A Coaching Model Created by Saskia Bergmann
(Career Transformation Coach, NETHERLANDS)
Introduction:
Everything you need is already inside. Bill Bowerman
That is a very powerful and empowering thought. Even so many people are not using their inner power and looking only on the outside for their solutions, while they are struggling. They try to find the answers outside, by getting advice from other people or seeking the permission of other people for their actions. But they totally forgot about their own inner wisdom and intuition which is their most powerful asset. People also often make outer circumstances responsible for their situation and pose the victim role.
My Coaching Model ‘Powerful Creator’ is all about ‘Power’ what the word itself already implements. Its main goal is to empower the client, make them aware of their inner power, and support them in taking back the ownership of their own life.
Many people are not aware of the huge gifts they are carrying inside them. They walk through life craving for their desires and struggling most of the time to get only one step forward.
In Coaching, we believe unconditionally in the abilities & gifts of the client they are carrying within. I want to focus on my work on bringing these back to light.
Understanding our impact and our ability to influence and create our life is leading to responsibility. Only if start taking responsibility for our actions and life, we have created we will be able to move forward. It is the first crucial step in the whole process of becoming a powerful creator of our own life.
Presence
The past is a ghost, the future a dream, and all we ever have is now. Bill Cosby
The Presence is about arriving with the client in the here and now. Creating a space of trust and intimacy with the client. The Coach is building a connection with the client by creating a warm and positive atmosphere. The client gets the full space to unfold and articulate themselves. The client gets to share their expectations, hopes, and the outcome they would like to achieve. Together with the client, the coaching agreement will be established. The Coach is getting to know the client and understands their views & beliefs. The client is getting maximum attention through active listening.
The Presence is also about making the client aware of how powerful the moment of the here and now is. That is the moment we actually have the power over, and we can decide what to do. The awareness over the power of the moment is an important step in the coaching process and empowers the client.
Acceptance
Grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference. Reinhold Niebuhr
In order to be able to move forward its important to make peace with the current situation. Change and forward movement are only possible if the client is at peace with the current situation and not holding grudges. It is important to achieve together with the client a state of acceptance by knowing the power of influencing future actions. It is also important to gain an understanding for the client that the current situation in their lives is created by them. But that they have the power to change that in every moment. Acceptance from the coach’s perspective is really important in terms of accepting the client and what they are bringing to the session, trusting and following the client’s lead, and not judging the client at any time.
Power
The last step in the process of the client is taking the responsibility back over their lives, is when they start owning it. That is an empowering step in the process. After arriving in the presence and holding a space of acceptance we are moving forward to empowerment. The client gained awareness over their own power and the coach is giving them space to discover what it means to them. It is a process in which the client is seeing themselves in a new perspective and empowering perspective. It is like the client got back into the driver seat after a long ride on the passenger seat.
The second part in that coaching process of becoming a powerful creator is about the client aligning with themselves. This part is very important since the true power of a person inside them. In the alignment part, the client discovers a way to connect and build up a relationship with themselves. The alignment is part of the groundwork before coming into the active process of creation.
Silence
In a coaching conversation, it is really important to make space for silence. As a coach, we need to offer the client silence to think, reflect, and find the answer within them. Through our questions which are guiding the client forward, we challenge them in their thinking. That’s why silence is very important because that is the moment the client is truly connecting with themselves. These moments are very valuable because that is where the magic happens. The client is aligning with themselves and finding answers from within. The Coach encourages the client to take time in silence beyond the coaching sessions, to connect with themselves and learn to give room to his inner voice. This will improve the process in the coaching sessions.
Intuition
It is important that the client gains trust and confidence in themselves and their own intuition during the coaching process. The coach encourages the client by asking questions that address the client’s beliefs and feelings. In that step, the client learns to connect situations more to their own feelings. That will enable them to use their own inner ‘compass’ to decide what they want or what is good for them. The focus will be on discovering the client’s feelings and their relationship with them. In that way, we will make sure that the answers and decisions are really made by their intuition and aligned with themselves. It will be also a moment where the client is getting to know themselves better through allowing, recognizing, and understanding their feelings.
Relationship
One of the goals of the Alignment is that the client is developing a beautiful relationship with themselves. The Coach partners up with the client on this journey and supports them in finding back to themselves. The Client will be encouraged to treat themselves as the biggest gift of their lives. This part will be about falling in love with yourself. After gaining the client is gaining its trust back in their feelings & intuition, they will be able to connect more with themselves. This is where beautiful things are going to happen. The client will feel empowered, energized, happier, and stronger and they will gain their trust back in themselves. Up to this point was the crucial work to set the bases before any forward movement towards a goal would be effective.
Now we are coming to the active part of the whole process which is leading into action.
In this part the client is starting to move forward towards their goals by focus, taking action, and being consistent. This goal has been defined at the beginning of the coaching process and will be brought into action in this creation part. It is important that the client carries their learnings from the previous parts and make use of it at all times.
Focus
Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you. Oprah Winfrey
Focus plays an important role in the creation process. Where the focus is there flows the energy. As Coaches, we are responsible to bring focus on the goal of the coaching session. We need to make sure that everything we are working on together with the client in the session is related and a forward’s movement towards the goal. If the client is bringing many different goals it is important to narrow it done, priorities, and focus. It is way more powerful if the client is focusing on one goal at a time and gives all the energy to that one goal. Without focus, things would never get done or would take way longer time. Beside bringing focus to the session the coach is empowering the client to work on their focus on the goal also after the sessions.
Action
Stop being afraid of what could go wrong, and start being excited about what could go right. Tony Robbins
One of the most exciting parts is going to start now – taking the action. We are coming now at a point in the journey which is all about action. All the preparation work has been done and the client built a strong connection with themselves and their own power. This new perspective and the regained power is the perfect outgoing position for taking the action towards the client’s desire or goal.
To prevent an overwhelming feeling for the client it’s important that we create a realistic action plan with the client, one step at a time. In this step, we awaken the creative mind of the client. We can use a tool like visualization to let the client picture their path towards the desired outcome. In that process, the coach supports the client through questions about their goal to bring it closer to them.
- How does it look like?
- How do you picture it?
- What does it feel having/ living it?
- Who are you in this?
With these questions, the coach enables the client to see their goal right in front of them. Asking them about their feelings is important to connect to the emotional part of the client. This part is much more powerful than the thinking part.
After the process of the connection with the goal, the action steps need to be defined. The coach asks the client the following questions:
- What needs to be done next?
- What do you think you need to do first?
- What is the best way to go?
- What can you do today to make one little step forward towards your goal?
These questions are bringing the client into the action mood. Together with the coach, the client is defining his detailed action plan including dates & times. It is important to make the action plan as clear as possible and easily approachable so that the client is most likely to follow through. The coach offers support to the client in making the action steps happen and holds the client accountable.
Consistency
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. Aristotle
The last step in the process of becoming a powerful creator is consistency. In the end, success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, it comes from what you do consistently. This is what makes a person, in the end, successful, to not give up no matter how many setbacks are coming in the way. It is important to empower the client to show up for their goal every day. There will be always difficult moments or times when it feels that everything is going wrong. But especially than its crucial to not lose trust and never give up. In these difficult moments, the coach plays a crucial role to motivate and empower the client to hold the vision and trust the process. By holding the client accountable for the action steps they committed to, the coach supports the client in getting consistent.
At this point in time, the client has become a powerful creator of their own life. This journey has led them to get to know themselves better and working on their relationship with themselves. The client started to take ownership of his life and created with focus, action, and consistency to the desired outcome they wanted to achieve.