A Coaching Model Created by Natalie Bane
(Executive Coach, GREECE)
Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides, Just like hopes springing high, Still I’ll rise.– Maya Angelou
My inspiration
What is the way to rise above our existing reality? How can we discover the immense potential that lies in every one of us? How can we put to action our unique strengths and create the life that we truly want?
Coaching has the answers to all these crucial questions that people all over the world ask themselves.
With coaching, every individual experience an unprecedented self – a discovery that enables him/her to unfold their true potential and thrive.
As an executive &women empowerment coach, and from my own experience I see that working women, especially new mothers have the greatest difficulty to achieve self-fulfillment due to stereotypes that society enforces on them but also and most importantly by barriers that are self- imposed.
Working mothers, for example, tend to believe that they are inferior to their fellow male co-workers because they tend to dedicate less time and energy to their job because of their multiple demanding roles: Work, parenting, household chores, etc.
It is my firm belief that it should not be like this and it cannot continue to be like this.
A female executive who becomes a parent and is the primary caregiver to her children must have the same opportunities in the workplace as her male colleagues. It is a matter of perspective from the side of the Company but it is also up to the female worker to realize that she can have both a fulfilling job and a joyful family life. None of these has to be sacrificed for the sake of the other.
Furthermore, research (1) shows that this way of bringing positive results not only to the specific female executive but to the rest of her co-workers (male and female) leading to a thriving working environment.
Isn’t that what Companies all around the world strive for?
The R.I.S.E Coaching Model
Respect yourself for who you are now
Invest in your dream
Solidify your goal
Evolve
How does it work?
R: Respect yourself for who you are now.
My coaching begins with having my client acknowledge and appreciate herself for her current state of being no matter where she is right now. We all have our difficult times and stages of life that are frustrating. This doesn’t mean that we cannot change our reality for the better. However, it doesn’t serve to stay with our problems and ruminate. We need to accept whatever our current state of being is and move on. Also, what is important is to detach ourselves, our real personality from the problematic stage of life we’re in right now. If we live a life that brings us no or little satisfaction right now this is not WHO we are. This is just a temporary state that can change any time if we choose to do so. I use specific meditations and dive deep into Emotional Intelligence theory to help my clients achieve this.
I: Invest in your dream
Having set the foundation of Respect and acknowledgment for her current state of being, I then move my client to a different place in the future.
- Where would she rather be?
- How would that look like?
- What are her wildest dreams?
I do this by using Visualization techniques that make all the difference. Visualization helps my client to see her dreams and feel the way she will feel when she achieves them. The effects of this technique are very powerful for many reasons:
- The dream becomes more real and more familiar.
- The dream is accompanied by real emotions and thus crystallizes in the subconscious.
- It gives enormous motivation to the client because she realizes how good it feels to live her dream.
- It changes the energy vibration of the client from negative to positive and so she is more receptive to the Good that is in store for her.
S: Solidify your goal
Now it is time to go to the core of the coaching session.
The client now is invited to talk about her goal. A clear coaching Agreement is necessary to create a framework of the work that will take place both during the coaching relationship as well as the specific session. The client must be crystal clear about what she wants to accomplish both long term as well as for the specific session. She is invited to state what is meaningful to her about this goal, what are her barriers, things that hold her back from achieving this goal, and also define the measures of success for the achievement of this goal.
- What is important to her about achieving her goal?
- How will she know that she has achieved her goal during our session?
- What holds her back?
When this part of the coaching session is clear and solid for the client I then invite her to move forward in the direction that is most meaningful to her.
E: Evolve
Now it’s time to take action towards the desired outcome. What are the things that my client needs to do to move forward? I am a big fan of taking small steps one at a time. The action plan that my client will create does not have to be something big nor perfect. Even a small change in the way she thinks is huge! One small step to change a bad habit can make a big difference over time.
Having this in mind I invite my client to take action and hold herself accountable for it. I urge her to evaluate her needs her barriers and her supporting structures. I also make sure that a real and feasible timeframe is created. Finally, I make sure that she’s happy and complete with the coaching session and offer my support in any way that is meaningful to her.
- What can she do now to move forward?
- What might hold her back and why?
- What and who can support her in this journey?
- What is the best accountability method for her?
- When will this be accomplished?
- How can I support her?
My client has my full support throughout our coaching relationship. This means that I am there to encourage her, cheer for her successes, be there for her when obstacles arise.
This is the most wonderful thing about being a coach: The safe and trusting relationship between coach and coachee.
References:
(1)Scovell N. Sandberg S. (2013) Lean In Women, Work, and the Will to Lead