The time pressures of teaching, as in most professions, means most of us don’t regularly slow down to consider the impact of what we’re doing and what we could be doing differently. Hitting the pause button needs to be cultivated as a habit as it doesn’t happen by accident. The habit of introspection can be introduced, reinforced and rewarded through the coaching process.
In The Human Condition, Hannah Arendt presents Praxis as a “Theory in Action”, a uniquely human capacity to assess, improve and implement ideas.[6] For the purpose of my coaching model, I am taking it a step further and describing Praxis as Wisdom-in-Action, where clients access, distill and apply their inner wisdom.
The Process of Coaching
The nautilus metaphor is also useful in describing my coaching process. The center of the spiral represents Self. The spiral represents Other. The point at which the spiral joins the outside circle represents World. Intentionally using these three foci points allows us to direct our attention in productive ways. Focusing internally and on others fosters emotional intelligence. Focusing on the outer world enables strategic and innovative thinking.[7]
Through both reflection and action, the client explores how they interact with the three layers of Self, Other and World in terms of three dimensions: Awareness, Authenticity and Alignment. (On a side note, I landed on these three dimensions while working with horses and sailing in executive development. All three A’s contribute to an executive’s ability to influence and think strategically and can be enhanced through nature-based experiences coupled with coaching.)
Awareness
⇒or mindfulness, is the ability to notice everything while attaching to nothing. Done well it represents strategic capacity where a client can focus on pertinent details while keeping an eye on the big picture.
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Reflection:
In this moment what do you notice about yourself? About others? About the world?
What is the impact of a particular behavior on you? On others? On the world?
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Action:
Exercise: practice meditation expanding focus from breath to external senses to the surrounding environment.
Authenticity
⇒is foundational to building trust. It is about being comfortable in your own skin, finding your natural leadership style, accessing your best/highest self and focusing on your strengths.
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Reflection:
When do you feel your best self with yourself? With others? In the world?
What are your strengths? How can you leverage them?
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Action:
Exercise: solicit feedback from a trusted colleague regarding their perception of your authenticity in a given situation. What is your body language, tone of voice and choice of words conveying?
Alignment
⇒is both internal where your actions match your words as well as external where you influence the world around you. The Center for Creative Leadership defines it as “effective coordination and integration of the different aspects of the work so that it fits together in service of the shared direction”.[8]In short, alignment enables purposeful movement.
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Reflection:
What is the end goal for yourself? For your team/family? For your company/community?
Working backwards, what needs to be in place to achieve that end goal?
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Action:
Exercise: identify a significant project and walk through the following steps
- Strategize-Prioritize-Focus-Act
- What will you do next?
Closing Thoughts
The Praxis coaching model provides a roadmap. It can be helpful in the contracting process where explaining my coaching methodology establishes credibility and engages the client as an equal partner in the coaching relationship. It can be valuable in helping a client build the habit of mindful reflection. It can also assist me in re-establishing direction if a coaching conversation has become scattered. But it remains at best a tool in service of the client’s needs, therefore I hold it lightly.
[1] “educate.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam Webster, 2014. Web. 23 Feb 2014.
[2] “respect.” Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam Webster, 2014. Web. 23 Feb 2014.
[3] Kolb, David. Experiential Learning: Experience as the source of learning and development. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1984.
[4] Arendt, Hannah. The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1958.
[5] Adler, Susan. “The Reflective Practitioner and the Curriculum of Teacher Education.” Journal of Education for Teaching: International Research and Pedagogy. 17.2 (1991): 139-150.
[6] Arendt, Hannah. The Human Condition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1958.
[7] Goleman, Daniel. “The Focused Leader.” Harvard Business Review. December 2013: 51-60.
[8] McCauley, Cynthia. “Making Leadership Happen” www.ccl.org. May 2011. Center for Creative Leadership. Web. 23 Feb 2014.